How a random TikTok prompt, a lifelong love of horses, and a few unexpected connections led me to discover something I had been searching for all my life.
When my husband Jeff and I moved to Mexico, I had a pretty clear picture of what retirement was going to look like.
Horses, of course. Lots of riding, a little training, making new friends, exploring Mexico, traveling, and generally enjoying life at our beautiful Rancho Baile de la Luna, just outside San Miguel de Allende.
A nice, peaceful retirement.
Hahahaha!
Well, the horses part definitely happened. In fact, we somehow ended up with an entire herd. And as anyone who has horses knows, the more you have, the harder it becomes to get away and do all that traveling you imagined.
But what I never saw coming was that these horses would lead me into an entirely new chapter of my life.
And believe it or not, it all started with TikTok and a question about making a million dollars.
The Million-Dollar Question
It was September 2025, and I was doing what so many of us do, scrolling through TikTok.
Every once in a while, I come across interesting AI prompts. Some are pretty clever, and I'll save them thinking I'll try them later.
One in particular caught my attention.
It was essentially asking ChatGPT to figure out the fastest path to making a million dollars, based on everything it already knew about you.
Well, that sounded interesting!
So I asked.
And the answer surprised me.
ChatGPT suggested that I create premium equine-assisted retreats, using the horses, the ranch, and my lifetime of experience with horses.
My reaction was something along the lines of, Hmmm. That's actually a pretty interesting idea. I could do that!
Now, I've been around horses for more than 50 years. They've been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I've ridden, trained, competed, cared for them, and learned more lessons from them than I could possibly count.
But using horses to help people with emotional awareness, personal growth, relationships, and healing?
That was a whole new direction.
And I was intrigued.
Down the Rabbit Hole
Once something sparks my curiosity, I tend to dive right in.
I started researching equine-assisted learning and therapeutic experiences, and one of the first names that came up was Linda Kohanov.
I immediately went to Audible and downloaded The Tao of Equus.
I loved it.
Then I listened to The Five Roles of a Master Herder, and I was even more fascinated.
Here was someone describing aspects of horses that I had experienced and intuitively understood for decades, but presenting them in an entirely different context.
It opened up a whole new world of possibilities.
At the same time, I realized there was a lot to learn. I figured I'd spend months, maybe years, studying, taking courses, and preparing myself before I would ever be ready to facilitate something like this.
Apparently, the universe had other plans.
Enter Amy (and a Rather Interesting Coincidence)
I'd known Amy casually for a couple of years.
As it happens, one of our horses, Capitán, had previously belonged to Amy and her husband. We'd crossed paths at horse shows and around the local horse community, and she'd even contacted us once about helping transport a couple of donkeys.
Nothing particularly remarkable. Just one of those connections you make in the horse world.
Then, not long after I started exploring the idea of equine-assisted retreats, Amy contacted me.
She had been studying equine therapy through the GRONAR Concept in Mexico City. As part of her certification, she needed to complete a dressage test, but she hadn't been riding regularly and wanted to get back in the saddle.
She asked if she could ride some of our horses and offered to help around the ranch in exchange.
And when she mentioned her equine therapy studies, my ears perked up.
Wait a minute.
Here I was, exploring an entirely new idea involving horses and personal growth, wondering how long it would take me to learn enough to get started.
And here was someone who needed horses to ride and was already training in exactly that field.
Talk about timing!
I didn't immediately say anything about my idea. I spent a couple of weeks getting to know Amy better, seeing how we worked together, and considering whether a collaboration might make sense.
Then I finally put together a proposal.
What if we combined our experience and resources and created something together?
And just like that, the idea began turning into something real.
Our First Retreat: Twelve Women, Two Days, and a Little Bit of Winging It
We decided to start with a pilot program.
Nothing too elaborate. We wanted to invite eight women to experience what we were creating, ask for donations rather than charge a regular retreat fee, and see what worked.
It would be a learning experience for everyone, including us.
Except somewhere along the way, we discovered that we had nine women signed up instead of eight!
One name had somehow slipped through the cracks.
Since we wanted an even number for some of the paired activities, and there were still more women interested in attending, we decided to offer the same experience on two consecutive days.
Six women each day. Twelve altogether.
And off we went!
Honestly, we were kind of winging it.
We had activities planned, of course, but this was our first time putting everything together. We were discovering what flowed, what didn't, and how the horses would respond.
And those horses?
They absolutely stepped up to the plate.
It was incredible.
The connections, the emotions, the interactions, the unexpected moments. Things were happening that neither of us could have scripted or planned.
I finished that weekend feeling absolutely elated.
Exhausted, but elated.
I was hooked.
And Then There Was Kalypso
There's one experience from that very first weekend that I have told over and over again.
It involved our mare Kalypso and a woman who had shared some deeply personal experiences, including trauma and fear involving horses, along with some difficult family issues.
Before the woman entered the round pen, we brought Kalypso in.
And Kalypso proceeded to run around like a crazy woman!
Round and round she went, full of energy, showing every bit of her power and wildness.
Then the woman entered.
And everything changed.
Kalypso became calm, gentle, sweet, and incredibly connected.
The transformation was remarkable.
But what I remember most wasn't just Kalypso. It was the woman.
Here was someone who had been genuinely afraid of horses, and suddenly she looked like a little girl who had just been given her very first pony.
The joy on her face was unforgettable.
It was as though she was experiencing a completely different relationship with horses, right there in front of us.
And Kalypso had shown her both sides.
Yes, horses can be powerful, unpredictable, and intimidating.
But they can also be gentle, affectionate, peaceful, and extraordinarily willing to connect.
I don't pretend to know exactly what Kalypso was thinking or what that woman experienced internally.
I just know what I witnessed.
And it was beautiful.
I've always known horses were special. After more than five decades with them, how could I not?
But this?
This took my appreciation for them to an entirely new level.
Another Unexpected Piece of the Puzzle: Marti
Around that same time, another interesting connection came together.
I'd known Marti for a while through my friend Katja's ranch, appropriately named The Ranch.
We were all involved in working equitation competitions, and because I was somewhat on my own at Rancho Baile de la Luna, the group at The Ranch had unofficially adopted me as part of their team.
We traveled to shows together, shared trailer space, helped transport each other's horses, and spent plenty of time hanging out at competitions in San Miguel and Querétaro.
Marti and I sometimes rode together in my truck, to the shows, and driving between the hotel and showgrounds.
I knew she was an artist, a creative person, and someone I enjoyed spending time with.
What I didn't know was that she also had extensive experience and certifications in equine-assisted work.
One day, while driving back and forth during a horse show, I started enthusiastically telling her about the retreats Amy and I had begun offering.
And then Marti started telling me about her background.
I couldn't believe it!
All this time I'd known her, and I had no idea.
Once again, someone who was already in my life turned out to have exactly the kind of experience that complemented what we were creating.
I knew immediately that I wanted to collaborate with her.
And our little adventure continued to grow.
Letting the Experiences Evolve
One thing I've learned is that I don't necessarily need to have everything figured out in advance.
I've always been a spiritual person, curious about consciousness, energy, alternative healing approaches, and the deeper connections between living beings.
So as the retreats developed, I naturally began exploring other possibilities.
I'd been interested in Reiki and energy work for some time, and eventually someone with that background came into my life.
Family constellations were something I'd never even heard of before moving to Mexico, but through connections with a couple of other women, I began discovering another fascinating approach to personal exploration.
Today, we've expanded beyond our original equine-assisted retreats to include private experiences, energy-focused sessions with horses, and family constellations with horses.
Each experience is different.
Each person arrives with their own story.
And each horse brings their own personality, sensitivity, and way of interacting.
Sometimes we have a specific theme or intention for a retreat.
Sometimes we don't.
And somehow, the horses have a way of bringing forward things we never could have planned.
That's one of the things I love most about this work.
So, About That Retirement Plan...
Remember that peaceful retirement I mentioned at the beginning?
Yeah. About that.
These days, I'm busier than I ever imagined being in retirement.
Between caring for the horses, managing the ranch, doing trail rides, organizing retreats, working with collaborators, meeting new people, and dreaming up the next experience, I sometimes feel like I'm working my freaking ass off!
And yet, I love it.
It's challenging, rewarding, exciting, occasionally exhausting, and incredibly fulfilling.
But the biggest surprise isn't how much our ranch has changed.
It's how much I've changed.
For as long as I can remember, I've been searching for my purpose.
That thing I'm supposed to be doing. That feeling of being exactly where I belong.
And somewhere along this unexpected journey, I realized something.
I think I've finally found it.
After more than 50 years of loving horses, I'm discovering an entirely new way of sharing them with others.
And they're teaching me things I never imagined I still had to learn.
What I Hope People Take Home
When someone comes to Rancho Baile de la Luna for a Spirit Horse Journey, a private session, or another experience with the herd, I don't have a predetermined idea of what should happen for them.
Everyone arrives with different experiences, questions, hopes, and challenges.
My wish is simply that they leave feeling a little more connected to themselves.
Maybe they find clarity about something that's been troubling them.
Maybe they discover a new perspective, a little courage, or a sense of peace they haven't felt in a while.
Maybe they laugh, cry, reconnect with their inner child, or experience the simple joy of standing quietly beside a horse.
I hope they leave with an open heart.
Feeling lighter. Happier. More connected.
And full of love.
Because sometimes the most meaningful experiences aren't the ones we plan.
They're the ones we allow ourselves to be open to.
A Different Kind of Million-Dollar Answer
It's been a little over a year since I stumbled across that TikTok prompt and asked ChatGPT how to make a million dollars.
Have I made my million dollars?
Hahahaha! Not even close.
But that one question sent me down a path I never expected.
It led me to new ideas, wonderful collaborations, remarkable experiences with our horses, and meaningful connections with people I might never otherwise have met.
And most importantly, it helped me discover something I'd been looking for all my life.
A sense of purpose.
So perhaps the answer to that million-dollar question turned out to be worth far more than I originally imagined.
And to think, I was just scrolling through TikTok.
With love from Rancho Baile de la Luna,
Chris and the herd
