Now Booking- 'Find Wild Horses, Find Yourself' Alberta Equine Wilderness Retreat 2025

Thrilled to announce that bookings are now open for our 2025 ‘Find Wild Horses, Find Yourself’ Retreat in Alberta Canada!

Hosted by yours truly and equine-assisted facilitator Debbie Draves-Legg, this retreat takes place in Alberta wild horse country! Join me to experience (and photograph) the stunning wild horses of Alberta, and enjoy transformative sessions with Debbie Draves-Legg, partnering with the lodge’s domestic horses. This retreat supports the wonderful work of ‘Help Alberta Wildies Society, dedicated to the protection of the magnificent wild horses in the Rocky Mountain foothills. Kindred spirits join each year in a stunning wilderness landscape, with horses as our teachers. ‘Find Wild Horses, Find Yourself’ feeds your soul and leads to lifelong friendships. This retreat is for all fitness levels. No photographic experience or experience with horses required. There are two sessions, April 28th-May4th 2025 and May 5-May 11th 2025. Limited to 10 guests per session. To book your spot, please click here.

Some testimonials:

“If you are looking for an experience of a lifetime then this is for you.

 I am not sure what I expected. I certainly traveled a long way for the adventure, and from the moment I joined the group of like-minded individuals, it was supportive yet challenging. 

My anticipation before going was focused mainly on seeing the wild

horses of Alberta in the landscape, having the ability to breathe in that awe-inspiring wilderness they accommodate.

In addition to the time spent with the wild horses in the backcountry, the time spent exploring our wilderness within using equine-assisted learning rocked my soul. I discovered the profound realities of my being and learned how my ego needed to listen to my soul more. I am still working on that. The exposure of being with the wild horses enabled me to engage in self-awareness, consider the interconnectedness of myself, the group, and the wild horses, and strive for natural balance.

Around the enormity of the experience, the accommodation, food, and environment. Debbie and Sandy provided comfort and sustenance in abundance. Enjoy.”

Lynn Prendergast '24 

United Kingdom

Wonderful guests at ‘Find Wild Horses, Find Yourself’ Alberta equine wilderness retreat 2024

“A bucket list experience! We photographed one of the world’s most beautiful animals, the wild horse, with master photographer, Sandy Sharkey.

 We connected with the gentle giants at the Lodge at Panther River with equine therapy guru, Deborah Draves-Legg. 

We shared experiences and laughs with new friends from around the world in one of the most spectacular mountain settings of the Alberta Rocky Mountains.”

I loved this retreat so much that I came back a second time!
Carol Byler, Cochrane, Alberta '24

Experiencing the wild horses of Alberta at ‘Find Wild Horses, Find Yourself’ 2024

A pair of bonded wild horses (photographed with long lens) in the Alberta wilderness

“My time with Eponicity was incredible. The experience of allowing a horse to share his soul and to show me what I needed was one of the most profound moments of my life. Deborah's wisdom and experience provided the space and support to allow that horse-human bond to speak for itself. I cannot thank her enough. 

Spending a week with Sandy Sharkey was an incredible privilege. Sandy is a world-class photographer who gave us a real insight into her huge knowledge and compassion for the struggles facing the wild horses of Alberta. It was so humbling to witness her commitment and dedication to saving these beautiful wildies and protecting their right to be free to live in their wild spaces without fear or disturbance from human activities. 

Both Deborah and Sandy worked incredibly hard sharing their love and respect for horses. They gave us unlimited access to their knowledge and experience They never stopped giving! They were always helping, teaching, and supporting us. I cannot thank them enough. 

The interactions and insights I discovered by being with horses were made all the more exciting and memorable because of the group of people around me. I spent time with the most fantastic women! We shared, we laughed, we cried and we supported each other throughout the process of digging deep into our lives and facing the challenges. I have made friends for life. 

The Lodge at Panther River was the perfect place for this retreat. It was in beautiful surroundings and hosted by the most generous and hard-working people. Jessica and her team made sure we wanted for nothing. The food was beautiful and delicious. We all asked for the recipes. Even my need for several mugs of tea every day was greeted with kindness and humor.....and several mugs of tea!

The retreat with Eponicity was life-changing because of the access we had to the way of the horse, the laughter we shared, and the opportunity we shall continue to share in supporting the wild horses and their environment. 

A retreat with Eponicity is magical. I went halfway around the world to take part and came home with more than I ever expected. 

Huge hugs and thanks for your incredible hard work.”

‘Find Wild Horses, Find Yourself’ guest Rachel Marramo , U.K.

‘Find Wild Horses, Find Yourself 2024 guests with Darrell, Barb and Carmela of ‘Help Alberta Wildies Society’, and rescued Alberta wild horses Dusk and Cheyenne

Mel Rowe, advocate for Australian brumbies and founder of Australian Brumby , at ‘Find Wild Horses, Find Yourself 2024 in Alberta :

“Through my passion for horses and being a voice for our wild horses I recently travelled to Alberta Canada to attend a retreat: ‘finding wild horses finding yourself’.

It was a perfect blend of Photographing wild horses with Sandy Sharkey and equine facilitated learning with Deborah Draves Legg in the stunning Clearwater region.

To express in words, my experience - Life changing… I have a better understanding about my relationship with my horses and the life of wild horses.

I could not recommend the retreat highly enough.”

“When looking for a way to celebrate my retirement from a long real estate career, I happened upon the most perfect of adventures.  

Find Wild Horses, Find Yourself was a way to do something solely for myself and learn about photographing beautiful Canadian Wildies, and be the student in Equine Facilitated Learning, something I am certified in.  

The combination was wonderful, and meeting wonderful women from all over was perfect. The lodge, food, surroundings…. laughter and tears….., and the northern lights….. each day packed with the most fun kind of learning. 

Sandy and Deb provided individual inspiration for each of us, and the combination of being with domesticated horses and wild ones was simply amazing.  I feel I have made new friends and memories that I will cherish forever.

Already looking forward to another opportunity to do this again!  
Susan Allan - '24

Willaway Farm Inc., Ontario, CA

A stunning wild Alberta stallion!

Canadian Geographic and the Wild Horses of Alberta

I can finally share my news!

I'm greatly honored to have an Alberta wild horse image gracing the cover of the latest issue of Canadian Geographic .

Almost a year ago, Canadian Geographic offered me a photographic assignment for a story about Alberta wild horses.

The story would be written by journalist Monica Kidd. I had no input into the story itself- I was tasked with providing just the imagery.

But I knew that my good friend Darrell Glover had spent a day with the writer, taking her into the back country to experience the wild horses firsthand. Darrell is the founder of the wonderful organization Help Alberta Wildies Society. As a result, he figures prominently in the article with fact-based defenses of the horses.

There's also beautiful insight from Corleigh Powderface, a forensic anthropologist and Indigenous traditional historian. Her story about the importance of these sacred spirit horses to the Nakoda people brought tears to my eyes.

The future for Alberta wild horses is uncertain; in the interests of balanced journalism, the opinions of wild horse detractors are included in the article. Wild horse advocates are bracing for negative actions that might result from the Alberta government's new 'management framework', created under pressure from public lands ranchers.

For that reason, the timing of this cover story is excellent. Awareness is key to the future for Alberta's historic wild horses and their right to exist in the wilderness as they have for hundreds of years. Much gratitude to Canadian Geographic.

The wild stallion featured on the cover had just battled two other stallions who were vying for his mares. He struck this victorious pose and I was fortunate to capture the moment.

Wild stallions will fight for what's important. It's my hope that we do the same, and add our voices to the protection of these magnificent animals.

This issue of Canadian Geographic is now available on newsstands.

I hope you can pick up a copy!

Thanks everyone!

Keeping it Local

With the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve had to shift our priorities and keep it safe~ but there has been a positive side. Since travel is not an option, it’s time to re-discover the nature that exists around us. The great blue herons at a local rookery could care less about a pandemic, and went about the business of building their nests, bringing each other gifts and raising their young.

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Key West

A quick girl’s trip to Key West in Florida was supposed to be all about shopping, visiting museums, cafes, and lounging on the beach. But of course I couldn’t resist sneaking away with my camera to photograph some beautiful Key west bird life! While we were in Florida, the news about the pandemic started to get more and more serious. We flew back to Ottawa just in time. The Canada/USA border closed within days. Little did we know how much our lives were going to change.

red shouldered hawk

red shouldered hawk

gulls having a disagreement

gulls having a disagreement

brown pelican

brown pelican

osprey

osprey


Find Wild Horses, Find Yourself: Exhibit at Shenkman Arts Centre

Thank you to everyone who attended my wild horse art exhibit ‘Find Wild Horses, Find Yourself’, Feb 4 - Feb 23 2020 in conjunction with the city of Ottawa at Shenkman Arts Centre. It was wonderful to connect with so many people, and to share the stories behind my wild horse images. My heart is full!

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Alberta Wilderness Horse Retreat!

Alberta’s Rocky Mountain foothills are home to magical, magnificent wild horses! If you have never experienced the wild horses of Alberta, join us this spring for a once-in-a-lifetime wilderness horse retreat. ‘Find Wild Horses, Find Yourself’ brings together wellness and the discovery of our inner spirit with the help of domestic horses AND the unbridled energy from wild horses in the mountains. I am thrilled to host this incredible retreat with Eponicity’s Debbie Draves Legg. All spots have sold out for the original dates of the retreat so we have added another week, with a few spots available for May 31st to June 6th 2020. With each guest booked we are honoured to make a donation to ‘Help Alberta Wildies Society’. See details below or email me, sandy@sandysharkey.com.

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Experience the Wild Horses of Sable Island!

The wild horses of Sable Island are legendary. They have survived on this remote island off the coast of Nova Scotia since the late 1700’s. At home on a rugged landscape of sand dunes, grassy hills and beaches, the wild horses run free without intervention from mankind. There is no place on earth like it. This is your opportunity to come to Sable Island to experience the wild horses, grey seals, birds and spectacular nature against the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean. In conjunction with Kattuk Expeditions, please join me for an extremely exclusive adventure on Sable Island, July 29th 2020~ with helicopter departure from Halifax and unprecedented access to the island and her famed wild horses. The group is limited to 8 guests and there are 2 spots available. For details please drop me a note, sandy@sandysharkey.com

Wild Sable Island Stallion, photographed August 2019

Wild Sable Island Stallion, photographed August 2019

New Life, New Promise

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The wild horses of Cold Creek Nevada were removed by the BLM in May of 2018. In a strange twist of fate, I was on my 14,000 mile ‘wild horse road trip’ and in Cold Creek photographing the wild horses- when the roundup was announced within hours. The wild horses were removed the next day. Two years later, I returned to the area, maybe for sentimental reasons- I’m not sure. I didn’t expect to see any wild horses. But there he was, on a ridge above Cold Creek, a gorgeous wild stallion - and he had a mare nearby, and she was with foal. The snow had just started to fall gently. I shed some tears when I saw this boy, his mare and the promise of a new bundle of joy. Much respect to these free spirits, who fill us with hope and inspire us to fight for their right to remain wild and free.

Published in 'Our Canada' Magazine

One of the things I love most about traveling to find and photograph wild horses~ is sharing the stories about these magnificent animals. And perhaps most importantly, encouraging people to go out and see the wild horses for themselves. Once you see wild horses in nature, you will be hooked. Many people don’t know that beautiful wild horses live in the Rocky Mountain foothills of Alberta, and they are very easy to find. Just two hours north of Calgary, the small town of Sundre is known as the ‘gateway’ to the wild horses. In the Dec/Jan issue of ‘Our Canada’ magazine, you will find my featured story titled ‘Band on the Run’~ how to find the wild horses of Alberta. As always, if you would like more information about the wild horses of Alberta, please contact ‘Help Alberta Wildies’.

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Christmas Craft Sale at Watson's Mill

So much fun to be at historic Watson’s Mill in Manotick Ontario for the Christmas Craft Sale! Local craftspeople were displaying their homemade gifts, from candles to candy. For the first time, I decided to create ‘smallish’ wild horse framed images and cards ~ perfect for stocking stuffers. As a wild horse photographer, it’s always a thrill to have my images in a giant size on someone’s wall~ but not everyone has the space ( I live in a small house myself so I get it !) This was a fun way to present my horses for Christmas gift giving! Thank you to all who stopped by!

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Fleetwood Mac!

Fleetwood Mac played in my hometown (Ottawa) last night and they were incredible !! The addition of Mike Campbell and Neil Finn = a match made in heaven. I loved the fact that Fleetwood Mac not only played their hits (how many times did we spin the 'Rumours' album when we were in high school?) but they also reached into their back catalogue and polished off some older gems. The tribute to Tom Petty was one of those moments when live music transcends and takes us to a very special place. And the white horses running through the sea during 'Rhiannon'? #OhNoHereComeTheTears

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Mass Migration!

Each fall, a brilliant phenomenon takes place throughout parts of North America. I am fortunate to live in an area where thousands of snow geese descend on local fields to rest and gobble up vegetation during their incredible migration from the Arctic to southern US and Mexico. On this day, there were an estimated 20,000 snow geese near Casselman Ontario. When they take flight, it is so exhilarating!

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The Stallion and His Mares

This gorgeous wild stallion on Sable Island had five mares and two foals in his family band. Here he poses proudly with two mares tucked in closely. So beautiful!

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