The Team

Cara

​​I am a rural surveyor by trade but my true love has always been horses.  Through Wilder Ways I am lucky enough to live my joy and hopefully help others to live theirs.

I starting riding at the age of 6 and I’ve been hooked ever since.  I enjoyed competing in my teens but my love of wilderness riding has taken me on my most fulfilling adventures from Canada to Mexico and now exploring some of the wildest, most beautiful parts of Scotland. 

​I love learning about my horse and our partnership and have been really fortunate to have had some great learning experiences over the years; staring off with Pearl Cranna my riding instructor, lifelong friend and mentor to more recently training with the natural horse-master, Peter Campbell in Canada. I practice Monty Roberts ‘join up’, Parelli natural horsemanship and I love the ways of Tom Dorrance’s ‘True Unity’.  

​Via Wilder Ways we now want to invite you to join our adventures.  We are passionate about enabling people to access the wilds, whist being committed to building confidence in horses and riders through adventure and play.​

Nikki

I have lived in the West of Scotland for over twenty years and worked as a freelance botanist, travelling and walking in many of the most remote and beautiful parts of the country. Riding had always been a big part of my life and so I walked with potential 'horse adventures' in my mind.  I was lucky enough to be able to come back to riding about 10 years ago and to use this knowledge of Scotland's hidden landscapes alongside my horse obsession.

​My horse, Indi, and I have explored and experimented with the joys of travelling and camping out in Scotland, most often with Cara.  

​Further afield I have also ridden narrow paths high in the Andes on wooden saddles, tried driving loose ponies between the glaciers across the interior of Iceland and ridden Tennessee Walking Horses through the wilds of Canada. I have also been able to develop my own abilities through learning some of the techniques of natural horsemanship, opening my eyes to the fantastic range of possibilities these fabulous and willing animals can give us.
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With Wilder Ways, I want to use some of this experience to enable other riders' adventures.  All our routes aim to give a variety of riding experiences along tested routes and paths along with the fun of travelling with a horse, even sometimes camping out.
 
It also gives me the opportunity to share another interest, that of home-grown, home-cooked food and other areas of self-sufficiency (ever tried lard soap?). All our meals aim to use locally sourced produce and it's really important to us that we maintain a high level of environmental responsibility.

Beithean

​Being Nikki and Cara’s daughter, I've grown up around horses and riding for as long as I can remember!

From learning the ropes on our Shetland, Midge, to going trekking in Iceland aged 7, & now getting the opportunity to become a horseback archer… I've had some pretty great experiences!

I’ve been given the wonderful opportunity of teaching younger riders how my mum taught me. I spend my time at the farm helping with our saddle club, making fun meals and cakes & helping with the animals such as training our sheepdog Moss.

​Right now I’m with Wilder Ways part time, however I'm going to university in September to study marine biology. The experiences and life skills I’ve gained working at Wilder Ways will stay with me forever.

Megan

​ I have been lucky enough to find myself in the most fortunate of circumstances in becoming the new Marketing and Communications Graduate for Wilder Ways. My role is to connect Wilder Ways with the public, and our past & potential guests, ensuring the online relationship you have with us is seamless!
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The thing that sparked my interest with the position at Wilder Ways wasn’t just the job role, but also the outdoorsy, rustic charm that the team provide, and I believe that having the same ethics and beliefs as the company you are working for is the key to good marketing.

I love enjoying life as al-fresco and sustainably as I can, with my favourite outdoor hobbies including cycling, dog walking and a bit of running. I had a taste of horse riding when I was a wee girl and absolutely loved the independence it gave me, finding it amazing how, at a compact age of 8, I was given control of this enormous animal.
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I’m thoroughly looking forward to getting stuck in, getting to know you all and becoming an integral part of the Wilder Ways team!

Sara

I have been around horses for as long as I can remember starting off sat in front of my Mum trying to steal the reins from her hand... a sign of things to come!

I learned to ride at a local equestrian centre and have had my own ponies from a young age. I was very involved with the local pony club and competed in show-jumping, dressage and eventing. The whole way through school all I wanted to work with horses so I went on to do an HND in Equine Business Management at Oatridge College.

I have worked on a range of different yards across the UK and now love spending time with the herd at Wilder Ways! Outside of horses I enjoy reading, cycling and walking with my cockapoo puppy Domino.

Jess

​I have been immersed in the outdoors my whole life, spending most of the time in Southend helping on a family farm. I quickly became obsessed with horses from a young age from seeing them on the TV and in the local area.

After leaving school in 2019, I went on to study HNC Agriculture which taught me many new things about the welfare of animals. I gained some experience working around horses at a trekking centre in the area where I volunteered for around 5 years. This is where I was given my own Palomino foal named Blaze!
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I am ecstatic to have been given this opportunity to work at WilderWays and improve my horsemanship, skills, and knowledge with the help of Nikki and Cara at their home.

Christina

I am a huge animal lover and have always been around animals. I had lots of pets growing up ranging from dogs, cats, gerbils, rabbits and even a parrot! I have a great love for the outdoors and countryside and love being busy, so when I saw that Wilder Ways were advertising a housekeeper position, I knew it would be perfect for me.

At the age of 7 I was able to do horse riding classes for around a year and made some memories that I’ll never forget. I love horses so being surrounded by them here at Wilder Ways is amazing. I’ve even been out riding again for the first time in over 10 years, which has been a really special experience and reminded me of how much I love riding.
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I’ve already had some remarkable experiences, like doing horseback archery and bottle feeding a little lamb. I can’t wait to experience even more memories and moments here with all of the team and all of you!

Liam

Having lived in rural Scotland my whole life, I've always been surrounded by the country side and love the outdoors. In my spare time I like to do anything that’ll keep me on my toes which is great for working on the yard as there is always plenty to be done like feeding our pigs and sheep and keeping the horses watered being just a few things to name! 
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Getting to be so close to the animals on the farm on a daily basis is an amazing experience. Some of my favourite moments so far have been feeding our pet lamb, who I've been feeding since he was just a few days old, and also going horse riding for the first time as an adult which was a lot of fun. I am very excited to continue to work at such an amazing place here at Wilder Ways! ​