Learning Wild Courses with Equine International and Touching Wild

 We  are excited to invite you to join us for the first ever Learning Wild  course at Wicken Fen, the UK’s first nature reserve and home to more  than 100 free-living Konik ponies. 

Wicken Fen National  Nature Reserve is home to over 9000 species, encompassing over 2000  acres. It is the Nature Trusts first reserve, with a history dating back  to 1899. Wicken Fen is a unique remnant of undrained fen, which once  covered the vast lowlands of East Anglia. This special environment holds  a range of designations including Site of Special Scientific Interest  (SSSI), National Nature Reserve (NNR) and Special Area of Conservation  (SAC). Part of the conservation program at the Fen includes the  incorporation of large grazing ungulates (horses and cattle) who were  once a key part of the natural ecosystem of this landscape and are a  critical part of the restoration and regeneration of  the natural  ecology of the region. These grazing animals help with  the maintenance of the wetlands which helps keep the landscape open for  new vegetation, increases biodiversity for plants and wildlife, and  promotes the rehabilitation of the grassland areas.

To  achieve this goal, the experts at Wicken Fen chose Konik ponies and  Highland cattle, two robust breeds, to live on the Fen and assist with  the conservation project. Apart from some fences, the ponies and cattle  have free range of the Fens, creating rich habitats for other species  and cohabitating in the same areas to provide the necessary biodiversity  that can only result from two different grazing species. This unique  environment also gives animal-lovers the unique opportunity to observe  horses living in family groups, freely interacting, playing, and  engaging with one another in a variety of habitats and environmental  conditions. There are over 100 Koniks at Wicken Fen split into two major  groups: One is a breeding group with stallions, mares and youngsters,  all free to make their own choices with regards to breeding, friends,  and family groups, and the other group is a non-breeding group comprised  of vasectomised stallions and non-breeding mares. While there are  occasional population management procedures in place, the horses are  left to live their lives freely on the Fens.

The  Learning Wild course at Wicken Fen provides an incredible opportunity  to look inside the lives of feral horses as they live alongside human  visitors in this gorgeous nature reserve. With the support and  assistance of the horse management team at Wicken Fen, we’ll explore the  rich history of the herd, the individuals that make up the social  groups at Wicken, and get an exclusive look inside the lives of the  horses that live there.

Join Dr. Emily Kieson as she conducts research in the social lives of horses and explores  applications to domestic equine welfare and developing stronger  friendships with our own horses.
 

Share the experience and enthusiasm for the observational study of feral ponies with Bonny Mealand who is passionate about enabling others to learn from the richness of  this perspective. In addition there will be local experts and  representatives from relevant organisations.

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In  addition there will be local experts and representatives from relevant  organisations.

We invite you to explore thought provoking perspectives  on horses, horse welfare, and sustainable horse keeping practices. By  learning from experienced experts and
through educational observation  and discussions we can explore more about horses, our perceptions of  them and how they choose to live when they have the freedom to do  
so.

The learning will be a mix of guided lessons, discussions and  individual and/or group observations. We will examine how best to  implement what we learn from our studies to
 enhance the health and  well-being of domestic horses.

ITINERARY

This is an outline of the structure of the 5 days.


The delivery of the course will be determined

mainly by the weather.

March 4

The Art of Observation

Equine evolution, physical and behavioural


Putting together a simple ethogram.

March 5

Environment

Ecology, conservation, history,
 historical significance and culture.

March 6

Behaviour - horse and human. Regenerative grazing, the value of equids in a landscape

March 7

Strong foundations, relationship before training.

March 8

What we have learned and how we can 
best implement this to improve the lives of equines.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

TERRAIN GRADING

Moderate

As  we will be exploring the environments inhabited by the ponies  challenging terrain may be encountered so a reasonable level of fitness  is suggested.



Wicken Fen National Nature Reserve website

TRAVEL

By car - south of Wicken (A1123), 3 miles west of Soham (A142), 9 miles south of Ely, 17 miles north east of Cambridge via A10


Address for SatNav - Lode Lane, Wicken, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB7 5XP

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By train -  the closest train stations are Ely 9 miles; Soham 5 miles. Taxis are  usually available at Ely and you can also join the National Cycle  Network route 11 to Wicken at Ely station if you have bought bike on the  train. 



ACCOMMODATION

There  is no accommodation at Wicken Fen reserve, but we have booked  accommodation for a limited amount of people close by. There are also  plenty of places to stay in nearby towns, some of which are within  walking distance of the Wicken Fen visitor centre. Cambridge is also  about a 45 min drive from the Reserve for those who want to stay in the  city and do daily drives in for the workshop.

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.

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).