The Team

​In the summer of 2019 we were delighted to welcome two permanent members of staff to the team, Amie Latona and Katelyn Williamson.  These two wee faces have been loitering around the Wilder Ways scene for a while now and many of you will have already met them during their seasonal work with us in the past.  The girls will help us make the transition into year-round adventures and introducing you all to some new and exciting Wilder Ways products, so watch this space….

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 explore and experiment with the joys of travelling and camping out in Scotland, recently 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.

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.

Amie

​I started riding when I was 6 at my local riding school on the Isle of Arran, this is where my interest in horses grew into an obsession. Nearly 20 years on I haven’t been able to shake the habit and love nothing more than a day in the hills with the herd!

In November 2015 I came to Wilder Ways on day trip with my university riding group… nearly 5 years on and somehow I have not really left. Here I have met so many incredible people and learned invaluable lessons on myself, life and my relationships with others. I really enjoy the confidence building aspect to what we do here and want to continue to help nurture that as we grow and develop. I also enjoy watching the interaction between horse and human and then seeing the relationships and bonds which are formed. Each of our herd have ended up with a fan base!

Outside of horses, and being around my family, I love being outdoors. This could be hill walking, snowboarding or just walking my dog down the beach. I have travelled parts of Malawi and Zambia whilst on a volunteering a project and I would like to travel India, Asia and South America and learn about their cultures.

​However, there is no place like home. Being able to explore some of Scotland’s most remote locations on horseback is an experience like no other. I’m really looking forward to this next chapter for Wilder Ways and the next adventures that will come

Katelyn

​I’ve been studying and working within sports for the past 5 years, coaching kids and teens in netball in particular.  After putting my dream of working with horses aside, to specify in other sports, I have now found myself back to shovelling poop! At least this time I also get to explore Scotland and its hidden wilderness. 

I first met Cara and Nikki 4 years ago when they bought one of my horses and they’ve been on my case ever since to come and work for them. After experiencing Argyll, Knoydart and Lindores with this mad bunch I finally gave in, I’m not sure what took me so long.

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​I have been riding since I was 7 and now I don’t remember a day where I haven’t seen a horse. My experience lies within the arena. As a teen I did a lot of competing but soon realised my true passion was training and rehabilitating horses. I love seeing the improvement, not just in how good they look whilst riding, but the true horse they become within themselves.

Although it’s a little daunting to leave the arena, there is nothing more satisfying than climbing up mountains or galloping along Scotland’s coast, now that’s an experience you won’t get elsewhere! Wilder Ways offers a unique platform in Scotland. They offer not only an experienced and exciting horse and some of Scotland’s most dreamy views, they offer knowledge, confidence and a knack for making your wildest horse dreams come true, be that galloping across the beach, swimming in sea or even jumping cross country.