7 Day Phenominal EquiYoga and Trailriding Retreat in New Mexico
Outstanding Yoga and Horse Riding Holiday USA
Equestrian sports involve two athletes of different species performing together in physical and mental harmony. Like any good team, we owe it to our equine partners to show up as our best selves. Enchantment Equitreks is the destination for intrepid equestrians who are looking to create a vital connection with their equine partner. The EquiYoga & Horsemanship Retreat provides the rider with tools and knowledge based on natural horsemanship philosophy and an EquiYoga practice.
To thoroughly enjoy your stay, they require that your riding ability be at an intermediate level due to the terrain and length of the rides. However, no yoga experience is required!
Key information
- Rider Weight Limit: 200 pounds / 90 kilograms
- Trail riding 3-4 hours/ 10-15 miles
- Horse height range: 14-16.2 hands.
- Horse breed: Various breeds, mostly Quarter Horses and Paints.
- Tack type: Western or Australian Stock Saddles
- Ranch offers regular riding weeks in April-October. Inquire for more information.
Meet the instructors
Read more
Highlights
- 4 days of horse riding activities
- 1 tourism day
- Daily handcrafted yoga sessions
- EquiYoga classes
- Trail Riding clinics
- Breakfasts, lunches, and dinners and snacks and water on the trail
- 6 nights' accommodation
- Airport transfers
Skill level
- Intermediate
- Advanced
Styles
Accommodation
Facilities
- Hot tub / Jacuzzi
- Swimming pool (outdoor)
- Air-conditioned rooms
- Dining area
- Environmentally friendly
- Fireplace
- Garden
- Kitchen
- Smoke-free property
- Special menu request
- Yoga deck
- Yoga studio
- Bicycle rental
- Free bicycle
- Free Wi-Fi
- Laundry
The ranch is designed to be an environmentally friendly, relaxing mountain retreat. The two-story house is nestled on a juniper and pine tree ridge overlooking the valley below. Decorated in a rustic and eclectic southwest style, the guest house offers three bedrooms, two and a quarter baths, a shared kitchen, and a common room filled with books and games. The guest house is environmentally conscious and designed with composting toilets, greywater systems, and repurposed furnishings. It offers free Wi-Fi and access to laundry service.
The area is landscaped for relaxation. Wooded paths lead to reading nooks, hammocks for naps, meditation alcoves, and quiet spaces for yoga. The hot tub is available year-round and the pool is open during the summer. The property is teeming with vegetable gardens, fruit trees, and berry bushes just ripe for the picking. Bicycles are available for further exploration. The area is conveniently located close to golf courses, hiking and mountain biking trails, ski areas, and the river.
Program
Equi-Yoga
EquiYoga is the continuous practice of self-awareness through asanas (poses), pranayama (breathing techniques), and meditation on the mat and in the saddle to create a collaborative partnership with your horse.
You begin this program on the mat, creating a foundation of breath and learning the asanas. As you move to the saddle, your horses stand patiently, often breathing and stretching with you as you begin to find a flow. When you are ready to advance, the horse walks out on a lunge line as you match your rhythm with the animal.
This unique technique highlights many trouble areas, such as the neck, shoulders, arms, seat, and legs. It brings awareness to your balance and strength, essentially because your mat is moving at its own pace. By adding the equine element to yoga, the equestrian will learn to adjust to new situations with breath and suppleness, reevaluate the body cues to keep clear communication and build a deeper connection to your horse.
This discovery can be utilized to enhance your riding and your yoga practice. Marty Whittle, the founder of Equi-Yoga, explains that it helps you explore your body from the inside out.
Horse riding
Enjoy an all-day adventure in the breathtaking landscapes of New Mexico. Unlike many outfitters who ride in the same area, Enchantment Equitreks takes advantage of the diverse terrain by trailering out to a new trail each day. They load horses, tack, picnic with clients, and drive 20-45 minutes to the riding destination.
Some days, you will be galloping through the sandy arroyos of a painted desert. The next day, you will scale alpine forests, and Enchantment Equitreks loves to splash through the waters of the Rio Grande River. You do not camp out in these places but return back to the ranch, where a hot shower, a hearty meal, and a soft bed await.
Horsemanship
Enchantment Equitreks prescribes a natural training method, a philosophy of working with horses based on the horse’s natural instincts and methods of communication, with the understanding that horses learn from pressure and the release of pressure.
Enchantment Equitreks believes that spending ample time with the horse to gain their trust is paramount in turning these animals around.
Itinerary
Day 1
- Arrival and settle in.
- 1 pm Lunch
- 3 pm Welcome Ride and Ranch Orientation
Day 2
- 7:30 am Breakfast at the main house.
- 9 am leave for Trail ride
- 10-1 Trail Ride lunch on trail
- 2 pm Back at Ranch
- 4-5:30 Yoga for Rider Awareness Upper. Body (on mat only)
- 7 Dinner
Day 3
- 7:30 am Breakfast
- 9:30- 11 Yoga for Rider Awareness Lower Body (on mat only)
- 11:30 -1:30 EquiYoga (in the saddle)
- 1:30 Lunch
- 3:30 - 5 Introduction to Equine Connection
- 7 Dinner
Day 4
- 7:30 am Breakfast
- 9:30- 11 Yoga for Rider Awareness: Core of the Body (on mat only)
- 11:30 - 12:30 EquiYoga (in the saddle)
- 1 -5 pm - Visit Madrid & have lunch
- 7 Dinner
Day 5
- 8 am Breakfast
- 10am leave for Trail ride
- 11-2 Ride with lunch on trail
- 5pm YinYoga for Rider Restoration
- 7 Dinner
Day 6
- 7:30 Breakfast
- 9:30-11 Yoga for Rider Awareness Slowing Down (on Mat)
- 11:30-1:30 EquiYoga (in saddle)
- 1:30 Lunch
- 4 pm Equine connection continued
- 7 pm Dinner
Day 7
- 8 am Morning Restore Yoga
- 9 am breakfast and departure
Horse riding requirements
This program is for yogis of all levels and intermediate/advanced riders. Safety is our number-one priority. We are not a nose-to-tail dude ranch but an equine adventure business. All of our horses have been trained in trail riding skills and manners; however, they do have a mind of their own.
To thoroughly enjoy your stay, they ask all riders to meet the following criteria:
- Intermediate riding level due to the length and terrain of the rides.
- Firm seat with soft hands.
- Comfortable at a walk, posting trot, and two-point canter.
- Riding in a group at all paces over varied terrain.
- Basic horsemanship skills such as catching, grooming, leading, and tacking up.
- Mount and dismount with minimal aid. (You can use a well-placed rock or log if needed.)
- Physically fit to be in the saddle for 3–4 hours, or 10–15 miles a day.
- If you do not feel that you meet these criteria or do not ride regularly, but are still interested, they strongly suggest riding lessons. This will help you to be more confident and comfortable in the saddle. They will give riding tips and suggestions on the trail to keep you safe, however, they do not give riding lessons.
Horses
While the Enchantment Equitreks team is dedicated to providing you with an amazing experience, they are also committed to healing the horse community. All of their ranch horses were originally rescued and have been expertly re-trained as experienced trail horses. Enchantment Equitreks continues the work with the rescues through their rehabilitation non profit.
Many of Enchantment Equitreks' horses come to the rescue not only with malnourished bodies but broken spirits. The program concentrates on slowly rebuilding the horse physically and mentally through a relationship built on trust, respect, and understanding.
The core ranch horses have been through the training program and have blossomed into healthy and happy horses who love their job.
The horses range from 14 -16.2 hands tall, 7-30 years old. The breeds range from Quarter Horse, Paints, Mustang, Thoroughbred, and grade.
Included excursions
Tourism Day
We love to ride, but we also love to show off the diverse culture of New Mexcio. All of our vacation packages include a day off from riding to visit a historical town, attend an event, dine on fabulous food, or shop in local galleries and bodegas.
Instructors
Justyn Vogel
As co-owner and outfitter of Enchantment Equitreks, Justyn has blended her passion for horses and yoga in the EquiYoga program. After practicing for 15 years, she received her teacher training at Indi Yoga Studio in 2017. Trained in a Vinyasa and Yin style that focuses function over form, Justyn leads classes focused on rider release and body awareness. Her classes embrace those new to yoga and practicing yogis. She will take you from mat, to saddle, to trail with sessions designed to create awareness of the asana and horsemanship connection.
Location
The holiday will take place in Edgewood, New Mexico, United States. Enchantment Equitreks, a 140-acre ranch, is located at the southernmost point of the Rocky Mountains, 40 minutes east of Albuquerque and an hour south of Santa Fe. Your lodgings will be at quaint Air BNB just minutes from the ranch.
Distances
- Albuquerque - 40 minutes
- Santa Fe - 1 hour
Features
Activities
- Cycling
- Hiking
- Hot tub / Jacuzzi
- Kayaking
- Stand up paddle boarding
- Swimming pool (outdoor)
General
- Air-conditioned rooms
- Dining area
- Environmentally friendly
- Fireplace
- Garden
- Kitchen
- Smoke-free property
- Special menu request
- Yoga deck
- Yoga studio
Services
- Bicycle rental
- Free Wi-Fi
- Laundry
Food
During the holiday, you will be served healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners as well as snacks and water on the trail included in the price. New Mexican cuisine is wholly unique, rich with local ingredients, slow-cooked meats, and spiced with roasted green and red chili. The meals not only showcase this local flavor, but the ingredients are plucked straight from Enchantment Equitreks' gardens, local farms, and ranches.
Each morning, you will be greeted with a European-style breakfast set out in the guesthouse or patio. Lunches will often be picnics during the day's ride. The evenings will be filled with sit-down, family-style dinners, relaxing next to a fire and gazing out at the stars. They are able to accommodate many food restrictions and allergies for vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free menus.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Snacks
- Drinks
The following drinks are included:
- Water
- Coffee
- Tea
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
- Other dietary requirements on request
Things to do (optional)
- Hiking in the Sandia Mountains
- Kayaking or standup paddleboard
- Mountain biking
What's included
- 4 days of horse riding activities
- 6 nights accommodation
- 1 tourism day
- Daily handcrafted yoga sessions
- Trail And Riding clinics
- EquiYoga in the saddle
- Yoga equipment (mat, blocks, blankets, bolsters)
- Equestrian equipment (helmet, chaps, gloves)
- Use of basic toiletries, towels, and hairdryer
- Access to the hot tub, pool, and laundry
- Free Wi-Fi access
- Healthy breakfasts, lunches, and dinners
- Snacks and water on the trail
- Airport transfers from Albuquerque International Sunport Airport (ABQ)
What's not included
- 7.625% NM tax (to be added to your final invoice)
- 10% gratuity (to be added to your final invoice)
- Event fee (if applicable)
- 1 meal out in restaurant on tourism day
How to get there
Recommended Airports
Albuquerque International Sunport
34 km
Transfer included
Arrival by airplane
Please book your flight to arrive at Albuquerque International Sunport Airport (ABQ). Transfers from and to the airport are included. Pick-up is between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., while drop-off is between 8 a.m. and 12 p.m. Enchantment Equitreks will meet you at the baggage claim curbside at a pre-determined time.
Pick up at local accommodation
Enchantment Equitreks can pick you up and/or drop off at a local hotel or AirBnB. Transfer times will be the same as airport transfer times.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 14% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through BookHorseRidingHolidays.com. All major credit cards supported.