Confession: I’ve been a busy little bee.    This year, since releasing The Timid Rider, has been a whirlwind of the best kind. While the blog is gaining in popularity and my brand is being recognized in different countries (no small feat and one I’m ridiculously excited about), the biggest pull is interacting with others who struggle with their own confidence in and out of the saddle.   There are so many others, just like me, but choose instead to stay behind the scenes because they are unwilling to admit they question themselves. Often people contact me privately. I hope that sharing my story will encourage others to be a little bolder but everyone has to do what is right for them. What helps me may not help another.     My friend, Camille Champagne, an endurance rider and the co-founder of The Gobi Desert Cup, has struggled also with confidence. She recently returned to competitive endurance after a hiatus of years and having a child. I won’t share her story or private details, just like I wouldn’t share yours. It isn’t my place. The important thing is that she wants to be part of the journey helping others. She has done this by creating The Gobi Desert Cup and Mongolian Horse and Nomad Foundation, by creating an International Endurance Exchange, and now partnering with me to host a unique and incredibly life-changing Retreat.     Camille and I have organized a very special, and private, retreat in Mongolia for July 2020. The Great Nomadic Retreat combines the best of Mongolia with the added benefits of horsemanship training, confidence and mindset coaching, and riding quiet Mongolian horses across the Gobi Desert each day.       We are so excited to invite six women to join us on this journey. Camille is an FEI 3* endurance rider competing for Elite status. She is a Parelli Natural Horsemanship Instructor and has worked with top-level horses around the world. She is incredibly respected and trained Australia’s best endurance horses including the three times Tom Quilty winner Brookleigh Excalibur and placed in the most prestigious races, including the Tom Quilty and Walvis Bay in Namibia. To work with her and improve our horsemanship is such a gift, one that I’m looking forward to myself!     One may ask what I bring to the table? I stopped riding horses because of anxiety as a teenager. It took a lot of courage and a lot of passion to return at 31-years old after having a child. More, it takes a lot of boldness to share my insecurities with the world. I’m constantly challenging myself, my riding, and it is a daily struggle to tell myself that I am good enough. I don’t have to fit into anyone else’s box. I will be riding in this retreat myself, stepping out of my comfort zone.     Of course, that isn’t enough. I want to truly make this special and add incredible value. As such, I’m becoming a certified life coach to better help others improve and progress. This retreat is going to be incredibly special. The itinerary may change with weather and availability but we are planning some incredible opportunities for our riders, and the applications have already started coming in.   Camille and I will pick you up at your hotel in the capital, Ulanbaatar, and we will drive you to our base camp in the Khentii Plain. There you will meet our horses, trained to be more forgiving for Western riders. We will spend some time getting to know each other. Each day we will have horsemanship clinics, confidence coaching one-on-one and in the group, as well as ride out together each day.     But there is so much more. We will meet local nomads and see demonstrations of their horsemanship, wrestling, and racing. We may build halters for the nomads and ride with them across the steppe. Each evening as the sun sets, join us for guided yoga designed for equestrians in mind. Then it’s time for happy hour! We will have catered meals each day and many more wonderful things.     Mongolia is a true horse-centric culture that is slowly slipping away due to desertification and lack of income and schooling for the nomads. Our retreat not only gives you a glimpse into this beautiful, ancient lifestyle but also provides a unique opportunity to safely ride and improve your horsemanship. All this, while providing income to the locals.   Not only am I excited to be co-hosting this retreat, but I am excited to be participating myself. If I can do it, so can you. Will you come join us? Visit The Great Nomadic Retreat for more information and to apply now. We have only six spots available for July 2020, but we would love to see you there!   One week can change your life and we want to help you.    

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