Wild Horse Behavior: What 20 Years of Research Reveals About Domestic Horses
The peaceful harmony Bonny describes, the constant subtle communication, the effort they put into friendships, this is what their whole lives are about.
When Bonny Mealand first started working with wild horses, everything she thought she knew fell apart. Anna Louise asked how that felt. Bonny paused. "It was devastating, actually."
She'd grown up like most of us, believing horses existed for our purposes. To ride, to compete, to train. Then she saw free-living horses for the first time and realized: we've been looking at the wrong things entirely.
Wild horses spend their lives building and maintaining social relationships. Not grazing strategies. Not herd hierarchies. Not survival skills. Relationships. The peaceful harmony Bonny describes, the constant subtle communication, the effort they put into friendships, this is what their whole lives are about. It's what makes them emotionally stable enough to handle complex terrain, make decisions, watch another horse leave without losing their minds.
We domesticate them, isolate them, move them between yards, split up friendships when it suits our logistics. Then we're surprised when they're anxious.
Bonny talks about how seeing wild horses changed everything for her, including a two-year commitment not to ride her ex-dressage mare unless the mare clearly agreed. The mare said no for two years. That's what genuine communication looks like when you're actually listening.
Feat. Bonny Mealand, Touching Wild
Anna Louise and Bonny talk about what happens when you stop assuming you know horses and start watching what they actually care about. Listen/Watch here:
Guest contact & resources:
Touching Wild Academy
Intro Video Credit: Lizzie MacKenzie, Of The Wild - visit the Touching Wild Academy to watch in full.
Intro Photo Credits: Jean Sinclair | Takhi in Mongolia Photo Credit Nancy Clarke.
Additional Resources mentioned in this episode:
Horses in Company by Lucy Rees
Horses in Our Hands
5 Domains of Horse Welfare
Anna Louise and Bonnie continued the discussion after the cameras were turned off. A listener asked what Bonnie has changed in her own life by learning from wild horses. Her answer: "Everything." Then she talks about wolves at a Mongolian waterhole and why Shetland ponies are completely themselves. If you're in the Inquisitive Herd, those conversations are below.