3 DAY RESIDENTIAL EXPERIENCE (4 Nights)
Learning Wild
West Highlands
Free-Living Horses in Scotland's Atlantic Rainforest
Learning from Horses in Living Landscapes
A three-day immersive experience in the Highlands of Scotland.
Spend three days learning about horse behaviour in the ecological and social context in which it evolved - in a living landscape where free-living ponies shape, and are shaped by, the ecosystems around them, offering a rare opportunity to understand horses through the lives they evolved to live.
Set within one of Scotland's pioneering conservation grazing projects, this immersive experience offers a unique opportunity to study horse behaviour in the ecological and social context in which it evolved.
This is access to a world very few people ever get to see.
About the Experience
Learning Wild is an immersive residential experience for people who want to understand horses more deeply by exploring their behaviour within the ecological and social contexts in which it evolved.
Horses at the heart of the experience.
Spend time observing free-living and semi-wild ponies living species-appropriate lives within a conservation grazing landscape. Through guided observation, discussion and practical learning, you will explore how horses communicate, form and maintain social relationships, make decisions, navigate their environment, use space, respond to change and interact with the landscapes they help shape.
Drawing on cutting-edge scientific research, peer-reviewed publications and decades of practical work and ethological field observation across wild, free-living and minimally handled equid populations worldwide, the experience bridges science with real-world observation. By combining contemporary behavioural science with direct field experience, you will develop the knowledge and observational skills to interpret behaviour more deeply, ask better questions and apply these insights to the welfare, management and conservation of horses in every setting.
Rather than studying behaviour in isolation, Learning Wild explores horses as part of a living ecological community - revealing how behaviour, welfare and landscape are intimately connected, and how understanding one enriches our understanding of the others.
What Makes This Experience Unique?
Immersive. Observational. Transformative.
Learning Wild is more than a course about horse behaviour. It is an opportunity to learn directly from horses living lives that more closely reflect the conditions under which their behaviour evolved, offering a perspective that is rarely available within equine education. Rather than viewing behaviour as a series of isolated actions, you will discover how horses are shaped by the continual interaction between their social relationships, their environment and the choices they make every day.
You will also gain a deeper understanding of the horse's ecological role as an ecosystem engineer, exploring how grazing, browsing, movement and habitat use contribute to biodiversity, habitat diversity and ecological restoration.
Perhaps most importantly, Learning Wild develops the skill of observation itself. You will learn not simply to recognise behaviour, but to interpret it through an ethological lens - seeing horses within their ecological, social and evolutionary context. By asking better questions and recognising patterns that are often overlooked, you will develop a richer understanding of horses that can be applied to welfare, management, conservation and everyday interactions.
The Experience includes:
Learning to See Horses Differently
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Develop the skills of careful observation through guided field sessions, theory and discussion.
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Learn to recognise the subtleties of equine communication, social relationships, movement, decision-making and behaviour that are often overlooked.
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Build the confidence to interpret behaviour through an ethological lens and ask better questions about the lives and welfare of horses.
Behaviour in Context
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Observe free-living and semi-wild ponies expressing the full richness of their behavioural repertoire within stable social groups and dynamic landscapes.
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Discover how movement, choice, agency, foraging, social bonds and the environment shape behaviour and influence welfare.
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Connect contemporary behavioural science with decades of field observation across wild, free-living and minimally handled equid populations.
Horses as Ecosystem Engineers
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Explore conservation grazing in practice and discover how horses contribute to healthy, resilient and biodiverse landscapes.
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Understand how grazing, browsing, movement and habitat use influence ecological processes and create opportunities for other species to thrive.
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Discover how ecology, behaviour and welfare become inseparable when horses are allowed to live more species-appropriate lives.
Key Themes
During the week, we will explore:
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Horse behaviour in ecological context
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Ethology: understanding the why behind behaviour
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Learning through observation
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Communication, social relationships and collective behaviour
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Movement, foraging and decision-making
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Choice, agency and positive welfare
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Horses as ecosystem engineers
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Conservation grazing and ecological restoration
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Translating lessons from free-living horses into domestic horse care
Who This Workshop Is For
Learning Wild is designed for anyone who wants to develop a deeper understanding of horses by exploring their behaviour within the ecological and social contexts in which it evolved.
Whether you are an equine professional, behaviourist, veterinarian, hoof care practitioner, conservation grazing practitioner, ecologist, researcher, student, land manager or simply someone with a deep curiosity about horses and the natural world, this experience offers a unique opportunity to learn through observation, discussion and immersion in a living conservation landscape.
The course is particularly suited to those who want to move beyond simply recognising behaviour and towards understanding why horses behave as they do.
Drawing on ethology, ecology and welfare science, participants will discover new ways of observing, interpreting and applying behavioural knowledge to improve the lives of horses in a wide range of settings.
Take Homes
By the end of the Experience, you will have explored how to:
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See horse behaviour through a new lens, recognising how ecology, social relationships and environment shape behaviour.
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Develop stronger observational skills, learning to notice subtle behaviours, patterns and interactions that are often overlooked.
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Understand the social lives of horses, including communication, relationships, collective movement and decision-making.
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Recognise the importance of choice, agency and species-appropriate living for positive welfare.
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Explore horses as ecosystem engineers, understanding their role in creating dynamic, biodiverse landscapes through conservation grazing.
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Bridge science with practice, applying insights from ethology, ecology and welfare science to everyday work with horses.
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Develop greater confidence in interpreting behaviour, asking better questions and making more informed welfare and management decisions.
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Gain practical ideas for applying lessons from free-living and semi-wild horses to domestic horse care, conservation grazing and professional practice.
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Leave with a richer understanding of the interconnectedness between horses, people and the landscapes they share.
Meet the Team
About Bonny Mealand
Bonny Mealand is the founder of Touching Wild, an equine behaviour specialist and equine podiatrist working at the intersection of horse behaviour, welfare, hoof health and ecological systems.
Her work focuses on species-appropriate, welfare-centred approaches to working with unhandled, minimally handled and free-living equids across conservation, zoo and domestic contexts.
Bonny is the developer of the Holistic Equid Learning Plan - the HELP Model - shaped through extensive fieldwork with wild, zoo-managed and conservation grazing equids, including award-winning work with takhi at RZSS Highland Wildlife Park.
Her approach integrates an ethological approch, careful observation, practical handling experience and a deep respect for the horse’s lived experience.
About Dr Emily Kieson
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
Accommodation & Setting
The experience takes place on the west coast of Scotland, within a landscape shaped by sea, woodland, hill ground, grazing animals and ecological restoration.
Accommodation is shared and self-catered, offering a comfortable and relaxed base for focused learning, conversation and reflection.
Accommodation Options
A range of accommodation which is comfortable, welcoming and situated in a beautiful coastal village. Some enjoy sea views and are within easy walking distance of the beach, harbour, local café, shop and other village amenities. The accommodation is self-catered, providing a relaxed and flexible base where you can unwind after each day and enjoy the peaceful surroundings
Self-contained flat
A private flat with a double bedroom, sea views and your own kitchen, bathroom and living space, ideal if you prefer complete privacy.
Single occupancy room in a shared house/flat/bunkhouse
Your own double bedroom within a shared house, with shared kitchen, bathroom and comfortable living areas.
Shared twin room in a shared house/flat/bunkhouse
A twin/bunk bedroom shared with one other participant, with shared kitchen, bathroom and living spaces, offering a sociable and affordable option.
Practical Information
Duration:
3 day experience within a 4-night residential stay
Dates:
21 - 24th September 2026
Location:
West Coast of Scotland
Accommodation:
Single and double occupancy, Self-catered
Group Size:
Limited places to ensure a focused and
supportive learning environment.
Fitness Level:
A reasonable level of fitness is required, as the week includes walking across varied terrain, including woodland, rough tracks and Scottish hills. You should be comfortable spending time outdoors in all weather conditions.
Price
Course fee - £ 360
Includes:
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3 days of immersive teaching and guided field learning
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Visits to an exclusive conservation grazing project
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Learning from experienced practitioners
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Friendly and stimulating tuition with plenty of opportunity for discussion and questions
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Course materials and resources
Accommodation (4 nights, self-catered)
Choose the option that best suits you
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Shared twin room – £168 (£42 per night)
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Double room (single occupancy) – £336 (£84 per night)
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Private self-contained flat – £400 (£100 per night )
Total Prices
Learning experience + shared twin room: £528
Learning experience + single occupancy double room: £689
Learning experience + private flat: £760
Why Join Us?
There are very few places where these worlds come together.
Learning Wild is for people who want to see horses differently.
It is an invitation to step beyond techniques and into understanding - to explore horses as social, ecological beings, and to discover how behaviour, welfare and landscape become inseparable when viewed through an ethological lens. Through science, observation and shared experience, you'll leave with new knowledge, new skills and a new way of seeing.