Equine International Research Institute

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Equine International Research Institute Research, Education, and Outreach in Equine Wellbeing and Equine-Human Interactions Please consider making a donation. We look forward to working with you!

Equine International is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit research institute dedicated to studies in equine behavior, wellbeing and welfare, and equine-human interactions in all areas of domestic and free-living equids, including those involved in equine-assisted services. We collaborate with a number of different institutions, universities, and organizations to observe and learn how horses choose to live their lives, how we fit into their world, and how we can use this information to improve the wellbeing of horses in our care. We do research all over the world with feral, free-living, and domestic horses and often invite others to join us on amazing adventures to collect data and learn about wild equids. We also work with equine practitioners and trainers in a wide range of settings to create educational courses for anyone involved with horses for accessible online courses as well as in-person workshops. The goal, however, is to improve the lives of horses and humans so we’re always collaborating with individuals and organizations to help them build and improve their work in the field. Proceeds go towards funding research in all fields of equine wellbeing, equine-human interactions, and equine-assisted activities and therapies. With your help we can continue to do the research that can help improve the lives of horses, humans, and other equids all over the world. If you are a student and are interested in doing a research internship, please contact us.

10/07/2026

We are so excited to have our 2027 Learning Wild events on our calendars. Are any on your calendar?

Immersive adventures in beautiful and dramatic land and seascapes, offering education by engaging with the wild lives of free living equines and learning alongside like minded people about how we all fit into each other's lives.

From Cumbria to Canada, Grenada to the Gobi Desert, the location and landscapes may change, but the ethos stays the same.

To see more upcoming events visit:
https://learningwilduk.wixsite.com/learningwild

10/07/2026

Bonny Mealand from the Learning Wild team is looking forward to bringing Living with Wildness, a new four-day workshop, to South Wales this November, with Jenni Nellist.

Across 12-15 November, they’ll explore what it really takes to do conservation grazing with ponies well, bringing together landscape, ecology, equine welfare and practical approaches to working with wild and minimally handled equids.

📅 12 to 15 November 2026
You can join for the first two days or the full four-day experience. Places for the practical workshop are strictly limited to keep the experience small, immersive and genuinely horse-led.

Learn more and register: www.touchingwild.com/event-details/living-with-wildness

10/01/2026

Thank you to everyone who came along to Learning Wild: West Highlands.

There was something particularly lovely about moving between the hills, the barn, the animals, and our conversations, with plenty of time to notice, question, and learn along the way.

One participant captured this beautifully:

“I loved the fluidity of the experience - learning on the hill, observing and being in the barn with the horses and dogs simply part of the experience.”

Thank you for bringing your curiosity, experience and willingness to explore. It was a very special few days.

To see more upcoming events visit:

https://learningwilduk.wixsite.com/learningwild

09/25/2026

There are myriad studies into the benefits of immersive experiences for developing knowledge, especially when learning a new language. That’s kind of what this is, learning the language of the equid, really learning it, from the horse itself.

By immersing and observing these free-living horses, you begin to absorb consciously and subconsciously and your understanding deepens in every aspect. By adding peer-reviewed science on top of this first-hand experience, the foundations of knowledge become stronger and easier to build upon. And it all starts by observing the horse.

To begin building your knowledge, visit:
https://learningwilduk.wixsite.com/learningwild/






09/25/2026

In all aspects of life, freedom sits on a spectrum. That includes the animal kingdom. So, when we talk about horses living freely, we can include (to a certain extent), most horses with responsible owners; after all if we love our animals then we try and give them the best quality care, including
plenty of freedom.

But living wild? Living with ideally no input at all from humans? Living with just careful mindful observation? That presents a completely different picture of a completely different creature.

There’s a reason our courses are called Learning Wild, and that’s because the element of wild is just as key as the element of learning. For without the wild, what would we really learn? By limiting the wild, we limit what we can learn.

For more information about our courses and the ethos behind it, visit:
https://learningwilduk.wixsite.com/learningwild/




09/24/2026

Not long to go until our next Learning Wild course in the West Highlands. If you’re still unsure as to whether this course is for you, you need to ask yourself are you ready to be challenged? Are you ready to be open? Are you ready to observe?

If the answers are yes, then please do come and join us and we can be challenged, open and observing together and together we can learn from these magnificent free-living equids.

Book your space here:
https://learningwilduk.wixsite.com/learningwild/test




We’re excited to share that Equine International is now an Official Academic & Research Partner of the International Jou...
09/15/2026

We’re excited to share that Equine International is now an Official Academic & Research Partner of the International Journal of Equine Science (IJES).

This partnership reflects a shared commitment to advancing rigorous, accessible research in equine behavior, welfare, equine–human interactions, and applied equine science.

At Equine International, one of our core goals is to help strengthen the connection between research and practice—bringing together scientists, practitioners, organizations, and communities in ways that support both horses and humans. Our collaboration with IJES creates new opportunities to build that bridge internationally and to support research that can meaningfully inform real-world practice.

We’re grateful to the IJES team for welcoming Equine International into this partnership and look forward to what we can build together.

Learn more about the partnership here:
https://rasayely-journals.com/index.php/ijes/announcement/view/5

09/14/2026

Real insight into horse behaviour is truly priceless, because it will effect almost every part of your practice going forwards. From how you build trust, to thinking about what training really means, our three-day immersive experience is sure to redefine the boundaries of your knowledge.

To learn more, visit:
https://learningwilduk.wixsite.com/learningwild

Touching Wild with Bonny Mealand
Equine International Research Institute

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Boston, MA

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