TOUCHING WILD with Bonny Mealand
"The Heart of My Work is Trusting Relationships"
I am a passionate and dedicated life long student of the horse.
Enchanted by horses since my earliest days even growing up on a boat didn’t lessen my pull towards them. The feelings of freedom, connection and joy that I experienced on my adventures with the pony Frosty as a child have been my true north. Rediscovering these elements, learning from horses themselves and atoning for the mistakes I make along the way have guided my path. My ultimate goal is to be a person horses choose to spend time with and to share as much about my passion as I can with those who are interested. I am committed to helping people better understand equines so they can work with and care for them in a species appropriate and compassionate way.
I qualified as an Equine Podiatrist in 2005 and have run my business focusing on whole horse health and wellbeing since then. Hooves and behaviour are my twin obsessions. I work in both the domestic and wild horse worlds and do my best to bridge the gap between the two. The foundation of my work is to create an atmosphere of trust and confidence.
I run hoofcare workshops and dissections, trim the hooves of wild horses and a few domestic ones. I offer advice and support by sharing my experience and in-depth understanding of species appropriate management. I do my best to help people find ways to implement effective and realistic solutions into their horses lives.
I am an advocate of ethological study and spend as much time as I can observing free living equines all over the world including Plains Zebra in Zimbabwe. Alongside Dr Emily Kieson I run “Learning Wild” equine behaviour courses. Inviting people to take a deep dive into the world of the horse. These learning opportunities are held in wild places across the globe.
My award winning work with the Takhi (Equus ferus ssp.Przewalskii) of the Highland Wildlife Park has been featured on BBC Inside the Zoo. I also run courses for organisations such as the RSPB, RZSS and Knepp Wildland. Teaching zoo keepers and wardens who care for wild equids and regenerative grazing herds how to handle their charges in a safe, low stress and effective way. By cultivating two way communication through a horse led, team approach I prioritise safety and building trusting relationships.
I am an enthusiastic (if slightly overwhelmed) Equine Science Masters student at the The University of Edinburgh (Dick Vet). I volunteer as a welfare advisor for the BHS and delivered a wild equid experience day for its members. I also helped organised the BHS Scotland 2021 Welfare Conference “Lets not Live with Laminits”. I am a Somatic Yoga and Mindfulness teacher and a Retained Firefighter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. I live in a small community in the Highlands of Scotland and am endlessly grateful for the support and encouragement of my family and friends, and of course for the privilege of sharing my life with animals.
ABOUT
Bonny
