Women’s Wellness Retreat

Our 2026 Retreat has now ended - we’ll see you next year!

Nurture your soul with Horses, nature, and the wisdom of women

Our 2026 Women’s Wellness Retreat has now ended. Stay tuned and sign up to our newsletter to be informed of when 2027 details are announced! We would love to share this experience with you.

Situated in the traditional unceded territory of the N’Quatqua and Líl̓’wat First Nations, this four-day retreat is designed to bring together women of all ages, abilities and cultural backgrounds to exchange ideas on the thoughts and practices that serve us and those that hold us back.

Our intercultural, intergenerational gathering is focused on recognizing, appreciating and celebrating the voices of all participants and this year we also intend to celebrate the 5th anniversary of CCO’s Women’s Wellness Retreat with live music, singing, dancing and a chef-prepared camp-style banquet.

Sold Out for 2026

$2,615 +5% tax, per person
Sign up to our newsletter to be notified of 2027 dates and booking details.
Professional guides, well-trained mountain horses, tack, 3-night tented accommodation, wellness workshops, and all meals beginning with lunch at the ranch. A sleeping bag, cot, mat, tent, towel, washcloth, riding helmet ( if wanted) and riding cape are all supplied.
Please bring your water bottle, mug for hot beverages and yoga mat if you have one.
Day 1 begins at the CCO Ranch at 7930 Pemberton Meadows Rd in the Pemberton Valley. We will relocate to the Backcountry Camp in the afternoon.
Days 2 -4 you will be exploring backcountry trails in the Birkenhead & Tenas areas
Our rider weight limit is 250 lbs or 113 kgs. However, this is a guideline and depends on factors such as rider fitness, height, and riding experience. An experienced, balanced rider puts far less strain on a horse than someone new to riding.
We are always concerned with the comfort and long-term health of our guests and our horses. Since horses also come in all shapes and sizes, not all horses can carry the same weight. Please keep these factors in mind when booking.
While we do our best to accommodate all guests, we reserve the right to arrange an alternate time or cancel a booking if we do not have a suitable horse available for you. We sincerely appreciate your understanding and cooperation with this policy.

This gathering will start at the ranch on Thursday with a morning of horsemanship instruction and practice. After a leisurely ride in the afternoon, we will move to our back country base camp located deep within the traditional, unceded territory of the N’Quatqua and Lil’wat First Nations.

In many ways our emergence from the social upheaval of the plague years and the current development of troubling political trends is proving to be far from our dreams of a healthy, happy and equitable society. The focus of this gathering is to explore how we and those who come after us can move through change in healthy, life-affirming ways.

Meet Your Hosts

Janice Kennett

Jan has over 30 years of business and community leadership experience. In addition to a Whistler based trail rides operation and Copper Cayuse Outfitters, she owned and operated a ladies clothing and antiques shop in downtown Pemberton for many years. She was a founder and contributing member of the Pemberton Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Pemberton.
She continues to be a valued mover and shaker of community life in Pemberton. She is the past president of the local branch of the Lions Club, and continues to be actively involved with their fund-raising initiatives. She sits on the Pemberton Valley Utility and Services Committee and works as a volunteer with the Better at Home social services initiative of the United Way in downtown Pemberton.

Evelyn Coggins

Co-owner and operator of Copper Cayuse Outfitters, in 2023 Evelyn retired from private clinical practice as a registered herbal therapist and clinical instructor at the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine. Evelyn earned a Master of Health Science degree from the University of New England and a post graduate certificate in Nutrition Science from Stanford.
A member of the local Active Hope climate squad, Evelyn is committed to building community spaces of healing, cooperation, and reverence. She is currently preoccupied with questions of how best to promote the well-being of all life and advance life supporting changes in current intellectual, economic, political, and technological models.

Facilitators

Bringing humans and horses together has been Lindsay’s passion for over a decade now. In 2014 she earned a certificate in Equine Assisted Learning and a college diploma in Counselling. The combination of skills she acquired enabled her to teach her clients how to integrate their experiences with horses into personal growth.
Lindsay has spent her life around horses and is trained extensively in intuitive horsemanship and the human mind. She uses her rare combination of skills to help you find the truth of where your actual power resides, instead of the inauthenticity of the extra steps you are taking in an attempt to make things work.
Her goal with all human/horse partnerships is to find a mutual, balanced, validated and clear line of communication.

Find her @cowboycoffeemagazine

Coach and co-founder of the Valley Therapeutic Equestrian Association, Pippa Hodge is an internationally respected pediatric physiotherapist. She is currently employed by the Port Douglas, N’Quatqua and Lil’wat First Nations.
She has kindly agreed to facilitate workshops introducing the basics of using the 110 multi-dimensional movements of the horse as a way to achieve human physical and mental rehabilitation. This healing modality is known as hippotherapy.
She is an accredited Hippotherapy Clinical Specialist and is a faculty member of the American Hippotherapy Association.
Pippa is a mentor of the Valley Therapeutic Equestrian Association in Langley where she prepares instructors for their Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association examinations..

Our resident New Yorker who now calls Squamish home, Jeanine is a creative director and brand strategist in the outdoor, active, and wellness industry. She founded her company RANGE in 2012 where she defines trends in apparel, footwear, and gear for the world’s biggest brands.
Her background in trend forecasting, paired with her mission to close the loop between people, product, and planet has allowed her to develop a unique approach to executive facilitation and a personal desire to create actionable frameworks for change.
Coming from a long line of naturalists she has an intrinsic connection to the outdoors and a deep-seated love for Mother Nature. Bringing her passion for creation together with her intuitive approach to holistic strategy, she will lead a workshop called Visual Mapping - Goal Setting with Intention.
Find her at thisisrange.com

Monica Sander Burns is a certified Forest Therapy Guide helping to reclaim embodied relationships with nature as the foundation of human and ecosystem vitality.
Weaving together somatic practices, meditation, sensory awareness techniques, and the latest scientific insights, Monica’s work offers a remedy for the spell of separation and loneliness.
Monica’s own forest journey began when she was suffering from corporate burnout, anxiety, and climate grief. She retreated to the coastal mountain rain forests of British Columbia in the unceded territories of the Skwxwú7mesh and Lil’wat First Nations, where she encountered the transformative healing power of Nature.
She now leads nature therapy programs and workshops in Sydney Au and Whistler BC for businesses, non-profits and community groups helping people to create resilient, regenerative and inclusive cultures that sustain and nurture.
Find her at societyoftrees.com

Marita became a Registered Clinical Counselor in 2005, working predominantly with people diagnosed with cancer and the bereaved. This work is all about "the human condition" - a bio-psycho-social experience in which we navigate change and loss, stress, and meaning of life over your lifetime. I believe all of us are born with the intrinsic ability to self heal. Activities like yoga, exercise, and being in nature promote self-healing. Counselling can too.
Workshop: Deepening your relationship with Yourself: Quieten, Connect and Listen.
We, the people, often get so busy - whether it's work, family, health or whatever else is unfolding in your life. This 60-minute workshop will teach you a skill to quieten your body and mind. Guidance will be provided to help you to connect with and listen to yourself. Then we will do an individual writing exercise followed by a group discussion, both exploring those quiet invitations to grow, express, or experience.
Find Marita at maritapoll.ca

Lisa is a Cultural Student Success Facilitator at Tśzil Learning Center, helping students to learn Ucwalmícwts, the traditional Líl’wat language. Capilano University is truly honoured to offer courses and programs through Ts̓zil in partnership with the Líl̓’wat Nation, who own and operate this post-secondary facility.
Lisa worked for seventeen years as an Early Childhood Educator and has recently added Level ll Reiki skills to her frontline worker’s toolkit to be better able to meet people where they are at and support them in their journey.
Lisa has been facilitating sessions on a variety of topics at the retreats since 2022.

Raelene is a dedicated student and lover of yoga. She has been practicing since she was a teenager and teaching since 2013. She is a lifelong learner and has enjoyed the evolution of her own yoga practice - from an initial draw to the dedication of a powerful asana practice to the richness and depth experienced in restorative practices, breath work and nidra ... and everything in between! Raelene is the owner of Village Yoga Pemberton - a small, community based yoga studio that focuses on community and accessible yoga. She also works as a registered clinical counsellor and leads community development work, advocating for increased mental health support for young people and families across rural and remote communities in BC. When she's not working or at the yoga studio, she enjoys being a mom to a little and playing in the outdoors.
Find her at villageyogapemberton.com

For Julie, sound is more than a practice—it is a sanctuary and a playground! She is a lighthearted, soulful space holder with training and experience in sound therapy, yoga and meditation.
She loves hosting sound baths for groups and privates offering an immersive full body listening experience that opens space for us to unwind, explore, and softly sink into warmly blended resonant soundscapes.
She is passionate about sharing in community with loving awareness and holds deep reverence for connecting and exploring as we to tune into greater discovery and connections through our natural essences of peace, and harmony within.

Katrina grew up canoeing the pristine lakes and rivers of Northern Ontario, and it was in this Group of Seven wilderness landscape that her deep love of the natural world came to root. This earthly connection has informed her way of life, the choices she has made and the path she has travelled. She has been an educator for 30 years and has worked in a variety of settings from communist Hungary to inner-city Surrey to the First Nation’s community of Bella Bella. As the mother of two young adults, never would she have imagined making the foray into municipal politics! She would love to share with you the journey that led to this pivotal decision, the challenges and joys she has faced since being elected, her perspective as a woman in politics, and the reasons why she will never regret her decision.

Phillipa holds a deep love for wordcraft as a way of witnessing, sensemaking and wayfinding through complexity and change.
Informed by life experience and inspired by the healing power inherent in community and place, Phillipa weaves multi-disciplinary practice into her days, including journalling, poetry, visual art, movement and time spent on land. She plays with creative technologies and delights in the arts which help us reconnect, reclaim and remember.
A strategic project coordinator by day, she orients toward heart-centered, trauma-informed and relational work, grounded in ongoing education in decolonisation, facilitation and digital transformation.

Since 2015, Kristen has served as Executive Assistant to John Matthews, President of Matthews West. With a solid background in service and customer relations, Kristen has curated a unique, niche role spanning all departments including material acquisition, strategic site planning, tenant management, and community outreach. Her official job description at the development company is ‘Leader of Special Projects and Impossible Tasks’.
‍Kristen’s ability to foster and maintain relationships with partners and community members has become one of her greatest professional assets, consistently delivering positive recognition for Matthews. Her diverse project portfolio includes organizing mountain bike socials, shoreline cleanups, and traditional First Nations ceremonies. A standout achievement was her involvement in organizing the Sp’akw’us Feather Shakedown, a free community concert that attracted over 5,000 attendees in 2024.
‍Her commitment to community engagement earned her recognition in a Blanketing Ceremony by Squamish Nation Elders, one of their highest honors, and the “Partnerships and Community Engagement Award” at the 2024 Brownie Awards.
‍When not supporting her team and building community connections, Kristen explores BC’s mountains through horseback riding, hiking, climbing, and snowboarding, while also volunteering at local ranches with horse rescues and mustangs.
In 2023 she attended Copper Cayuse Outfitters Women’s Retreat and has volunteered as a part time wrangler for the company ever since.

Kitchen Magicians

Alice Savage RHN., is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Chef, and intuitive cook with over 30 years of experience. A mother of two teenage girls, Alice began her culinary journey at a Cordon Blue cookery school in England. She now brings her passion for food and vitality to life through private catering, providing fermented foods to her community, and hosting educational workshops focused on gut health. Guided by intuition and a deep connection to nourishment, Alice empowers women to reclaim their health and well-being through mindful and holistic practices.
Find her at alicesavage.com

Sharon Matthews has retired from a long and successful career at Air Canada and now she is killing it as a prep cook/line cook in the camp kitchen.
She once had a penchant for road trips on big motorcycles and currently fashions exquisite hand sewn quilts in her spare time.

Nathalie is a Jane-of-all-trades having operated machines, worked in camps as program leader, kitchen help and instructor, and an avid foodie. Currently working in administration, her true love for horses and the people who love nature brings her back to wellness and equine adventures. She can play guitar, too.

Creatives

Chicks with Picks was founded in 2003, in Pemberton, B.C., Canada by Sue Stearns
In 2023, Chicks with Picks celebrated their 20th Anniversary of group guitar classes for women, and performances from the Pemberton Chicks with Picks Ensemble!
Chicks with Picks have performed more than 200 shows including local fund raisers, International Women’s Day, Markets and Retreats.

Sue believes that “Music is Medicine” and that making music should be fun! The teaching method is “song-oriented”, focusing on playing songs while learning the basics in order to see tangible results, regardless of ability.
Find them at chickswithpicks.ca

Nicola has spent the past nine years blending her love of horses with photography while wrangling, and training for Copper Cayuse Outfitters. Alongside her career in tourism marketing, she is passionate about capturing raw, authentic moments in the backcountry, and now spends most of her photographing time in a saddle rather than on the ground. Her adventures with horses have taken her from British Columbia’s wilderness to the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Having ridden most of her life, Nicola believes there is no better way to experience a landscape and culture than on horseback.

The annual Women’s Wellness Retreat is a transformative experience, offering four days and three nights of connection, growth, and inspiration.

Past participants have laughingly described this gathering as “a summer horse camp for adults” and it really is all that. We encourage you to relax, have fun, and enjoy the company of women, horses, camp canines, forest dwellers and the spirits of the ancestors.