Building Internal Resilience Through Horses: A 2-Day Workshop for Women Over 55 Years

“Cultivating resilience doesn’t mean never feeling sad or angry. It’s about contentment and the happiness born of connection, meaning, and purpose. With aging and in old age, resilience requires accepting you are still yourself despite changes, losses, and limitations and recognizing your on-going personal and spiritual development. It means finding a purpose that may differ from prior goals and inspires learning or helping someone else or going somewhere new. it requires knowing what matters to you, being clear with others about your priorities, and living in an environment that meets your needs, optimizing your independence and comfort. Resilience emerges when a solid dose of optimist is tempered with just enough pessimist to match goals with realities.” — Louise Aronson, MD, MFA, Author: Elderhood: Refining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life

Is retirement around the corner? Do you have a plan for your next stage of life? Do you fear the unknown and do you find yourself at a certain age wondering — how did I get here? Are you ready to embrace continued growth and development?

Most people alive today will spend more years in ‘elderhood’ than in childhood, and many will be elders for 40 years or more. Elderhood can be so much more than facing the prospect of the end of life.

Here’s an opportunity to explore the possibilities of this next life chapter in this unique experience hosted at a beautiful century farm 15 minutes east of Peterborough.

Your experience will include:

• Horses: Horses are nature’s best coaches, with strong shoulders to lean on as you navigate the twists and turns of a new stage of life. Work with a gentle horse guide who will holdspace so that you can plan and visualize what’s possible in this next chapter (no horse experience is required).
• Emotional Regulation: Learn how to work with your own nervous system to navigate the opportunities and challenges ahead, while turning underlying self-limiting beliefs into clear goals and intentions.
• Creative Expression: Discover the ancient art of Kintsugi as we acknowledge and honour the depth of our knowledge and wisdom we’ve accumulated over a life time.
• Personal Reflection: Follow the path to your heart’s desire — take a reflective stroll through our thyme-covered stone labyrinth, go on a meditative walk through our woodland trail, or find a quiet spot in the walled garden to jot down your thoughts in a personal journal.
• Wellness: Experience presence and find a grounded sense of self in the breath-taking scenery of our century farm while building confidence, greater resilience, coping skills and most importantly your heart intelligence for our fast-paced, ever-changing world.

Workshop Fee and Details:

• $400 per person plus HST payable by e-transfer to jgarland@themaneintent.ca or by credit card
• Two day workshop Saturday, October 4 and Sunday, October 5, 2025
• 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Registration Deadline: September 15, 2025
• Maximum 8 participants
• Located at 2410 Cameron Line, Indian River, ON K0L 2B0
• To register, please complete this form: https://themaneintent.ca/workshop-registration/

What to Bring:

• A journal, water bottle and lunch
• Closed toed boots or shoes that you don’t mind getting muddy
• A piece of pottery that you don’t mind breaking and turning into art through Kintsugi

About Your Facilitator:

Jennifer Garland, Registered Psychotherapist, is the Owner/Program Director of The Mane Intent, offering equine-assisted psychotherapy, health and wellness workshops, individual and team effectiveness coaching and leadership development. Jennifer, aged 62, is the recipient of the 2024 Women of Impact Award from United Way Peterborough and Business Excellence Awards from Peterborough and Kawartha Chamber of Commerce.

Before her discovery of horses later in life, Jennifer was President/Owner of The Cactus Group, a management and communications consulting business. To her equine and therapy services, she brings over 30 years of leadership experience in communications, community investment, marketing and change management supporting a variety of clients in corporate and non-profit sectors. She has provided counsel and support to senior leaders from all walks of life to create opportunities to build productive relationships, facilitate learning and to embrace change. To learn more about Jennifer’s experience, lectures, awards and publications, go here.

About the Farm:

Jennifer and her husband Chris van den Berg pursued a shared dream of owning a rural property after their two daughters left the nest. They became stewards of their beautiful farm in 2010 and are pleased to share it with visiting individuals, couples, teams and small groups looking to explore what’s possible in connecting with horses and nature. Building on the property’s natural beauty and heritage, they’ve worked hard to create a serene place for exploration, renewal and wellness.

The farm features an in-door arena for equine-assisted experiences, century barns, a heated (and cooled) workshop space, a seven-circuit stone labyrinth, a walled- and perennial gardens, rolling fields and a 20-acre mature forest with trails.

The farm is located in Otonabee South-Monaghan Township near Rice Lake – just a 90 minute drive northeast of Toronto. It’s nestled in the scenic Southern Ontario countryside and offers a variety of opportunities to find tranquility in the sights and sounds of nature. Not far from Peterborough, Port Hope, Campbellford or Cobourg, an extensive variety of accommodations, restaurants, tourist attractions, historic sites and shopping are available to complement your visit.