I managed to fit in a couple more days over the holidays helping to train some recently rescued welsh mountain ponies at PACT Animal Sanctuary. The seven tiny, beautiful ponies are as wild as can be, having never been handled.

As well as attempting some Monty Roberts “Horse Whisperer“ techniques, I’m finding that it’s a brilliant mindfulness exercise.

As soon as you step into the paddock (and FYI this is a task only for those highly experienced with horses), you cannot take your eyes off the ponies for a second. You must only focus solely on them, be attuned to their mood at any given second, and constantly move and adapt to stay out of danger, maintain eye contact and attempt to gain their trust.

It’s truly one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had – that moment when one of them decides to let you stroke their neck for a second is golden. I hope you like the photos.