TOUCHING WILD with Bonny Mealand
5 DAY RESIDENTIAL COURSE (7 Nights)
Working with
Unhandled Equids
HELPing Wild: Behaviour-Led Handling for Complex Equids
Practical Skills for Safe Interaction, Preparation
for Care and System Design
About the Workshop
HELPing Wild is an immersive, practical workshop designed for professionals working with unhandled, minimally handled, or behaviourally complex equids.
The workshop introduces the Holistic Equid Learning Plan (HELP) Model, a structured, welfare-centred framework grounded in ethological understanding. It applies a behaviour-in-context perspective to guide how interactions are structured, interpreted and adapted in real time, while shaping predictable environments and preparing equids for essential care with minimal reliance on restraint, sedation, force, or escalating pressure.
Grounded in the Five Domains Model of animal welfare, the approach embeds welfare into every stage of handling and decision-making. Physical health, behavioural expression, and emotional wellbeing are considered together, supporting not only safe outcomes but positive welfare states.
The methods presented are developed through extensive fieldwork with wild, zoo-managed and conservation grazing equids, including award-winning work with takhi at RZSS Highland Wildlife Park.
The approach focuses on:
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Structuring interaction through species-appropriate planning, timing, and spatial awareness
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Assessing behavioural thresholds and responses in real time
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Applying an ethological approach to assess behaviour in context, rather than relying on isolated cues or fixed responses
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Developing repeatable handling patterns that support safe, low-stress engagement
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Preparing equids for veterinary and husbandry procedures in sustainable, low-stress ways
Participants will work directly with unhandled and minimally handled equids, applying these principles in practical, supervised sessions. The emphasis is on building approaches that are not only effective in the moment, but consistent, repeatable and transferable across teams and settings.
Selected sessions are supported by an experienced veterinarian who brings practical insight from mixed practice, and zoo and wildlife medicine, into integrating trust-based handling with veterinary care, enhancing participants’ ability to plan and carry out clinical procedures safely and with minimal stress.
Alongside the practical work, participants will visit a working conservation grazing project, gaining insight into how semi-wild equids are managed within ecological systems while maintaining high welfare standards.
Who This Workshop Is For
This workshop is designed for professionals responsible for the care and handling of equids with limited or negative prior experience of human interaction.
It will be particularly relevant for:
Zoo and wildlife park keepers working with non-domestic or minimally handled equids
Conservation grazing wardens managing
semi-wild
pony herds
Sanctuary
staff
supporting unhandled or behaviourally complex
horses
Veterinary professionals working with
equids that
are difficult to handle
Experienced equine practitioners seeking to refine their approach to complex cases
Participants should already be confident working around horses, as the workshop
involves practical sessions with equids who have limited handling experience.
What Makes This Workshop Distinct
Direct work with unhandled equids
Participants gain hands-on experience working with equids that have little or no prior handling, developing safe and effective approaches grounded in observation and behavioural response.
A structured, field-tested framework
The HELP Model provides a clear decision-making structure that integrates behavioural observation, environmental context, interaction design, and welfare impact, supporting consistent and informed handling decisions.
Welfare embedded through the Five Domains Model
All approaches are underpinned by the Five Domains framework, ensuring that physical, behavioural and emotional welfare are considered together, supporting both immediate safety and longer-term wellbeing.
Focus on repeatability and system design
The workshop goes beyond individual technique, supporting participants to develop handling approaches that are consistent, teachable and sustainable across teams and organisations.
Integration of behaviour and clinical care
Veterinary input within the workshop supports participants in aligning handling approaches with clinical requirements, improving safety and reducing stress during procedures.
Application within conservation and semi-wild systems
Through the site visit, participants explore how behaviour-led approaches extend beyond individual handling into herd management, ecological function and system-level welfare.
Key Experiences
Participants will:
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Work directly with unhandled and minimally handled equids in structured, supervised sessions.
-
Gain rare access to veterinary insight within a handling-focused workshop
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Develop practical handling strategies that can be applied consistently across different individuals and environments
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Learn how to structure interactions to support calm engagement and reduce escalation
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Build repeatable approaches for preparing equids for essential care, including veterinary and husbandry procedures
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Explore how to develop handling systems that can be adopted and maintained across teams
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Visit a conservation grazing site to examine the relationship between behaviour, welfare and landscape management
What Participants Will Leave With
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
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Assess behavioural thresholds and risk in unhandled and minimally handled equids
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Structure interactions using species-appropriate planning, timing and spatial awareness
-
Develop repeatable handling approaches that support calm, low-stress engagement
-
Prepare equids for essential care in ways that reduce reliance on force or restraint
-
Apply the HELP Model to guide decision-making in complex, real-world situations
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Integrate welfare considerations using the Five Domains framework in everyday practice
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Support colleagues and teams in adopting consistent, behaviour-led handling approaches
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Communicate their work clearly and credibly within
public-facing contexts, using language that reflects high welfare standards and supports transparent, evidence-informed practice
Meet the Team
Bonny Mealand
Founder of Touching Wild | Equine Behaviour Specialist | Equine Podiatrist
Bonny works at the intersection of equine behaviour, welfare, and hoof health, developing practical, welfare-centred approaches for working with unhandled, minimally handled and free-living equids across zoo, conservation and domestic contexts.
She is the developer of the Holistic Equid Learning Plan (HELP) Model, shaped through extensive fieldwork with wild and conservation equids, including award-winning work with takhi at RZSS Highland Wildlife Park. Her approach integrates ethology, careful observation and applied experience to support safe, predictable and sustainable handling systems.
BONNY MEALAND
DR ALICE BACON
Alice Bacon
Veterinary Surgeon
BVM&S, MVetSci, ECZM ZHM credentialled resident, MRCVS
Alice is an accomplished veterinarian with over 15 years’ clinical practice including five years’ at RZSS Highland Wildlife Park and Edinburgh Zoo, working with a wide range of captive and wild species, including non-domestic equids. Her work focuses on delivering high-quality clinical care in complex and remote environments, with a particular interest in low-stress handling and welfare-centred veterinary practice.
During the workshop, she contributes to selected sessions, offering specialist insight into how trust-based handling can be integrated with veterinary procedures, helping to improve safety, reduce stress, and support better outcomes for both animals and teams.
Together, the team brings a combination of behavioural expertise, practical field experience, and clinical insight, offering participants a well-rounded and highly applied learning experience.
Together, the team brings a combination of behavioural expertise, field-based experience and clinical knowledge, offering a practical, structured and welfare-centred approach to working with complex equids.
Accommodation & Setting
Accommodation is in a modern house with panoramic sea views on the west coast of Scotland, with a beach within walking distance.
The accommodation is self-catered and shared, with single room occupancy available, offering a comfortable and relaxed environment that supports both focused learning and time to rest and reflect.
HOW TO APPLY
Places are limited to keep the group small and ensure a focused, supportive learning environment.
If you’d like to join us, please
complete the application form:
Practical Information
Duration:
5 training days within a 7-night residential stay
Dates:
15th - 22nd May 2026
Location:
West Coast of Scotland
Accommodation:
Self-catered
Group Size:
Limited to 12 participants
Places are limited to ensure a high level of individual
support and a safe, focused learning environment.
Experience Level:
Participants should be confident working around horses.
The workshop involves practical sessions with equids
who have limited handling experience.
Investment:
7 nights’ accommodation and 5 days of immersive,
practical training with unhandled equids in a small, focused group. Enhanced by veterinary input, this is a rare opportunity to engage deeply with behaviour-led, welfare-centred handling in real-world conditions.
Accommodation:
Twin shared room: £490
Double room (single occupancy): £905
