Finally, a trainer’s event with rescued horses

For years, I’ve been reporting on colt-starting events and saying to myself: Amazing stuff, but rescued horses are way more challenging than these untouched two-year olds. They’ve got baggage by the bucketful, troubled pasts, bad habits, and even horsey PTSD sometimes. Why not work with […]

Helen Peppe’s ‘Pigs Can’t Swim’ Inspires

It’s a wonder she made it out of childhood in one piece. And with a brilliant attitude to boot. Those were my first thoughts, coming with a nervous chuckle, after reading Helen Peppe’s Pigs Can’t Swim: A Memoir. There are scenes of frigid winter trudges, […]

GERL gets things done

One of the great rewards of running NickerNews and BestHorsePractices is rubbing elbows with good people and good organizations. The Georgie Equine Rescue League, Ltd. is one of them. Boy, do they get things done! They distribute an excellent quarterly newsletter with updates on rescues, […]

Please and Thanks for your vote!

Over the years, NickerNews and BestHorsePractices have attracted an incredibly vibrant community of like-minded readers. You are curious, life-long learners with a passion for doing what’s best by your horse. You are positive and enthusiastic. You motivate me. Thanks to you, both sites have advanced […]

Tasty ingredients, Better Colt Starting Recipe

The Road to the Horse has become one of the most popular horse training events in the world. It offers spectators flashy performances along with shopping experiences in the horse-rich community of Lexington, Kentucky. But what does it offer the horse? More and more horsemen […]

Maine to Utah, circa 1849

Imagine my delight in learning a Maine family was among the first white folk to settle in this neighborhood! Meet Thomas and Mary Jane Butterfield of Farmington, Maine. [Photo at right shows the stone and brass monument, erected in their hometown, Herriman.] In the 1830’s, […]

Looking forward and back

2013 was a heckuva year for NickerNews and BestHorsePractices. It started last winter with a bang. Two bangs, actually. The first came with NickerNews’ nomination for Best Blog in the Equestrian Social Media Awards. The ESMAs featured an international field with most bloggers commercially backed. […]

Dr. Rachel Flaherty opens solo practice

Dr. Rachel Flaherty, for years a popular vet with Maine Equine Associates, has moved on to a solo practice. Flaherty, a 37-year old graduate of the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, has opened Back Cove Equine Veterinary Care. At MEA, Flaherty worked alongside Dr. […]

First Trail Ride, Part II

The first trail ride with the mule proceeded after she gave me a few bucks and raced towards trees and our fence. (Thank you, trees and fence for stopping us.) Read Part I. Steve and Comet were crucial riding partners. They rode ahead and blocked […]

Save Your Ass or how ’bout a Mammoth Donkey?

Let’s give a nod of thanks and appreciation to all those animal rescues, toiling daily, even hourly, to make lives better for animals who’ve been tossed in the trash by others. As a new Long Ear owner, I’d like to give a special shout-out to […]