The Mission
‘Allowing aliveness and wholeness through Horses.’
Conscious Rider: ‘Friendly, Trust based, 2-way Riding System.’
Conscious Rider:
A Gentle Approach to Riding Horses
Katharine, a British American based in Austin Texas since 2000 provides a peace filled environment, focusing on riding solutions for all riders from all riding genres.
Employing holistic approaches to horsemanship, learning to ride, catching the horse and grooming is about consciously connecting. Clients learn to feed horses, including herbal remedies, tacking up, working-in-hand and groundwork.
Sally Swifts’ Centered Riding Method is the basis for most riding sessions.
Riding out in parkland of approx. 1000 acres we learn safe ways to get through riding challenges while accruing invaluable hours in the saddle.
The horses live freely within the herd. They have access to hay at all times, are barefoot and have regular chiropractic therapy.
Katharine is an icon artist and professional animal psychic.
Thank you to my son for the film below – the first video of many:
* (Video transcript bottom of this page). approx. 1000 acres of wild parkland.
Austin Riding and Therapy Center:
E.A.S.I. – Equine Assisted Somatic Integration
Wholeness is the Natural state
Katharine began helping clients integrate Somatic Wholeness from egoic fear with horses in 2000. She developed a program called, Equine Assisted Somatic Integration – E.A.S.I.
Transformational:
Returning to wholeness through pain that is held in the body.
This helps to evaporate the separate self into conscious aliveness.
It is a simple, gentle way into Peace through contraction felt in parts of the body.
- Katharine and the horses feel these contractions (clairsentience)) in the body of each client and navigate their contractive reactive pain together, eventually clients are able to do this alone.
Left Brain Explanation:
- The nervous system has two gears:
- Sympathetic – fight, flight, freeze and fawn.
- Parasympathetic – rest, digest, repair, Here.
- Somatic Integration shifts us out of stress mode and into Now ‘mode’.
This is how Somatic Integration – E.A.S.I. does what many talk therapies can not.
Regulation.
We learn to regulate by going into the ‘no’ stuck parts of our body ‘OK with not OK’.
Connecting to O.K. by feeling what is not O.K. clears old triggers that live in the fear based subconscious mind, thus upgrading neural pathways permanently.
Tools:
- Being O.K. with not O.K.
- deeply re-connecting with what we really are
- Recognizing suffering by understanding it’s cause is egoic
- How to feel a live connection with nature
- Embody the Self
-
- The Presence
- Returning to Self Compassion
- Surrendering to and as Highest Self
- Union with Higher Power
- Trauma felt and dissolved
- Meditation (natural self) that works for you
- Uplifting and connecting with the wounded inner children
- Upgrading unconscious conditioning:
- … from childhood, dna, culture and even past life
- Regulating by learning how to flip The Fear Cycle
- Psych-K
- E.F.T.
- Learning how horses dissolve their own fear
- Meditation, through connecting with the herd via ‘The Trust Technique’
- Stillness by embodying fear and surrendering it through the body
- Integrating spiritual awakenings
- Recovering from addiction via the 12 steps
- Re-building confidence with horses
- Psychic and intuitive awareness
- Addiction to thinking
- The three triggers – craving (needy) – aversion (hatred) – ignorance (selfish)
- Diseases and ailments, their subconscious message to us
- Connection with the horse, As Presence (pre’Sense)
We specialize in:
Riding:
- A gentle and internally alivening approach to riding horses
- Natural Horse wo’manship horse training via Mia Lykke Neilson, Parrelli, Sally Swift and Monty Roberts.
- Beginner Dressage using the later Baucher system from the classical school of de la Guérinière.
Riding Session are 90 minutes, twice a month. Monthly fee $400
Equine Assisted Somatic Integration – E.A.S.I.
- Heeling from seeking into Being
- Evaporating the separate self by dissolving pain in the body
- PTSD, cPTSD, healing from the addiction to fear
E.A.S.I. sessions are 3 hours. Weekly fee $400
We have:
- Menage / Covered Arena
- 1000 acres of parkland
- Tack room
- 8 miles of shaded trails
- Compost Bathroom
- Changing room
We cater for:
- Beginner Riders 6 years and up (5 if they have long enough legs)
- Intermediate Riders
- All ages for E.A.S.I. – with and without horses
Training and Retreats:
Horses As Healers Weekend Retreat
Silent Day Retreat
Teacher Training Apprenticeship
2025 Apprenticeship Testimonial:
“During my time at Conscious Rider in Austin, Texas, I had the privilege of working with Katharine, an extraordinary guide who opened the door to a whole new world for me — the world of equine therapy.
Katharine didn’t just teach me how to work with horses. She taught me how to work with myself.
Through her gentle wisdom and intuitive guidance, I embarked on a profound inner journey. It wasn’t about techniques or control — it was about coming home to myself.
Only when I found true peace within, when my heart was still and my soul was present, did the horses respond and connect.
This experience was not just transformative — it was sacred.
I am deeply grateful for Katharine, the horses, and the invisible magic that happens when you dare to meet yourself at the deepest level.
Thank you, Conscious Rider, for helping me ride not just with horses, but with life itself.” – Sofie P
*VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:
Katharine –
‘OUR MISSION IS – MINDFUL, UNION, THROUGH HORSES.’
Merlin –
‘WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT THIS PLACE?’
Katharine –
‘I LOVE THAT IT’S PEACEFUL, IT’S GROUNDED AND IT’S … REALLY GOOD FUN!’
Bette –
‘I THINK ANGEL IS PROBABLY MY FAVORITE, SHE’S REALLY EASY TO RIDE.’
Gabi –
‘SHE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE AN OLYMPIC HORSE BUT SHE … ‘
Katharine – ‘
I LOVE THE COVERED ARENA, EVERY MORNING I SEE IT AND I JUST – aah – IT’S LIKE GOING TO THE BEACH FOR ME.’
Why is this a cell free ranch?
No cell phones are to be used on the ranch. The micro radiation excites the horses and stops deep Presence. There is cell service. If you need to use your cell phone, do so in your car. If you want to take photos, please use it on ‘airplane’ mode then return it to the air stream or your car.