Chelle.Equine Guided Experiences

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Chelle.Equine Guided Experiences 2025 proved to be a year of intentional shedding, learning, death and rebirth. Our herd has made some profound shifts. How about YOU 🌟🌟

And me, I made a declaration to be unapologetically Me. Not a New Years resolution but a promise to self.

Growing a Living LegacyPlanting for the herd, wildlife, and generations yet to come.I cannot choose the inheritance I re...
08/09/2026

Growing a Living Legacy

Planting for the herd, wildlife, and generations yet to come.

I cannot choose the inheritance I received.

I can choose the inheritance I leave.

Today, I turn fifty-nine.

Instead of waiting until my sixtieth birthday to celebrate, I’ve decided to spend the next 365 days preparing for it.

My hope is simple, though perhaps a little ambitious: to plant sixty trees on our farm by the time I turn sixty. In the three years we have stewarded this land we have already planted twelve. Forty eight to go or grow may be more fitting.

Not all at once.

Not without thought.

Over the coming year I’ll be working with our local extension office, learning from experts, mapping the land, and listening carefully to what this land is asking for. I have been intentional about all the planting thus far and remain committed to the welfare of this potent land.

•Some will shelter horses and donkeys
•Some will soften the wind and quiet the road.
•Some will restore habitat for foxes, birds, and countless unseen lives.
•Some will stand beside trees that have weathered for centuries.

Together they are my declaration that legacy is not measured by what we possess, but by what we help flourish.

Every planting is an invitation rather than a claim.

May those who come after me inherit a place that is richer, more generous, and more alive than the one entrusted to me.

I invite you to follow along. Witness the growth, the mistakes and watch for opportunities to join in some dirt digging fun.

*Picture is one of three Big-tooth Aspens we planted in the soon to be ~Aspen Grove. Three were planted honoring special people. A Son
A Father
A Friend

Growing a living legacy feels like the best way to celebrate what redemption can look like.

Not forgetting

Not erasing

Creating something so alive that the past is no longer the loudest voice in the landscape 🤍

The land holds him and we remember him 🩵We went to a local native plant sale today and were gifted a small tree. In the...
05/17/2026

The land holds him and we remember him 🩵

We went to a local native plant sale today and were gifted a small tree. In the weeks prior I thought about Riggs, our pup we lost last October. His spot in the yard, where he enjoyed lying, is empty. Should we plant this tree there?

When the lady handed me the tree and said, “It's a Dogwood,” I knew it would be Riggs's tree. But it just didn't feel right to plant it in the lonely, solitary, bare spot. Riggs loved people but when we moved to the farm we realized now he was already escaping this earthly place.

He suffered from a tick-borne virus when he was a puppy. I had just ended my career as a flight attendant due to complications of Lyme disease. So we were a perfect match.

I am not going to downplay this. It was so dam frustrating. Treatment was limited and expensive. It took us both out at times. I made medical decisions for him that eventually ended his life but living in chronic discomfort wore him down. I saw it as he lay on a bed by the window for weeks at a time.

As we become more aware of the havoc ticks can play we need to remember we still have to live.

Avoiding nature is not the answer it's the medicine.

I do not regret letting Riggs go. He made it known it was time. He is still part of this farm.

We want OUT. 36 hours of limited outdoor time was enough. They made it known that napping, window gazing, and snacking ...
01/24/2026

We want OUT.

36 hours of limited outdoor time was enough. They made it known that napping, window gazing, and snacking were nice but now we want out.

The cold is still there.
The wind is still blowing.

I am trusting their instinct to be out in it.

Two shelters and lots of hay!

Have fun Yin & Yang!

Early Start Social media has been a tricky place lately. Maybe it’s just me but writing anything about “silly” things fe...
01/22/2026

Early Start

Social media has been a tricky place lately. Maybe it’s just me but writing anything about “silly” things feels nauseatingly vain.

We have major events happening all around us. Today’s storm is front and center. But storm prep for those in southern states looks increasingly different from what it is for us in the northern states. We know cold and if we don’t remember we soon will. Our bodies know.

I was getting self-absorbed yesterday, thinking about ways to keep our animals safe and warm. Again, forgetting their bodies know too.

Creating an extra layer of resources for them is my responsibility as their caretaker. Acting like they will not survive without my guidance was my own desire to feel needed.

It’s been heightened due to patterning my system adapted early in life. My value was obtained by being considered selfless, denying my own needs.

When patterns are recognized we can take a radical swing in the other direction, as my needs matter most to me. This is when selflessness turns to selfishness.

Both have been true for me. As I ponder this I recognize that for me to stay in my desired integrity I have to continually come back to:

SELF ~ OTHER ~ WORLD

Even though I started early my much-needed, hand-saving heated gloves ran out of life so while they charge. I sip hot coffee, write this, pet the cat, and open my heart to new ways to show up in a world that is full of grief and strife.

Today I consider self, other, and world.

Stay safe 🖤✨🤎

The Feed RoomIt’s equivalent to the kitchen—the heart of the barn. I can obsess about meal planning and prep. The press...
12/15/2025

The Feed Room

It’s equivalent to the kitchen—the heart of the barn.

I can obsess about meal planning and prep. The pressure of getting it “right” can bring health or suffering. That's a great deal of responsibility.

It’s a deep subject for many humans. One that takes delicate language. For me personally, it has been a thorn in my side all my life. Society sure does not make it easier.

But when I get in the feed room it is different. It’s a time to honor our animals' different dietary needs deeply. It’s time to reflect on their magnificent bodies. To care so deeply about not only feeding their bodies but also nourishing their souls.

Bringing what I learn about caring for our beloved animals right back into our kitchens is loving our own animal bodies well.

Caring for them in ways that are sacred and nourishing brings life to the whole farm.

Caretakers taking care of self. How divine ❤️💚

Not RIGHT or WRONG just different. Every winter, I get inquiries about why Danny doesn’t get a blanket, winter coat, or ...
12/10/2025

Not RIGHT or WRONG just different.

Every winter, I get inquiries about why Danny doesn’t get a blanket, winter coat, or rug, as they are called.

It is mostly from people who are not in the horse world. Because if you are you know it’s a bloody debate every winter.

I like to answer those questions but my answers are based on individual herd members not as a whole.

Everyone has a blanket hanging on the wall of blankets, but not everyone needs or wants one.

Danny (tan colored) is warm by nature. Even at his “ideal” weight he runs hot. He has torn blankets off his body. To the point that they are unable to be repaired. In a deep freeze, he will at best tolerate it. He gets body temperature checks often and I have resorted to re**al temperatures to confirm.

Danny is equivalent to a midwesterner who wears shorts all year round. It's a thing!

Monte on the other hand has a thinner coat. He is not a foody and will park himself in the shelter for an extended period if he is chilly. Blanketing him helps him maintain a healthy weight and stay mobile.

The donkeys perfer their cozy stall with an insulated curtain door during rain or snow. When the weather is cold but dry you will see them out sneaking hay from the horses. They are foragers by nature and will hunt for tiny scrapes all day. Their coats are not like horses so we accommodate their needs. They also carry quite a bit of fat (sorry ladies) and they have healthy fluffy coats.

It's hard not to project our own comforts onto our animals but we honor them by treating them as the animals they are.

We provide ☃️

Individual care

Plenty of shelter bedded in shavings

Free choice hay

Anti inflammatory diet

Clean water

In any extremes 🔥🧊the chances for colic (severe abdominal pain) is a risk factor. Although we try our best to be proactive in their care we can not control mother nature.

They are incredibly smart animals! If they have an option to lay inside the shelter or in the snow bank whatever they choose I trust they know what they desire. Intervening in emergencies is another topic.

I hope this is interesting and when you see Danny naked do not feel sad. He is loved

Tack 🤎🖤 RoomWe are reaching the two year mark on our new farm and have done some big projects. But,I still get teary eye...
11/22/2025

Tack 🤎🖤 Room

We are reaching the two year mark on our new farm and have done some big projects. But,I still get teary eyed by the little things.

Getting saddles hung

Collaborating with Ron on ways to warm up the block walls with minimal drilling into them.

Rummaging through wood we have saved from past projects.

Do not underestimate the healing power of creating. Using your imagination can fire up some sleepy brain cells. Tweak things you already have. Have fun.

I love this little barn🤎🖤

Light & ShadowsI walked into the barn this morning earlier than my normal feed time due to the time change. The barn had...
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.

Address

41800 US Highway 45
Antioch, IL
60002

Telephone

+18476364900

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