Steady Self School with The Horse Project Santa Barbara
Meditation with horses
A ninety-minute morning of slow movement, meditation, and guided time with the rescued horses of The Horse Project. No riding and no previous experience required.
Saturday, September 26, 202610:00–11:30 a.m. · Santa Barbara foothills · $50
Purchase ticketsYour ticket supports the ongoing care and practical needs of The Horse Project’s rescued horses.
Horses change the room.
And they change what it means to pay attention.
Most of us meet ourselves differently when another living being is near. We speed up, hold back, reach, brace, or try to manage the encounter before it has had time to unfold.
A horse responds in real time. It may approach, pause, turn away, or simply remain where it is. That gives attention something concrete to work with: where you are, how you approach, and what happens when you stop trying to control the next moment.
This gathering brings Steady Self School’s movement, meditation, and nervous-system education into a ground-based experience with rescued horses. The horses are participants in the practice, not scenery around it.
“There’s a whole herd of horses in my cathedral, and they remain my greatest teachers.”Linda Kohanov, The Power of the Herd
The shape of the morning
The pace leaves room for the horses and the people present. Curiosity is enough experience to bring.
Settle into attention
Meet the herd, receive a short ranch and safety orientation, and arrive in your own attention.
Move and meditate
Julia leads slow, stationary movement, breath, meditation, and body awareness in the presence of the horses.
Practice in relationship
Linda facilitates time with the horses from the ground: approaching, pausing, noticing, and returning as the encounter changes.
Close together
Julia guides a brief closing reflection. Afterward, there is time for a carrot thank-you for the horses.
The horses are not scenery.
A horse moves, listens, redirects its attention, and answers the moment in its own way. Your meditation therefore cannot become a performance of stillness. The practice is to notice what is actually happening, return to your own attention, and remain in relationship with another living being.
People helping horses. Horses helping people.
The Horse Project rehabilitates, retrains, and rehomes rescued horses, while providing sanctuary for horses who need it. Its work creates respectful ways for people to learn in relationship with the herd.
Linda Kiefer guides the horse relationship and ranch experience. Julia Dyer, founder of Steady Self School and a practitioner in the Sri Vidya lineage of classical Tantra for more than a decade, leads movement, meditation, and the closing circle.
This fundraiser brings their work together while helping sustain the horses’ care.
Learn about The Horse Projectsupporting the rescued horses
Come to the ranch.
- When
- Saturday, September 26, 2026
10:00–11:30 a.m. - Where
- Santa Barbara foothills, about ten minutes from downtown. The exact address is provided after registration.
- What to wear
- Comfortable clothing you can move in and do not mind getting dusty, plus sturdy closed-toe shoes.
- What you need
- No experience with horses, yoga, or meditation. There is no riding.
The group is limited to approximately 25 people. Arrival and parking instructions are included with registration.
Before you book
The practical questions people usually ask before coming to the ranch.
How is this different from another meditation experience?
You are practicing in relationship with another animal. The horses respond, move, approach, pause, and redirect their attention. The practice asks you to keep noticing what is happening and return to your own attention while remaining in relationship.
Do I need experience?
No. Instructions and context are part of the morning. You do not need previous experience with horses, yoga, or meditation.
Will we be riding?
No. The entire experience takes place with the horses from the ground.
What does the fundraiser support?
Your $50 ticket supports the ongoing care and practical needs of the rescued horses at The Horse Project Santa Barbara. Guests may also tip the horses or join Savie’s Circle with a monthly donation.
What should I wear?
Wear comfortable clothing you can move in and do not mind getting dusty, along with sturdy, closed-toe shoes.
Is this therapy?
This is a contemplative educational experience combining attention practice with facilitated, ground-based time with horses. It is not psychotherapy, medical care, or crisis support.
If this date does not fit
Join the interest list for news of future horse gatherings and related practices. Tickets for September 26 are available now through The Horse Project.
Thank you for staying close.
You are on the list. We will write with news of future horse gatherings and related practices.
Spend a morning in their company.
Saturday, September 26, from 10:00–11:30 a.m. in the Santa Barbara foothills. Tickets are $50 and support the rescued horses.