A 5 day course with feral ponies

Come and spend 5 days immersed in the wild lives of semi feral Eriskay ponies who roam free on the beautiful island of Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides. This special place has been home to ponies for a multitude of years and their history is closely intertwined with the lives and Gaelic culture of the islanders. Eriskay ponies are among the last surviving remnants of the original native ponies of the Western Isles of Scotland.

These ponies are perfectly adapted to the harsh conditions of the Atlantic Seaboard and navigate the challenging terrain with agility and grace. For many generations they were invaluable to the island inhabitants who used them to carry pannier baskets of peat for winter fuel and seaweed from the shore to fertilise the land and they continue to be an important part of Island life. Because their connection to the island and its people is still kept alive we have the incredible opportunity of looking at equine culture, human culture and the coexistence of the two.

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.

Expand your theoretical horizons with Katarina Lundgren through discussions on intersubjectivity, the equine perspective, and learning from horses in order to live in connection and congruency.

Share the experience and enthusiasm for the observational study of feral ponies 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.

This course invites you to explore thought provoking perspectives on horses, horse welfare, and sustainable horse keeping practices. By engaging with local communities, 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.

For the full details dates and prices please follow this link – https://mimer-centre-school.teachable.com/p/learning-wild-eriskay