The facilitators.
The Spirit Horse Journeys are held not by one person but by a bench with real credentials and decades with horses and with people.
Chris Rausten
Chris Rausten is the founder of Rancho Baile de la Luna and the creator of Spirit Horse Journeys. Her journey with horses began at age seven with a $35 Shetland pony and has shaped nearly every part of who she is. From early years riding freely to later studies in dressage and natural horsemanship, and decades of hands-on care and training, Chris approaches horses as both student and steward. She actively trains and competes in working equitation.
Alongside the horses, Chris has spent a lifetime in personal and spiritual exploration. As the creator of the retreats, she designed both the physical space and the experience itself, and her role is to hold the container: steady, intuitive, and nurturing, with clear structure when it is needed. At the heart of her work is a simple belief that when a space is held with care and authenticity, meaningful experiences unfold naturally.
Amy Spencer
Amy Spencer brings a lifetime of lived experience with horses, shaped by a life spent between Mexico and the United States. Fluent in both Spanish and English, she moves naturally between cultures as well as within the subtle, unspoken language of horses. Her work focuses on biomechanics and the therapeutic art of equitation, exploring how horse and human move, communicate, and find balance together. She is a Certified Horsemanship Association instructor and a certified equine therapist.
A daily practitioner of Kundalini and Pranayama yoga, Amy incorporates breath, awareness, and energy into her teaching, creating a safe and supportive environment for deeper connection. She offers clear guidance while allowing each rider to develop awareness through direct experience.
Marti McGinnis
Marti McGinnis is a lifelong creative, facilitator, and pioneer in equine-assisted learning, with over 40 years of experience guiding people through experiential and transformative processes. With a Master's degree in Communication and decades as a professional artist, her work brings together authentic expression, human connection, and the intuitive wisdom of horses.
She is an EAGALA Level 2 Certified Equine Specialist, a certified Equine Assisted Learning facilitator, and in 2024 completed a Level 2 Certificate in the Therapeutic Use of Person-Centred Creative Arts in the UK. Co-founder of HorseJourneys and founder of QuantumSparks, her current work, Charcoal Horse, blends equine-assisted learning with drawing and reflective art. Her approach is non-riding and experiential: presence, observation, and creative expression in the company of the herd.
Jocelyn Rausten
Jocelyn Rausten is a Mindvalley Certified Life Coach who brings a grounded, intuitive, and compassionate approach to her work. She holds a degree in Biology and Chemistry from Lewis and Clark College, bringing a thoughtful, holistic perspective to human behavior and growth. She has long been recognized for her natural ability to listen deeply, reflect insightfully, and guide others with clarity and care.
Her calm presence and thoughtful questions gently uncover patterns, beliefs, and possibilities that may not be immediately visible. She is especially drawn to working with young adults and those navigating transitions, identity, and life direction, providing the space for reflection and integration that the experiential work with the herd opens up.
Jeff Rausten
Jeff is Chris's husband, and he does the things that decide whether a day actually works. He drives the transport for the one-day retreats, and he prepares and serves the lunch that everyone ends up talking about afterwards.
Every retreat has a person who quietly holds the practical side together so the rest of us can be fully present with the horses. Here, that is Jeff.
Maria Lucero
Maria Lucero guides the constellation work at the ranch, along with chakra balance sessions, blessings, and pelvic healing, all of it done in the company of the horses.
Her starting point is simple and close to our own: horses are healers, purely because of the presence they bring. Presence is the thing a person has to arrive with, and once it is there, letting go becomes possible. She also works with graphology and the Enneagram as tools for getting to know yourself better.
