Learning Wild: Cairngorms

Come and spend 5 days in the spectacular landscape of the Cairngorms National Park. Immerse yourself in the wild lives of the free-living Konik horses who roam free on the RSPB Insh Marshes reserve and the Takhi (Equus Prezwalski) who live at the Highland Wildlife Park (HWP).

The Takhi are an iconic success story for the role of zoos in biodiversity conservation and you will have the rare opportunity to meet these endangered equines and their Keepers. You will also get to see and learn about the award winning handling methods that have been successfully developed here which make any necessary handling safe, low stress and enjoyable. You will also learn about their wild lives on the Mongolian Steppe.

The RSPB Insh Marshes herds are helping to restore the largest floodplain fen in the UK. They thrive on rough forage such as rushes, grasses and reeds. These hardier plants would shade out sensitive habitats without the natural grazing processes and ground disturbance that the ponies provide. Once a vitally important breeding site for some of our threatened UK bird species like the Curlew, Redshank and Lapwing the landscape is being restored by the impact of the ponies. Since their arrival in 2019 the ponies have opened up new habitat for the unique flora and fauna that was once abundant in this dynamic floodplain eco system.

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 free-living equines with Bonny Mealand who is passionate about enabling others to experience the richness of this perspective.

In addition to our guides 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.