Equine-Guided Empowerment® (EGE®) is beneficial if you feel any of the following:

• Frequently lost in thoughts; struggle to be or stay present with yourself or loved ones

• Uncertainty of how to trust yourself or your intuition.

• Frequently feel anxious, depressed, numb, and sometimes avoid feeling.

• Difficulty setting healthy boundaries; discomfort taking up space; and/or have struggled to assert your voice.

• Desire a deeper, more authentic connection with kids or partner.

• Want to spend time with fully embodied horses who are free, and experience how they can set you free.

• Judgmental, competitive, or even angry towards others and wish you could feel more secure.

Horses have a special power to teach, help us release, and hold what needs holding.

In short, we hold a deep trust in the wisdom and sentience of the horse. We cannot free ourselves from limiting patterns and tendencies if the horse is an object “used” in our process; therefore, the Homeward herd is free-roaming because they have full agency to choose with whom, how much, and in what capacity they want to connect, give feedback, and interact with participants. The horses feel what a client needs in a given moment with precise clarity and timing and will frequently make that clear. The horse’s freedom allows us to embody our own sovereignty.

EGE® sessions are grounded in insight-based coaching, so Amanda’s job in those sessions is to guide you through somatic experiences to bring you deeper into your body’s awareness, hold space for whatever may need to be released, and keep pointing you toward your innate wellbeing and wisdom. We will always be in the horses’ space, sometimes indirectly (on the other side of the fence, or in a pasture space the horses cannot enter), or we will be directly sharing space with the herd. Specific somatic exercises are better done away from the horses; others are best near or in interaction with the herd.

Group sessions allow you to engage in the relational aspects of somatic experiences through practicing together, observing others, giving and receiving honest feedback, and learning from each other’s debriefs. Private sessions allow for more flexibility to adapt to exactly what you need on a given day—or based on what the horses identify as the best way forward in a given moment. Private sessions also permit us to work on a specific area or challenge that you’d like help with.

Equine-Guided Empowerment® is based in Somatic Reprogramming®. We re-awaken awareness of our bodies, then feel into the sensations (separate from knowing them from an intellectual perspective). Through the somatic exercises, we notice our embodied responses so we see, feel, and explore them in a safe way. From there, we practice increasing the somatic and emotional range within. Meaning organically arises when one is in the body, as the body is the source of wisdom and intrinsic truth. The meaning or insight that arises will be unique and exactly what needs to arise and shift for you. Finally, we practice new actions that align with your values now, and release old patterns and stories which served to keep us safe but no longer serve us today. A full integration of change takes time and continued tuning in, and life presents us with myriad opportunities to practice. Somatic work puts your experience directly in the body, which is where traumas, patterns, and habits are stored. Therefore, only by getting into the body can we surface, unpack, release, and create new embodied practices.

If you are drawn to horses, either through previous experience or just a strong connection, the Collective is a way to learn about, work with, and deepen your understanding of horses through the lens of trust and connection. When people want to be with horses on a regular basis, riding schools are the most common pathway. However, most riding schools skip the relational aspects of the horse-human partnership. In the Collective, you work in small cohorts (limited to 4 participants) to connect your self-awareness and embodiment to the “doing” part of horses, like grooming, leading, following, space claiming, therapeutic nutrition, groundwork, and eventually supported and independent riding. These cohorts are offered in 3 modules, each one consisting of 6, 2-hour weekly sessions. All participants must begin with module 1 and then can move on to subsequent modules. The first module’s theme is Safety, Agency, and Choice. The second module’s theme is Trust and Communication. The third module focuses on Attunement and Partnership.

Potential Homeward clients can schedule a free 20-minute call with Amanda to ask questions and learn more about the offerings. Just submit your contact details in the contact form on the website or reach out directly by email: amanda@homeward.pt.

Quinta Nova is a private farm (not a horse boarding facility or riding school), so all sessions are done with full privacy and confidentiality. As Amanda is the sole facilitator of Homeward’s offerings, there is never an overlap with other clients or sessions, and all four of my horses are available for all sessions. Quinta Nova is also my home, so clients are welcomed to a carefully organized, beautiful space set in nature and surrounded almost entirely by green. I have a client lounge, where people can settle, make a tea or coffee, fill up water bottles, use the bathroom, and peruse the small library of books aligned to Homeward’s philosophy and practice.

All sessions must be paid in advance to secure your reservation.

All sessions are planned with care, so group workshop reservations are non-refundable in the event that you cannot attend. For group workshops, your ticket can be transferred to somebody else subject to approval.

Private reservations can be rescheduled with at least 12-hours’ notice.  

If a session must be cancelled for reasons outside of our control (weather, complications with the herd, emergencies), you will receive a full refund. If possible, we will reschedule the session (private or group).