TOUCHING WILD with Bonny Mealand
PATH 1
Ethology:
The Horse in Context
A 6-week guided learning
programme alongside other
thoughtful learners.
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See with clarity
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Understand with compassion
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Respond with confidence
Start date: Tuesday 17 February 2026
The first day of the Year of the Fire Horse.
“Clear, grounded, and deeply
compassionate - science with soul.”
Welcome
Grounded in science • Guided by the horse.
Touching Wild Academy exists because horses make more sense when we learn to see the world through their experience.
If you’ve ever felt out of place in the mainstream horse world — not because you lack knowledge or care, but because the conversations around you don’t quite sit right — you’re not imagining it and you’re not alone.
This pathway offers a slower, steadier way to understand behaviour: one that stays close to the horse’s experience, honours complexity and values careful questions before decisions are made.
What This Learning Pathway Is For
This pathway is for people who want to deepen their understanding of horse behaviour and are drawn to ethology as a way of making sense of what they’re seeing.
It speaks to thoughtful owners and professionals who sense that behaviour is meaningful and contextual, and that an ethological way of seeing supports clearer, more grounded understanding than technique alone.
Many people arrive here wanting to move beyond surface explanations and quick fixes. They are curious about behaviour in its biological, emotional and environmental context and want a way of thinking that leads to well-grounded decisions and the ability to explain their approach with confidence and care.
At its heart, this learning pathway supports you to become a confident advocate for your horse, building clarity in how you interpret what
you see, learn how to make decisions and communicate
them with depth and integrity.
Image © International Takhi Group
What this course supports you to do
Better Questions
Ask better questions before
deciding what to do
This is not about acquiring techniques or being given answers.
It’s about developing clarity, discernment and confidence in how you interpret what you see.
“Bonny’s attention to detail - noticing subtle shifts
and adapting in response - was a masterclass in observation.”
How learning unfolds
PACE & RHYTHM
This pathway moves at a steady, considered pace. Each week includes live teaching, recordings, discussion, journal club and access to an expanding library of resources. You’re free to engage in ways that suit you, if life gets busy, that’s okay; you step back in when you’re ready.
“This work changed how I understand
trust and relationship with horses.”
TEACHING & ENQUIRY
Teaching is structured, clear and information rich, with space to reflect, question and explore ideas together. Rather than “right answers,” the emphasis is on careful enquiry, shared observation and building explanations that hold across different horses and contexts. A weekly journal club supports this process, creating time to look closely at one research paper, practise interpreting evidence and discuss how scientific ideas translate into everyday equine care.
“Knowing others are thinking just as
carefully has been a quiet relief.”
OBSERVATION & FIELD LABS
Alongside presentations and discussion, learning is supported by shared observation practice. Field Labs offer a calm space to look closely at real examples and practise noticing behaviour in context, whether through gentle observation of your own horse at home or by working with the extensive video footage of wild and free-living equids provided.
There is no assessment or required output, only guided attention and thoughtful discussion, supporting growing confidence in how you interpret what you see.
“I’m far more confident now in advocating for
my horses and thinking things through with care.”
LEARNING ALONGSIDE OTHERS
This is a shared learning space shaped by care for horses and a willingness to think together. Owners and professionals learn alongside one another without hierarchy, bringing different experiences that add depth and perspective.
Participation is always by choice. Listening is valued as much as speaking, and many people find relief in not having to hold questions alone.
“Never rushed, always guided
by the horse’s wellbeing.”
GUIDANCE & FACILITATION
Learning spaces are actively and carefully facilitated.
Sessions are guided to support clarity, proportion and thoughtful enquiry, rather than debate, advice-giving or problem-solving.
Questions are explored slowly, with attention to context and to the horse’s experience, and without pressure to reach conclusions.
Boundaries are part of the care of this space. This is not a forum for fixing, judgement or unsolicited solutions. The role of facilitation is to help keep the work grounded, focused and horse-centred.
“Professional and deeply humane,
without ever feeling sterile or prescriptive."
Behind the learning
This pathway draws on decades spent studying and working alongside equids across a wide range of contexts: wild and free-living populations, conservation-grazing herds, zoo-kept equids, unhandled and minimally handled horses, and domestic horses living under a variety of constraints.
That long-term, real-world experience is integrated with postgraduate study in equine science and careful engagement with behavioural and welfare research. These are not separate strands of knowledge, but a single, coherent way of understanding horses as a species.
Sustained observation of wild and free-living horses runs throughout the programme, offering reference points for what horses do and choose when they are able to express species-specific behaviour. This makes it possible to meaningfully compare wild, domestic and managed lives, bringing clarity to what is adaptive, what is constrained and what behaviour may be communicating.
What is shared here has been tested against real lives, real constraints and real horses. It has been refined over time, challenged by experience and continues to evolve as understanding deepens.
“It’s impossible not to feel inspired when
learning alongside someone so deeply
committed to improving the lives of equines."
Testimonials
What happens next
1
Join
You join a friendly cohort and begin by gently orienting to the rhythm of the pathway and the shared agreements that support thoughtful learning.
2
Learn
From there, learning unfolds week by week through live sessions, observation practice and reflection. There’s space to absorb, question and integrate what you’re noticing into your own situations, without pressure to perform or keep up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which pathway is right for me?
Choose Ethology: The Horse in Context if you want to build a solid, species-appropriate understanding of horses, develop clearer ways of interpreting behaviour and feel more confident in your thinking and communication before deciding what to do.
If you’re already working with a challenging horse or situation and want closer, confidential support alongside the same learning foundations the
Applied Ethology Mentorship may be a better fit.
Pricing for - Ethology: The Horse In Context
Starting Tuesday 17 February 2026
Ethology: The Horse in Context
6 weeks · live teaching · shared learning
3 months’ access to recordings and resources
INCLUDES:
• Weekly live teaching sessions with Q&A
• Curated learning resources
• Access to a supportive learning community
What your place includes :
Start date:
Tuesday
17 February 2026
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Weekly live sessions and Q&A
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Weekly webinar recordings
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Curated scientific papers and resource lists
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Access to the learning and discussion spaces
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Field lab practical exercises
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Journal club