Leading From the Core: Conscious Contact™, The Pilates Cowgirl Retreat That Redefines Leadership
June 27–29, 2025 | Elmwood Place Pilates, Palestine, Texas
At the intersection of breath, body, and the barn, something sacred is stirring in East Texas.
Conscious Contact™ is a weekend retreat designed for Pilates instructors, teacher trainees, and seekers who are ready to reconnect with their personal power. Hosted at Elmwood Place Pilates, a lovingly restored 1930s schoolhouse studio nestled on a working farm, this experience combines classical Pilates, equine-assisted learning, and somatic education — all grounded in a philosophy of nervous system regulation and embodied leadership.
“When it comes to leading a horse around the arena, you can’t fake calm. You have to become the alpha mare — steady, centered, and clear,” says retreat creator Melody Morton-Buckleair, also known as The Pilates Cowgirl.
“That moment of conscious contact with the horse — when it follows your lead, without force — is exactly what we aim to teach women in the reformer room, too. It’s not about pushing harder. It’s about showing up in your body, with clarity and breath.”
Movement + Metaphor
At this unique retreat, you’ll ride the reformer — and ride with horses. Each day includes classical Pilates, somatic breathwork, hands-on horse groundwork, forest walks, journaling, fireside connection, and immersive nervous system education.
The metaphor is woven throughout:
The reformer becomes your arena.
The horse becomes your mirror.
And the moment of conscious contact becomes your transformation.
“We don’t teach performative strength,” Melody explains. “We teach equanimity — calm presence under stress. The kind of strength that invites trust, connection, and clarity, whether you’re in the studio or the pasture.”
Why Horses?
Horses have hearts that are nearly ten times the size of ours. That powerful heart produces a measurable electromagnetic field — one that reflects and responds to the emotional states of others.
This is why horses are widely used in somatic and trauma-informed therapy. They are deeply intuitive and offer real-time biofeedback.
If you show up dysregulated, they feel it. If you’re centered and calm, they’ll meet you there. No words needed.
You can’t lie to a horse. And in that truth, something transformational happens.
Who It’s For
This retreat is for:
• Certified Pilates instructors
• Teachers in training
• Horse lovers
• Movement seekers
• Nervous system nerds
• Women ready to lead with more breath, more softness, and more truth.
Ready to Experience It?
Click here to sign up or learn more
This weekend is also the foundation for certification in the Conscious Contact™ Method — a program that integrates Pilates, somatics, and equine learning for those who wish to teach this work.
About Melody Morton-Buckleair
Melody is the founder of both The Good Space Pilates Studio in Houston and Elmwood Place in Palestine, TX. She’s a master classical Pilates teacher, retreat leader, and lifelong cowgirl who believes healing happens at the level of the nervous system — through breath, movement, and conscious relationship.
Follow her journey:
