I want to thank Echo for being my student and my teacher, I could not have wished for a better first.

- Nikki 

I signed up for a Sean Coleman clinic at Wilder Ways because my friend was going, I didn’t really have any expectations, it just felt like an interesting thing to do.  It turned out to be a brilliant experience.   Wilder Ways, if you’ve never been there, is a magical place.  Tucked away in Kintyre, it feels like a world of it’s own.  Nikki and Cara were very welcoming, wise and dryly funny.  And the food is completely ace, which is an underrated but essential part of a great horsey weekend.
 
I love to ride, but I work, and I’ve got three children, so I tend to get to the field, saddle up and go, I’ve never had, or made, time for non ridden work.  So learning how much you can teach your horse on the ground, and how much that can benefit your relationship with him, was a real eye-opener.  In the morning Sean would do a big theory session before we’d head down to the arena.  The first day was all ground work, lots of flags, which me and my horse Mac had never used before.  The second day we did some ground and some ridden work.  It was all good.

Sean has an ability to size up a horse, and communicate with it, that is fascinating to watch.  Mac really benefited.  At the beginning of the weekend Sean asked us all what we wanted to work on.  Mac is what we politely call a reluctant loader (he has also on occasions in this context been called a wee shite).  It’s something we really struggle with.  Sean trained him, teaching Mac that he had to work when he was away from the trailer, firm but very calm. In about 90 minutes he had my horse - who previously thought trailers were the terrifying work of the devil - popping in to relax.  When Mac  self loaded, Sean unclipped him and Mac stayed in the trailer for 10 minutes before wandering out.  Now Sean had been working Mac  hard, and there had been moments where it seemed a bit much, and I had to sit on my hands not to step in and say take it easy.  But astonishingly when Mac came out of that trailer, he didn’t walk over to me, or the other horses, he walked over to Sean, as if to say hi boss, what are we doing next?  My horse recognised someone who really knew what they were doing and appreciated it as much as I did.
 
The loading looms large for me, because it was transformational.  Since that weekend I have a horse who loads.  He quite often takes longer than I’d like, but I can now get him places in a trailer without worrying.  
 
​The loading looms large for me, because it was transformational.  Since that weekend I have a horse who loads.  He quite often takes longer than I’d like, but I can now get him places in a trailer without worrying.

- Clara Glynn   
 

Have a detailed look at our feature on pages 54-55 in the the June edition of Farming & Country Magazine here - Farming and Country (colstonmedia.co.uk)

​​My wilder ways journey so far has been brilliant, I have met lots of amazing people and horses, and gained so much valuable knowledge and experience. I cannot wait for spring to come so I can get back outdoors full time with the horses, doing what I love most! 

- Hilary

A question I get asked the most from our guests that stay with us is – ‘So, how long have you been working here for?’, and nearly every time people are so surprised when I tell them that it’s been nearly 3 years! While writing this, I have just completed my 3rd season at Wilder Ways (4th season here we come!) and in that time, I feel like so much has changed. Not just in my life generally, but in terms of my work skills and as a person. A lot of you may know me as the girl who cooks and serves most meals during your stay (my chocolate brownies are now quite renowned!), however there’s a lot that I do behind the scenes which many of you may be surprised to know!

I had discovered Wilder Ways a few years back whilst exploring the idea of a riding holiday with my daughter to mark a special occasion. Though a keen rider in younger years, I hadn’t been on a horse for some time and my confidence levels had worn thin, whereas she had turned into the same horse obsessed dare devil I had once been. 

When I came across the Wilder Ways website with all the different adventures, pictures of past excursions and the herd and Nikki and Cara at the helm, I knew we had found our tribe and the place. Unfortunately the pandemic delayed things slightly due to fewer rides on offer, albeit Nikki was most accommodating in trying to squeeze us in, but we had our hearts set on Knoydart, so we waited.

Finally, in May 2022, we set off from London to Mallaig via Glasgow, an unforgettable journey in itself and a magical start to our adventure. When we got to Knoydart we first met our co-riders, whom we hit it off with straight away, sharing our thoughts on our expectations and fears, our riding histories etc. Our accommodation proved to be luxurious and comfortable: a generous and welcoming modern cottage with several bedrooms and en-suite facilities, as well as a big open living room/kitchen. All our breakfasts and most evening meals would be served there, just outside our room, looking out over the fields and into the hills. We couldn’t have wished for a nicer setting or more convenient set up. Other meals were also fab, either in a nearby restaurant or the local pub, watching the sun set on our last evening, complete with folk music from a very cool bunch of young musicians and a pool tournament.

From the moment we were joined by our riding hosts Nikki and Cara, we all knew we were in safe hands: Firm, but incredibly warm, passionate and with an irresistible sense of humour, they laid down ground rules, safety and etiquette around the horses. We were introduced to the herd and the horses that we would ride for the duration of our stay. Raven and Roxy became our best friends for the next few days.

Each day offered us a new type of different terrain to conquer, becoming more challenging as we progressed and with it came new things we had to learn. Nikki and Cara taught and kept reminding us how we could help the horses do their job and the importance of good horsemanship, but also the relevance of trusting in ourselves and our horse. Our ride around the peninsula took us through breathtakingly beautiful scenery from lush valleys, across beaches, hills and moors and culminated in a swim in the sea on horseback. We were always given the option to miss a canter if we did not feel like it, but there were also plenty of opportunities to really go for it. I was amazed to discover how agile my sturdy cob proved to be, climbing and traversing uneven ground. We would stop for lunch and untack, allowing the horses and ourselves a well deserved break.

I think the idea of letting go of fear and allowing ourselves to surrender to the experience meant a lot to some of us and it felt great to have the collective experience of the results with such a lovely group of women. In the evenings we shared stories of the day, of life back home, as well as how to soothe sore legs and sunburnt noses and before we knew it, we were a team.
​
We both came home happy, windswept, feeling strong and a bit more brave and I really hope we get to go back at some point soon. Thank you Wilder Ways!

Cosima Shaw
​

​I have been on plenty of holidays with Wilder Ways over the past few years. Although every holiday is different, I always know what to expect when I book. Great company, great food and great adventure!

​Back in March I was invited to come and work alongside Cara, Nikki and a few other volunteers to trial their new working holiday packages. This is to help get the herd back into the swing of things after some well-deserved time off throughout the winter. A working holiday is something I had never experienced before, but I knew I could not pass up the opportunity to visit my favourite place once again.

“Riding Schools at Risk”.   The article reports that a massive 15% of riding schools have closed since 2018, equating to 1.5 million less lessons available per year!  The reasons given were: 

• excessively long waiting lists putting off new entrants  
• difficulties attracting and retaining staff, particularly due to shortages in opportunities for training and qualifications.   

I completely agree with the BHS reasons.  Even in our back-water of Southend, Argyll, we have a waiting list for lessons.  We also suffer staff challenges.  There is nowhere in Argyll where youngsters can train for a career in horses.  This limits the opportunities for local youngsters, but also seriously hampers the ability of horse-riding businesses to prosper here.  As a result, many have closed and the running costs for the rest of us have become disproportionately high.  ​

Historically, many grass roots riding schools survived on ‘child labour’ (we’ve all been that girl mucking out 20 stables for a free half hour ride); a ‘Heath Robinson’ approach to their facilities; and, shall we say, an ‘economical’ approach to horse welfare. Whilst this set up taught me a huge amount as a child, changes in legislation and customer expectation have forced riding schools to up their game. This change is something that I whole heartedly applaud and I believe our industry, individual businesses, horses and riders are all the better for this. HOWEVER, this change comes at significant cost and this is the part that folks have not caught up with.

As a youngster my lessons costs £20/hr. 30 years later I find myself still having to justify to people why we need to charge £35, whilst the same people will happily pay twice that to sit on a quad bike which has no operating costs at rest. This is madness.

The math simply doesn’t add up anymore, and, in my opinion, this is why equestrian businesses are closing.

The general public agree horse welfare should be a priority. Society also believes in fair working terms and opportunities for staff. These are now mainstream and imposed by law. Consumers want high quality, meaningful experiences – this is self-policed via reputation, these days ‘governed’ by TripAdvisor. So, if everyone is getting what they want, horses, consumers, staff, where is the problem – ah yes, the business owners and operators. From experience I can promise you, it is IMPOSSIBLE to deliver all of the above on a business model where £35/hour is still considered appropriate. The market MUST catch up if riding hubs are to continue to survive, never mind thrive.

Last weekend, Nikki, Hilary & Christina took to the streets to try and recruit Climate Voters for Greenpeace's 'Project Climate Vote'. We've printed the full article below!

Greenpeace volunteers have taken to Campbeltown’s streets as part of a national door-knocking campaign to recruit ‘climate voters’.
​
Volunteers from the Kintyre Greenpeace group knocked on doors in the Ralston Road area last Saturday morning, talking to residents about the climate crisis and urging them to vote with climate and nature in mind at the next general election.

Project Climate Vote, Greenpeace’s nationwide mass door-knocking programme, is aiming to recruit one million ‘climate voters’ ahead of the next election to force UK political parties to strengthen their plans to tackle the climate, nature and cost of living crises now, at the election and in years to come.

Nikki Gelati from the Kintyre Greenpeace group said: “Most people in Campbeltown and across the country are concerned about the climate and nature crisis and want more government action on it, but politicians often ignore them.

“We want to change that by working together to make sure all political parties hear this message loud and clear. With an election on the horizon, this is the best shot we have to make sure our government is up to the job of tackling these issues – we must make our voices heard.

“Solutions like affordable renewables, home insulation and clean transport are already here, they’re popular, affordable and bring plenty of other benefits – what’s missing are political leaders willing to unleash them.
“So if, like most people, you want stronger, faster action on climate, now is the time to say that as loudly as you can and become a climate voter.”

Greenpeace UK is mobilising its entire volunteer network on Project Climate Vote. The door-knocking campaign will see thousands of people holding conversations about climate on the doorstep, over the phone and on social media, with a focus on dozens of key marginal seats, from now until the election.

People will be encouraged to register to vote ahead of the election and to hold the government to account afterwards.

More than 100,000 people, including celebrities such as Stephen Fry, Olivia Colman, Mel B, Will Poulter and Joe Lycett, have signed an open letter addressed to all political leaders demanding stronger action on climate, stating that “we will judge you at the next election”.

More than 3,000 volunteers signed up to take part in a launch call with writer and campaigner George Monbiot earlier in the year, and hundreds of events across the country have kickstarted a huge wave of climate conversations.

‘Climate voters’ will do everything they can to make climate and nature count in the national debate and will vote with these issues in mind.

In its manifesto, Greenpeace is calling for the next government to prioritise:

• Fixing energy-wasting homes, unlocking affordable renewables and making public transport cheaper for everyone;
• Boosting the economy, creating thousands of jobs and supporting communities dealing with climate impacts by channelling investment into green industries and taxing the biggest polluters more;
• Protect nature at home and abroad from sewage and plastic pollution, destructive fishing and industrial agriculture.

​
Campbeltown Courier Nov 2023

You can read more about Greenpeace's Project Climate Vote here - ​Project Climate Vote | Greenpeace UK

We are so chuffed to have received the Judges Commendation at the HITA Thistle Awards for Best Outdoor Adventure 2023! A massive thank you to all our amazing team, collaborators and customers who joined us on the night to celebrate with us. You can read the full article in the Campbeltown Courier here - High commendation for Kintyre horse-riding business - Campbeltown Courier