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Chelle.Equine Guided Experiences, 41800 US Highway 45, Antioch, IL (2025)

11/03/2025

Light & Shadows

I walked into the barn this morning earlier than my normal feed time due to the time change.

The barn had light casting shadows and brilliance all around.

It was beautiful and a reminder that light is what reveals truth. When light shines, it not only illuminates what is good and clear, but it also creates shadows. We need both light and shadow to see reality fully. Shadows form not as enemies but as a reminder of what still needs understanding.

We are all in different phases of understanding the complexities of light and shadows. Grace is illuminated and welcomed here.

Where is your light coming from?

What is that light illuminating?

What is the light casting shadows on?

How can we nurture the light while tending to the shadow, all while staying anchored in the present?

That is the work.

That work is not meant to be done alone.

Chelle~Equine Guided Experiences has been working towards offerings that will help you navigate the light and shadows in a safe community, and alongside the herd.

While our efforts have been placed on construction, herd enrichment, and personal development, we have not forgotten YOU!

Thank you for continuing to follow us as we navigate bringing you a space that reflects our heart's desire for authenticity, congruence, and deep roots in what our land and animals are calling forward. They are the true leaders.

10/27/2025

Our ability to relax, rest and commune together has not always been present.

My complicated relationship with performance, task mastery, and productivity always seemed to steal the show. To be congruent with my desire for a deeper relationship with Danny would take some deeper reflection.

He knew this
He felt it
He loved me despite it

So, we dug into deeper layers with grace, gratitude, and some grit; we talked about the hard stuff.

I am a firm believer that you can only take others as far as you have gone yourself.

Danny and I have taken on some gritty issues and have come out the other side with new perspectives, greater capacity, and some growth in emotional maturity.

This morning we sat in his stall after breakfast and he took a little slumber in my presence. Pajama bottoms and coffee breath, no preempted pose.

He didn’t heal me, that’s not his “job”. My job was to see my own need for care and invite him into the process. To experience his wisdom and offer mine. To navigate this terrain together.
To experience each other in a way that was not overwhelming for either one of us.

How divine 🤍

10/23/2025

Riggins ~ 4/16/2016 to 10/20/2025🌈

It’s funny how we look back on pictures when someone passes hoping to capture their essence and lock in the memories.

I have been doing that the past few days and these are just a few of over 500 pictures I have of Riggs in my phone.

I want to honor all that he was. Two things can be true at the same time

He was a very GOOD BOY💙
And
He was full of MISCHIEF 🐿️

He was from a rescue that found him wandering the streets of Tennessee. It was his cute little defeated face through the chain link cage that stole our hearts.

He loved men and knew a few things at the young estimated age of six months. The story we told ourselves was that a man owned him and loved him but Riggs loved chasing squirrels more and got lost.

We also knew that he had been pretty sick with a tic born virus. But, so am I so it didn’t stop us.

The shenanigans started immediately like any household with a puppy.

Training, the dreaded prong collar, fenced yard and his recall was shot if he saw a squirrel. He chased one for hours one time and we found him relaxing in our neighbors Choi pond trying to cool off.

The virus wore at his nervous system and organs. Soon every medication,vaccine,food,raise of a voice would sent him into physical, emotional or neurological response. He spent over a month laying in front of a window watching snow fall too inflamed to move.

We made the decision a few years ago that no more interventions. Not easy and some may not agree but we knew him best and was trusted to make that on his behalf. When his heart started failing we chose a good day for him to leave his vessel.

He loved laying on the blacktop driveway in the blazing sun.

He liked chewing socks when he got nervous.

Don’t even ask what he did to all the decorative pillows.

He had prescription dog food that he ate everyday without table scraps or treats because of gut issues.

He loved to ride in the RV, side by side and snowplow.

His tail was a lethal weapon.

When he got tired he smelled like a Frito.

He had many names Riggs, Wrigley, Wriggly Doo, Wiggles and more.

He is being missed right now. I actually woke up to what I thought was his gotta go potty whine. The cat is unsettled. We 🩵you, Rigg

09/05/2025

Silence & Sovereignty

The world is so LOUD right now!

Injustice is screaming like a motorcycle with throaty pipes and the radio cranked ripping down the quiet side streets.

Loud

Obnoxious

Unnerving

If you are the one on the bike it's exhilarating. Wind in your face, blue skies, and the smell of the earth waking your senses. For a time an iron horse was all I rode and for a time it was enjoyable but that is what they are, iron.

They do not compare to the softness of real flesh and bones.

They are not sentient beings.

Our farm is on a fairly busy road. We regularly hear motorcycles, jake brakes, and flapping plastic on oversized loads.

It is an impossible task to quiet the streets. I could use all my energy to hold signs and yell back but I would burn out quickly. There is another way to quiet the noise.

It reminds me of all the powerful people in the news playing verbal ping pong with lies, threats, and power grabs.

Big fish in a big pond! They have the power and platform to drown out the little fish.

This system shuts down the quieter voices. The steady thinkers. Deeply rooted in the heart, speakers.

Is the solution to get louder? Raise our voices to the top volume.

In a world that is really loud right now, my solution is to seek the silence between my heart and the noisy streets. Building capacity to remain committed to being part of the collective change.

This silence is not avoidance!

This silence is restorative.

This silence is charging life force energy.

This silence is a deep renewal in faith.

When we come from this space our words, actions, and presence need no ROAR.

They are anchored in the earth, truth, and come from the heart. 🤎🤍🖤

08/24/2025

My crazy cat lady starter kit.

Two barn cats and an indoor cat. I am 😻😻😻

08/20/2025

Honoring with creativity.

Have you ever met someone creative beyond your imagination?

I have and today I honor her by allowing creativity to flow. My end result will pale in comparison but that's okay.

The goal is not driven by competition or jealousy, it never was.

She was an encourager!

She didn't seek praise for her efforts!

She was the most humble woman I know!

She would be digging in the dirt with me, brainstorming, and searching for materials to use from around the farm.

She would stop to breathe with the donkeys. She would speak to them without words and they would take her in like a sweet treat.

Then we would get right back to work.

Her legacy lives on in how she made people feel.

Not perfect. No one is!

She is the kind of woman who makes other women shine.

My deepest lesson and desire is to be that kind of woman too
💗🌸🌺🌹

Her name is not mentioned without permission. They deserve the time and space to grieve. My prayers are with them all✨

08/01/2025

HAY DAY

That incredible feeling you get when hay for the year is in the loft 🖤🤍🤎

The amount of labor in farming is underappreciated. Farm fit 💪💪💪

07/30/2025

One year ago today we welcomed these two ladies to the farm 💕

I have never had the privilege of stewarding a donkey before, but I have had friends who assured me it was a great addition to our herd. They were so right!

Each herd member has their own personality, likes, and dislikes. As a pair, the donkeys have their own language and relational complexities. As a whole it shifts, changes, and yet there are predictable components.

All different yet as a whole very strong and united.

Our hearts opened and grew the capacity to love even more when these two came into our lives. Who rescued who remains an open ended question and not important when you know it was meant to BE ✨

May we bring as much joy to them as they have brought to us.

Donkey ❤️ is real!

07/28/2025

Behind the glass.

I walked outside this morning to peek out at the herd. The sky is strangely colored and the wildfire smoke haze is heavy. A quick peek to soothe the strange feeling that sits on my chest.

The horses are quietly standing close to the barn. Gazing out at the heavy atmosphere.

My curiosity ignites as I turn back towards the house and see our indoor crew staring out at me.

Does that shield of glass provide them with a feeling of safety? Do they wish to be outside?

From observing their behavior quite often my guess is; they like the comfort of a soft bed, air conditioning, and the thin veil of glass between them and the outside elements.

In my observations and invitations to explore outdoors, they often decline. They hesitate or request to come back in after doing their “business” outside.

Safety has been a big buzzword in the healing community recently. It is often paired with nervous system regulation. What does this all mean?

I am not an expert and can only give you my experience and knowledge I have thus far.

Safety is felt in the body first not the mind.

It might arrive as a soft exhale, a loosening in the shoulders, or the freedom to simply be without bracing or rushing.

We cannot fake it till we make it.

The body is brilliantly crafted and knows at a cellular level if it is safe.

Animals know this, honor this, and live this.

Our animal bodies long for this level of intuitiveness and awareness.

Observation, curiosity, and kindness are the ways to start this conversation with your body. 🤎🩶🖤

07/24/2025

Females & Farm Construction

This will not be a feminist rant it's my observation.

We are not strangers to building or remodeling. This is our second new barn build and we have remodeled three homes.

There is so much gratitude for the opportunity to express my creativity in the form of architecture, design, and a beautifully curated end product that has made our former homes marketable. Oh, that little self-plug was hard to throw out there!

The big but! But, it came at a cost to my nervous system. This is where two things can be true at the same time.

Gratitude lives close to Disruption

In 1997 we built our first barn. To put this in perspective, it had only been 22 years since women could be named on a mortgage. Crazy!!

The contractor back then would only talk to my husband. It was for my horses, my business and the requests still fell on deaf ears.

Now, in 2025 I see many communication advances, and yet the default is to go to my husband for everything.

I no longer hold contempt for this process instead I hold grief.

Grief for the many ways our society still holds women as less than.

Our bodies know this. I am aware and have done deep work to recognize when a crew of men pull up on our property that my body no longer feels the same sense of safety. It is deeply ancestral and worthy of acknowledgement.

It calls with curiosity and kindness. It becons for awareness and protection to be considered.

The deep work I have done around my own trauma has afforded me the opportunity to ask my body. “What is it that you need in this moment?”

I believe we hold this tension for past generations.They call it epigenetics.

The grandmothers we never got to meet. We heard polished stories but there was more.

The aunts we adored but held their secrets with a tight grip.

I let myself celebrate how far we have come and yet I long for more belonging.

I celebrate the men that see us! Really, see us! They are out there! They are bravely coming forward and yet I also allow grief to be present so that I do not slip into toxic positivity. We have a long way to go.

The duality of life is complex but we have the capacity to hold both. 🖤🤎

07/10/2025

I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR THIS!

That was a common phrase I used to say often as a child and adult. When you are a visionary, you see the end results—the pot of gold.

To walk the middle process out can be painful, awkward, and confronting as heck. Do you relate to any of this?

“I just want to do what I want to do.” Replied a sweet little blonde headed five year old when asked to stay the course. I felt that statement in my own bones. Can you relate?

The promise we made to our new farm was this.
~The herd would be able to have as much autonomy as we could provide given their domestication.

*Freedom *Friends *Forage *Fun
Track was added
Herd mates introduced
Feed program analysis
Quality hay sources sought out
Weight management
Saddle fitting
Lots of playtime

~ We would steward this land with reciprocity as the main goal.

*Getting to know the history of the land.
*Learning the land's current patterns. What thrives and what merely survives.
*Energy readings and balancing
*Soil samples
*Adding trees
*Observing~lots of observing

This has all taken and will take more PRECIOUS TIME ✨

As I age I feel that time slips away but if I am honest with myself I have allowed time to slip away by rushing everything.

I was valued for hitting the ground running. My worth was as good as my productivity. Being labeled lazy would be the ultimate insult.

What does that cost us? What did that cost you?

I can tell you what it cost me. My mental, physical, and spiritual health. They paid the price for my hurry, get-it-done mentality. They took a BIG hit.

It is never too late to repair any rupture. Your mind, body, and spirit are forgiving ✨

I get messages asking when our programs will be up and running.

Last year's beta offerings got me excited for 2025 but also taught me to slow down if I am going to truly honor my promises with integrity and love for this great herd and land that I have been entrusted to steward.

Thank you for walking this beautiful process out with us! I hope you are honoring your own precious time.

Please stay connected as we will be updating our progress here.

Cu soon 🥰

06/15/2025

FORGIVENESS FEELS LIKE 🤬

Until it turns into FREEDOM.

My first horse, Hot Shot, taught me to forgive. His teachings live on long after he did. His body rests in view of our new farm. It’s a beautiful full-circle story.

Forgiveness is a tricky word. In the church, it is framed as forgive and forget. It resonates in my body like, “Get over it; he did the best he could. Honor your parents!” I never bought that. It felt like another betrayal.

When you grow up in a home where your first bully is a parent you learn some pretty stealth survival techniques. Mine is mostly sharp sarcasm along with a few other patterns. You had to be quick, and abrasive, and crying got you something to cry even harder about.

My first horse was a dream come true although my smile was nonexistent in the photo I knew my best friend had arrived. I also knew it would come at a cost, my fear is visible.

We went on to have great fun running the fields and playing for hours. Showing however was where my performance anxiety comes from. The training was a lesson in, the best ways to get that dam horse to do what you want. Make him listen!

I remember the utter disgust coming up from my stomach every time I was told to whip, spur, or kick harder. I would go into myself like a turtle. I also knew if I didn’t listen my punishment would be severe too.

My love for my horse was leverage for an abusive father. It was envy for an emotionally immature mother. Hard but true words to speak.

I speak of this not for sympathy but for context.

Walking out of an abusive childhood into adulthood where our survival is enmeshed and tangled can be disorienting.

Recognizing and naming abuse.

Working to heal those patterns we adapted for survival.

Recognizing and naming how our patterns have harmed others.

Repairing ruptures we have caused as a result of those patterns.

Forgiving and even blessing that journey home, is the WORK.

FORGIVENESS is for YOU and starts with YOU.

Reconciling relationships may not be safe but you will shed this ruminating thoughts, the blame game and constant despair.

You are worthy of FREEDOM 🖤🤍🤎

Chelle.Equine Guided Experiences

11/03/2025

10/27/2025

10/23/2025

09/05/2025

08/24/2025

08/20/2025

08/01/2025

07/30/2025

07/28/2025

07/24/2025

07/10/2025

06/15/2025

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