This awarded pilot project will explore the concept that the well-being of people, animals and the land is interconnected. The researchers will employ small-scale community transhumance—a traditional practice of moving with animals through seasonal grazing areas—to determine whether the custom can support wellbeing across all three. By walking alongside native animals, it is hoped that participants will build connections and deepen their relationships with the land and animals. The group will also monitor whether the animals benefit from natural movement and herd life, and whether the land gains from their grazing patterns, which can open scrub, enrich soil, and support biodiversity.

Using participatory methods, this project will document early signs of interlinked benefits, imagining a future in which people, animals, and land thrive together. Short interviews and informal conversations will explore feelings of connection, benefits of outdoor activity, and the sharing of intergenerational knowledge. Observations of horses and cattle will provide an opportunity to note social interaction, movement levels, stress behaviours and grazing patterns. To assess any benefits to the land, ecological observations such as visual soil assessments, vegetation notes, and photographic monitoring will be used to identify visible changes in ground cover, scrub, and biodiversity after grazing cycles.