3 DAY COURSE
KNEPP WILDLAND
LEARNING WILD AT KNEPP WILDLAND
Step into the World of Free-Living Exmoor Ponies
Join us for an immersive three-day experience at Knepp Wildland, the UK’s pioneering rewilding project. Spanning 3,500 acres of restored natural habitat, Knepp is home to two herds of free-living Exmoor ponies, alongside longhorn cattle, Tamworth pigs, and red and fallow deer—all shaping the land through naturalistic grazing.
Since 2001, this once intensively farmed estate has been transformed through a groundbreaking rewilding initiative. By allowing animals to shape and regenerate the landscape, Knepp has witnessed an extraordinary resurgence of wildlife, including rare species such as turtle doves, nightingales, peregrine falcons, and purple emperor butterflies.
There are around 30 Exmoor ponies at Knepp, carefully managed to live as naturally as possible. The project maintains mixed herds of entire males, females, and their young, ensuring the continuation of purebred registered Exmoor pony foals each year.
This course offers a unique opportunity to observe these remarkable ponies in their natural setting, learning first-hand about their social bonds, herd dynamics, and interactions with the environment.
THIS COURSE IS PERFECT FOR:
Horse owners seeking deeper insight into equine needs and behaviours.
Equine professionals looking to expand their understanding of horse welfare and management.
Conservationists and ecologists exploring the role of equines in biodiversity and habitat restoration.
Anyone passionate about horses and their place in the natural world.
By stepping back from training and intervention, we learn to see horses as they truly are—and in doing so, redefine how we engage with them.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
Blending scientific observation with real-world application, this course deepens your understanding of horses beyond conventional training methods.
Through guided observation, discussion and reflection, we will explore:
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The Art and Science of Observation – Learning to watch horses without interference, developing a deeper awareness of equine communication and behaviour.
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Equine Ethology – Understanding horses in the context of their natural lives rather than through human-imposed frameworks.
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Social Learning and Relationships – How horses form bonds, resolve conflict, and navigate herd dynamics.
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Rewilding and Conservation Grazing – The vital role of ponies in habitat restoration and biodiversity.
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Applying Insights to Domestic Horse Care – Translating lessons from free-living horses into ethical, species-appropriate management for domestic equines.
Through hands-on observation and expert-led discussions, this course offers a new way of seeing horses, helping you build deeper connections with both free-living and domestic equines.
ITINERARY
This is an outline of the 3 day course. The delivery of the course will be determined by where the ponies are in the landscape and the weather.
DAY 1: Orientation & Observation
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Horse Behaviour 101 –
Understanding who they are. -
The Art and Science of Observation – How to observe without interfering, recognising subtle behaviours.
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Putting Together an Ethogram – Learning how to document equine behaviour accurately.
Friday, 30th May
DAY 3: Relationships & Ethical Engagement
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Strong Foundations – The importance of relationship before training.
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Rethinking Horse-Human Interactions – What have we learned, and how can it shape our approach to domestic horse care?
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Final Reflections and Takeaways – Applying key insights to real-world contexts
Sunday, 1st June
Saturday, 31st May
DAY 2: Ecology, Behaviour & Rewilding
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The Ecology of Rewilding – Understanding Knepp’s conservation approach and the role of equines in restoring ecosystems.
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Equine Social Structures – Exploring how horses form bonds, resolve conflict, and maintain herd cohesion.
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Comparing Free-Living and Domestic Equines – What lessons can be applied to improve horse welfare?
YOUR HOSTS
Bonny Mealand (Touching Wild) qualified as an Equine Podiatrist in 2005 and has been committed to understanding, implementing and promoting a whole horse approach to health and well-being ever since. Bonny specialises in working with wild, free-living equines and “difficult” domestic equines by building trust and helping them learn to be handled in a low stress way.
A short clip of Bonny working with some Takhi (equus prezwalski) can beviewed here - BBC Inside the Zoo.
Bonny is committed to constantly learning as much about and from equines as possible. Believing that it is possible to define what a life of quality looks like at both a species and individual level. She then uses this perspective to implement a high standard of welfare into their domesticated lives.She is also a retained Firefighter, Somatic Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher and BHS Welfare Advisor and is a MSc student at the Dick vet (University of Edinburgh) studying Equine Science.
To learn more about Bonny’s
work please click here:
Touching Wild | Facebook | Instagram
She is also the UK representative of the world renowned Equine Ethologist Lucy Rees www.lucyrees.uk
Emily Kieson (Equine International) holds a PhD in Comparative Psychology, a MS in Psychology, and a graduate degree in Equine Science.
Her research focuses on equine behavioural psychology, equine welfare, and horse-human interactions as they apply to both horse owners and equine-assisted activities and learning programs. Her current research focuses on equine affiliative behaviours to study how horses create and maintain social bonds and how those can overlap with human affiliative behaviours to create authentic lasting friendships between horses and humans.
She also has a passion for supporting sustainable systems of horse management and husbandry that promote physical and psychological welfare of the horse while simultaneously supporting sustainable ecosystem practices on small and large scales (for both feral and domestic equids).
To learn more about Emily and Equine International please click here:
Equine International
ITINERARY DETAILS
TERRAIN GRADING
Moderate
Some uneven and boggy ground; reasonable fitness level recommended.
WEATHER
Weather at Knepp can vary from warm sunshine to wet and windy.
We recommend bringing:
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Waterproof walking boots
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Layered clothing (including rain gear)
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Binoculars and a notebook for observations
TRAVEL TO THE EVENT
Location: Knepp Wildland, West Sussex
Find Us: Knepp Wildland Directions
Address: New Barn Farm, Swallows Lane, Dial Post, RH13 8NN
This is a short drive from Horsham, Crawley, or Gatwick airport and is easy to get to by car. Once at the carpark, travel is by foot. Be sure to give yourself enough time to accommodate for walking from the carpark to the Granary located in that same area.
ACCOMMODATION
Knepp offers camping and glamping options, as well as nearby B&Bs and hotels. Find out more here: Knepp Accommodation
COURSE COST 3 day course - price per participant
£285
SPECIAL RATE!
Normally £120
per person
per day
Maximum Participants - 16
Charity, student, researcher and low income concessions available
INCLUDED in the Course Cost
The following costs are included in
the price of the workshop:
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Expert-led discussions
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Guided field observations
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All the educational teaching and materials
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Tea, coffee, biscuits
NOT INCLUDED in the Course Cost
The following costs are not included in
the price of the workshop:
• Travel to and from Knepp
• Food and drinks
• Accommodation
THIS COURSE IS MADE POSSIBLE BY:
Collaboration between Touching Wild with Bonny Mealand and
Equine International with Dr Emily Kieson
and the Fell Pony Heritage Trust
REFUND & CANCELLATION POLICY
Learning Wild courses are kept small to allow for higher levels of participation by atendees. Once a spot has been paid and reserved, it is no longer available for other potential participants and we oten have to turn people away. As a result, we have strict cancellation policies. For UK-based events participants wishing to cancel can get 50% of their paid amount refunded if they cancel before 30 days prior to the event. There is no refund given if participants cancel within 30 days of the event.
Any participant wishing to cancel may request that their non-refundable payments be carried over to a later Learning Wild course. The location and date of the Learning Wild course to which the credit can be transferred does not have to be declared at the time of cancellation. Individuals wishing to apply credit to a Learning Wild course should contact the course schedulers as soon as they know what course to which they would like to apply the credit. Learning Wild does not reserve spots in courses for any participant there are no guarantees of spots for people holding credit.