Join the 19th Annual Wyoming Horseback Writing Adventure!
Featuring retreat leader Jayme Mansfield,
Author, Artist, Educator and Self-Publishing Consultant
Monday, May 25 – Saturday, May 30, 2026 (6 days/5 nights)
Arrive Sunday and receive a complimentary night’s lodging, including breakfast the next day!
A unique adventure for anyone who yearns for nature, longs to reconnect with horses,
and hungers for creative inspiration in an authentic western ranch setting.
“Horses have been studying humans from across the safety of a river, or from the overlook of a high ridge, for thousands of years. The oldest archeological evidence links horses and humans as far back as 400,000 to 600,000 years ago—not as companions, but as prey and predator. We may never know when the first horse and human ever looked into each other’s eyes with a mutual respect and fascination, yet horses have been part of the human heart since time immemorial. They have been our faithful friends—carrying us from the wind-swept steppes of Mongolia to the tall grass prairies of America.” – Page Lambert
Life looks different through the eyes of a horse!
Jayme Mansfield
For six days, you will write about, read about, and be about horses!
- Bond with one special horse, hand-selected just for you
- Learn how to build relationships with horses as sentient beings
- Let horses guide you toward a deeper relationship with Nature
- Enjoy the books in the lending library
- Engage in engrossing creative and equine discussions
- Share the day’s highlights during fireside chats
- Indulge in 3 meals a day prepared by the Vee Bar chef
- Kick up your heels to live music in the saloon with Brent
- Ride horses every day—in the mountains, across meadows, on a cattle ranch!
- Have the freedom to relax in your cabin and set your own pace
⊂ Every horse has a story! And flawed lives have the best stories! We are all works in progress! ⊃
“I loved everything about Page’s Literature & Landscape of the Horse retreat at the Vee Bar. I haven’t felt as refreshed from a trip in years – it just filled me up! It was truly was one of the top five vacations/retreats of my life!” ~ Lisa Couturier, Maryland
“Thank you for one of the most special experiences in my life. I’ve been homesick for all of you and the ranch, horses and Wyoming! I can’t seem to find the words to thank you Page, and you Sheri, and all at the Vee Bar. I loved hearing people’s writings, journaling, thoughts and seeing amazing photography and artwork! Much love, hugs and gratitude.” ~ Christine, Florida
“Another week at the Vee Bar is wrapping up. What a great time – it meant more to me than I could’ve ever hoped for. You have such a gift – both you and Sheri. I wish I could bottle you up for those days when I need the quiet, softness and grounding that you help people connect with.” ~ Sarah Ray, North Carolina
Don’t worry if you’ve never ridden a mile, or written a word. All you need to bring to Wyoming is a willingness to open your creative heart to the landscape of the horse.
Participants come from as far away as Alaska and New York.
Join us! $500 holds your horse!
Page, a graduate-level writing instructor, has been riding and writing all her life, and is excited to curate the 19th annual “Lit & Landscape of the Horse” retreat.
“Every horse has a story. Every mountain, every tree, every flower, every river, every human. Awakening our senses to the unfolding of nature’s stories allows our own creative energy to flow.”
This 100-year-old landmark, nestled in the Centennial Valley, resting in the shadows of the Snowy Range Mountains and below the Medicine Bow National Forest, is breathtaking. Co-owners and managers Kari and Brent Kilmer are ranch-raised Wyoming natives, graduates of the University of Wyoming, and as western as you can get. You won’t find two people any finer, nor any more willing to say “yes” to making this your best retreat ever. And the wranglers and staff are the best! Guaranteed, you will love the Vee Bar! This will be the 19th year the “Lit & Land of the Horse Retreat” has been held at the beautiful Vee Bar Guest Ranch.
Retreat Information
When: Monday, May 25 – Saturday, May 30, 2026
Option to Arrive Early: If you would like to arrive Sunday, May 24 (after 3pm) instead of Monday, May 25, lodging will be available at no additional charge. Sunday dinner is not included but Monday breakfast will be served to those arriving Sunday.
Where: The beautiful Vee Bar Guest Ranch, located near Laramie, Wyoming, only 2½ hours from Denver, Colorado. On the National Register of Historic Places, the Vee Bar, with its preserved western heritage and world-renowned outdoor adventures, is one of the Rocky Mountain West’s premier guest ranches. In this rustic setting of mountains, meadows and rivers, you will experience an extraordinary six-day equine adventure.
What’s Included: Shared accommodations in cozy cabins and spacious riverside suites (register early and choose where you want to be); luscious and abundant meals in the main lodge; happy horses and helpful wranglers; fully-stocked John Wayne Saloon; hot tub soaking under the stars; creative facilitation by author Jayme Mansfield, and the Vee Bar staff, and Wyoming ranch-raised owners and managers, Kari and Brent Kilmer; and your own special horse for all six days.
Price: $2472.00 plus tax and service charge /$100 discount if you’ve attended a previous retreat. Invite a friend!
Payment & Cancellation Policy:
Download Spring Retreat PDF
Deposit: To reserve your space, either send a $500.00 deposit via personal check to Page Lambert, 26037 Mountain View Road, Golden, Colorado 80401, or pay online via PayPal. Once Page receives your deposit, she will confirm your space with the Vee Bar Guest Ranch. They will contact you regarding the second deposit of $500. The balance owed won’t be due until you check out on the last day of the retreat. PayPal securely processes payments for Page Lambert’s retreats, workshops, and writing services.
Jayme Mansfield
More about Jayme Mansfield
Loosening the reins and leaning into a creative life—that’s Jayme’s sweet spot as an author, artist, and educator. Speaking at book clubs and interest groups, teaching the writing craft and guiding others in their artistic pursuits during retreats at her Wyoming ranch, is the icing on the cake. The transformative power of art and faith are common threads in her award-winning historical and contemporary novels, Chasing the Butterfly, RUSH, and Seasoned ~ A Vintage Love with Modern-Day Flavor. Her latest literary suspense, Portrait of Deceit, delivers the same. RUSH won several awards, including the Gold Medal Illumination Award winner for Enduring Christian Fiction, Selah Finalist, Excellence in Editing, two prestigious Colorado Book of the Year Awards, and finalist for the Chanticleer Laramie Award for Excellence in Western Fiction. RUSH was named the 2019 Village Read and celebrated throughout Colorado. Her bold floral abstractions and ranch-inspired landscapes blend luscious color and playful texture—a testimony to what is acclaimed as “joyful and hopeful” art.
About Sheri Griffith, Page’s iconic co-retreat leader for 18 years, from 2008-2025
Legendary adventurer Sheri Griffith, and her company Sheri Griffith Expeditions, have led adventures on some of the wildest rivers in the U.S. including the mighty Colorado. Travelers have hopped on a raft with her from Costa Rica to Nepal. She has been featured in magazines like Outside, Shape, and National Geographic Traveler. Ever searching for the premier adventure, she always came home to her horses, reaching for that connection and relationship with them. Sheri sold her river company several years ago and shares her passion for nature by horseback. She competed professionally in equine endurance racing, logging thousands of miles; tried her hand at mounted archery; and continues to ride the backcountry with friends and adventure seekers.
Studying “Natural Horsemanship” through trainers like Buck Brannaman, Warwick Schiller and Mark Rashid, Sheri has honed her skills. She founded the La Sal Creek Ranch, a horse retirement ranch located near Paradox, Colorado, and created and operated the Moab Endurance Ride.
“Some people call quiet horse trainers ‘Horse Whisperers,’” Sheri tells us, “but it’s really about the powers of observation, like writing. Horses have their own strong feelings, their own body language (since they have no words) and the sensitive horseman reads their ways and feelings, creating a partnership that is enjoyable, rewarding and connected. I call it the ‘soft connection,’” says Sheri. “We’ll work with the horses, one-on-one, on the ground and on their backs. We’ll start on the basics of the human/horse connection. I always look forward to these incredible retreats and some rewarding horse partners.”
What will we do with our horses:
- Build a connection. We’ll introduce ourselves and have them do the same.
- Interact with them from the ground, face to face, eye to eye.
- Ride them. I’m sure they will want to show us their country if we let them, this vast landscape we call Wyoming.
- Observe them, we’ll walk out to their pasture and see how they live.
“We are enamored by horses, and we want to connect with them,” Sheri explains. “How do we do that? We are not just passengers on their back. We want a relationship and that’s what we’re going to spend the week building.
“My animals have defined ‘humanity’ for me. Horses bring out compassion and patience, making me a better person. They create pure joy in the moment and inspire ideas and dreams for the future.”
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