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We are very proud of our small team of characterful and willing horses. They are a vibrant, colourful and enthusiastic herd from foals to retirees. 2021 saw the birth of the first ever home-bred Wilder Ways foals and we have had great fun getting to know them. We also bought a few youngsters in recent years and are thoroughly enjoying working with them. The core, ridden herd range in height from 13hh-16.2hh and we have a mixture of types from native breeds (i.e. Connemara, Irish Cob) to more exotic breeds (i.e. Appaloosa, Arab, Irish Sports Horse, Hackney x). There is a steed to suit everyone.
We have worked hard to hand-select these horses. We would happily ride any one of them all day long, and we regularly do! The confidence of our horses is important to us. We want a team that love to work and enjoy the environments we ask them to explore with us. Using various natural horsemanship techniques we play games with our horse to ensure they are as adventurous as we are. This has seen them climb in, on, under and over almost anything you can imagine. They are well traveled by road and sea, and always eager for the next adventure. |
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We probably shouldn’t ‘personify’ our horses. You want to know how lively they are, how fast they will go and how good their brakes are. The truth is, these horses will reflect you. They are great at getting a sense of the capabilities and aspirations of their riders and they never fail to deliver whether you are looking for relaxation or exhilaration. So below is a snippet of their vital statistics and our take on their ‘horse-nalities’ to give you a feel for what they are like ...
AVA
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15.2HH, mid weight,
Irish Sports Horse, skewbald Cara’s own horse, often head of the herd and not afraid of anything. Truly inquisitive, we have a job keeping her out of our tent! Very striking but quite monogamously Indi’s wife. |
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BILLIE JEAN
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16HH, light weight,
Irish Sports Horse, chestnut She likes her men, a bit of a floozy. A gorgeous chestnut mare – and she knows it. A very talented clever horse with lovely paces. A technical ride, very enjoyable for those who can. |
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DENVER
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16HH, heavy weight,
Hackney x Irish Cob, skewbald A forward but gentle giant, who I am sure would own a pocket watch, wear slippers and smoke a pipe if he were a man, but he definitely has a twinkle in his eye and really is very handsome, despite him loving being filthy! |
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INDI
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14HH, heavy weight,
Guinness Cob, black The moustached man with the heart of a lion. One of our smaller horses but don't be fooled, he keeps up despite his little legs. Stunning markings (white spectacles) this boy is utterly charming and is a peat bog fairy who can navigate us over any terrain. |
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KNEKA
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15HH, light weight,
Arab x appaloosa, chestnut with spots! Nikki’s own horse, a dainty fairy is the only way to describe her. Lovely floaty paces and a real gentle girly character. Nikki has transformed this horse from a nervous weaving wreck to a joyful delight. In April 2021 Kneka gave birth to a stunning and uniquely marked colt, Sirocco. Never to do things simply, she foaled on the top of a steep hill, making his first steps challenging, but he's all the tougher and wiser for it. |
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VINNIE
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15.3HH, mid weight,
Irish Sports Horse, piebald A real mummies boy who loves nothing more than affection! if he was a man, he would carry your bags and cook the dinner. His sweet nature is transferred into his riding where he is very responsive and works to please. |
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UISGE
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14HH, mid weight,
Connemara, grey Our little project. Uisge has had a tough start in life and is now enjoying being part the herd where she is gaining confidence. A sensitive wee horse that needs quiet handling but is clever and extremely rewarding in the right hands. In April 2021 Uisge gave birth to our first ever Wilder Ways baby, a gorgeous wee filly adeptly named Una. A doting mum, Uisge has really loved her maternity leave and seems especially proud of her girl. |
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PEARL
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14.2HH, mid weight,
Appaloosa x Hanoverian, bay A mischievous 14.2 mare from Blackburn, Pearl is a bay appaloosa x hanoverian, with no spots but with that classic Appy tail and attitude. She's light and responsive to ride, calm and well schooled, but with a glint of fun in her eye and a great fondness for hay! |
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PUZZLE
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15.2HH, heavy weight,
Cob, piebald This guy is from Tomintoul in the Cairngorms, and is a fair mover despite his heavier physique. Puzzle wants to be everyone’s friend, has a calm and willing nature not to mention his magnificent hairy legs! |
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BLU
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15.1HH, mid weight,
Irish Sports Horse, grey This lovely old lad came to us from central Scotland and slotted straight into his new life – cool as a cucumber. He has dabbled in a little bit of everything, but from what we hear the trail is where he comes to life. Could you find a more fitting home? |
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RUBY
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15.2HH, light weight,
Thoroughbred, dark bay Miss Ruby is our local girl who has come to be put through her paces with the Wilder Ways herd. An exciting summer lies ahead for the Rubster. Ruby was the last of our new mothers giving birth on a pouring wet night to the darkest wee eyes you’ve ever seen on a colt, our Falkor. Waking up to this guy in the morning lifted all our spirits. He’s the nicest natured guy, a real sweetie. And despite being the youngest, he is by far the tallest now, a real handsome chap. |
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MIDGE
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10HH, mid weight,
Shetland pony, black A feisty old girl, she's been a family pet since she was a foal and no bigger than a spaniel. Now spending her time watching her figure and keeping the boys in order. |
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Martha
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13HH, mid weight,
Gypsy Cob, piebald Martha came to us from Aberdeenshire in 2019 as a youngster and we could not be more proud of the young lady she has turned into. She is a total sweetheart, will turn her hoof to anything, she’s eager to please and always with a smile on her face. Despite her tiny stature, she is a joy to ride, and once on board you would never guess how young or little she is. Her hairy moustache is the envy of all the herd, thankfully mares are not at all embarrassed by facial hair! |
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Roxi
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16HH & riding, light-mid weight
Dutch Warmblood From Tapitlaw breeders near Edinburgh, meet Roxi! Bred for the show jumping ring, she made an early impression clearing all our field fences. She has now established herself well in the herd and is an absolute gem to work with. Curious and clever we have been simply amazed by this horse’s attitude to new things. Although still quite young, there is nothing green about this red-headed beauty. She is talented and courageous and a true joy to ride – we could not be more proud of the young lady she has become. |
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Echo
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14.3HH & Rising, mid weight,
Irish Cob x Welsh, palomino This fine young man came to us at just 18 months old and slotted right into the herd. He is inquisitive and gentle and has taken brilliantly to training. 2023 this guy started to work under saddle, so keep your eyes out for him as we put him through his paces. He’s a splotchy palomino bred locally at Crosshill farm and we can’t wait for him to become a fully fledged member of the working herd. |
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RITA
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13.2 HH, mid weight,
Irish Cob, skewbald Rita is Echo’s mum and we were delighted to be able to take this pair on together. The granny of the herd, there is nothing this lady hasn’t seen. She is a great confidence giver and a great asset to our team. She is slowing down these days to enjoy partial retirement - she’s definitely earned it - but she still loves a good ride out and is quite the matriarch, keeping all the young ones in line. |
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RAVEN
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14.3 HH, mid weight,
Irish Cob, black Raven is perhaps the shiniest horse we have ever met, you can almost see your face in her. A comfortable ride with seemingly endless capabilities in the wilds, there really aint no mountain high enough, aint no river wide enough. |
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Una
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Growing fast, expected to make 15.2HH
Irish Draught x Conemara The first of our Wilder Ways’ babies. We couldn’t be more happy with this curious, brave, wee filly – I guess we should have expected nothing less from the herd of adventure. Cara nearly had the vapours at the thought of a Cremello when this young lady popped out bright yellow, but thankfully her colouring has tamed and no doubts she’ll end up grey like Mum and Dad. We knew she was a cracker when she jumped a full height stock fence at just 4 months old so she could join the main herd. Nursery is over, she had decided. |
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Sirocco
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Growing fast, expected to make 15HH
Irish Draught x Arab Unbelievably this guy was born on the same day as Una and after a ‘hilly start’ he has never looked back. He loves nothing more than to run like the wind – fitting his name perfectly. His markings are insane and I think someone has forgotten to mention to him he is actually not full Arab! This guy really can float and with these moves its no wonder he is already developing an eye for the ladies. Although settling to be the shortest of the 3 foals, he is an absolute stunner and every inch pure joy to work with. This intelligent guy will certainly keep us on our toes. |
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falkor
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Mr long legs, expected to make 16HH +
Irish Draught x Thoroughbred A month later, we thought he’d never come. The ultimate Big Friendly Giant. The tallest by a long shot but so gentle and sweet. Its been funny comparing each foal to their mother and realising what is nature and what is nurture. Whilst Falkor may look like his mother, his temperament is so different. It has to make you wonder what’s happened to mum in the past. Thankfully we plan to keep this wee (big) man for the long term, so a life full of love and adventures should keep him as the kind and considerate young man he is growing into. |
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Ebony
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Still growing, expected to make 15HH
Welsh D Ebony joined us and the herd in early 2023 aged just three years old and immediately fit in, especially with the other youngsters: Sirocco, Una, Falkor and Echo! She has a lovely nature, so friendly and really chilled out. We can't wait for her to be out riding with you in the future as part of the working herd, everyone who meets her falls for her sweet personality instantly! |
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Dàrna
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Just a baby, expected adult height - who knows!
Connemara x Irish Draught Meet the newest (surprise!) addition to our herd - Dàrna, the chestnut foal. Dàrna was born from Uisge mid way through 2023 and what a surprise she gave us! It seems Sirocco (who would only have been just over a year old) has become a Dad. We can already tell that Dàrna is going to be a beautifully natured horse, she is so interactive and sociable with us and loves a good scratch! Will she keep her chestnut colour or will it fade like her Dad's.. only time will tell! |
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RIO
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14.3HH
Cob x Clydesdale Rio is Hilary's horse, a real friendly guy to everyone he meets who loves scratches and jumping. Rio has been spending the last few months settling in with the herd and now that he's got that covered, he's out on rides not only with Hilary but with guests too! He has made some great friends within the herd already, most notably with the younger members. |
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Ozzy (new!)
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14HH
Irish Cob Meet our newest member of the herd, Ozzy! Ozzy arrived here at the start of March and is already really settling in well with the herd. With his cool emo hair-do, puppy-dog enthusiasm and friendly personality, we have no doubt that he'll be a popular one with kids and guests alike. |
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The Dogs
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You may see our loveable hounds around during your stay.
Kiyo is Nikki’s English springer spaniel and the wise old girl of the pack. She has a hair-do like Tina Turner and pulls really big cheesy grins when she is excited to see you but she is as soft as a lamb…in fact softer, as our sheep often enjoy chasing her! In October 2019 we welcomed baby Yeva to the herd. A wee lurcher puppy bursting with energy and full of character. She is now all legs and loves joining us on the trail to show off her top running speed, which is phenomenal! |
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After completing her initial sheepdog training with Nikki, it was clear Moss had a real appetite for working and was going to need more that our 50 sheep to keep her busy. She is now up in Lochaber where she is happily gathering in the hills.
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The Cats
In July 2019 we welcomed fabulous kittens into our ever-growing herd! We’d love you to meet brothers Cthulhu and Inigo Montoya who we can certainly say have personalities as interesting and whacky as their names. You will no doubt meet these furry-pawed friends during your stay as, despite being great hunters and long distance travellers, they love nothing more than affection!
Cthulhu
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Inigo Montoya
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On a chilly evening in September 2023, we came across a tiny wee kitten on the road, very underweight, very young and seemingly abandoned by it's mum. We took him in to keep him fed and warm and after making sure no one was missing a kitten, have made him a part of our animal family. Meet Smoky Joe (who is now gaining weight steadily and getting bigger by the day!).
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Smoky Joe
For information on the rest of our animals you might meet during your stay, please visit Glen Kerran Farm.
Friends lost but never forgotten
Over the years we we have had to say goodbye to a number of our wider Wilder Ways family but they have all been so integral to our journey that they can not go without a mention and a massive thank you. Rest in peace our beautiful family members, thank you for everything you have given us: the love, the laughs and the heroic service. We love you all.
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Mango On the 8th of February 2024, we were so, so sad to say goodbye to our boy Mango. Since this flouncy fella joined our founding herd in 2016 he has been a firm favourite. To all you Mango fans out there, thank you for your part in making his life all the sweeter. He might have been slight in stature but he was mighty in character. A total Casanova with the mares and a great Uncle Mango to the babies. He turned his hoof to everything from archery to Gymkhana games, jumping to circus tricks and climbing mountains to swimming in the sea. Lost but never forgotten, our Mango xxx |
Angus
Iorek
Tilly
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Amber
Jazz
Anastasia
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