Bernice’s Big Bucket

NickerNews premiered Bucket Lists a few years ago. Since then, dozens have posted their goals and dreams. Bucket Listers look forward to riding in the Grand Canyon, volunteering at the Olympics, camping in Acadia, and riding on the sand hills in North Carolina. Exciting stuff. […]

Diggin’ Salt

From Utah to Iowa to Maine and all points in between, it’s been a warm summer. Some weeks in some states have been downright hot. Hydration for you AND your horse is key. So is salt intake. I like tortilla chips myself. My horses like […]

Have Bottle, Will Ride

— Maybe it’s habit from all those road trips with three hungry, thirsty sons. — Maybe it goes with my Stop-and-Smell-Roses mentality. Drinks and snacks are essential components for any NickerNews trail ride. ‘Drinks’ means water from a bottle. But which bottle? Plastic bottles with […]

Welcome Back, Slaughter?

Slaughter is back, thanks to the powers-that-be: politicians, horse brokers, the meat industry, et al. The Iowa plant, Responsible Transportation LLC , sits about 60 miles from my house. Of course, slaughter has been an option for horse owners all along. Your ‘livestock commodity’ was […]

Barn Buddies seek homes

Just like unwanted horses, feral cats have become a hot button, polarizing, animal issue. Cats spread disease and kill wildlife. But that litter of barn kitties seemed awful cute at the time, didn’t it? Generations later, we have tens of millions of cats living off […]

Mustang Mules?

I have a thing for mules. Their looks and behavior have long intrigued me. They set themselves apart from horses in many ways. Some say: Mules think. Horses don’t. At the Horsemen’s Re-Union, I got to talking with a California woman about mustangs and she […]

Clydesdales Saved

Hats off to the many individuals and organizations involved in the successful move of five Clydesdales from their Maine farm to Connecticut after their owner died unexpectedly. Michelle Melaragno (an instructor for Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue) and the Maine State Society for the Protection […]

Outrunning Rain

It started out as a lazy Sunday ride. We headed out with the two favorites, Comet and Pep. Sun high and hot. Nearby fields just cleared of first-cut bales. Down the road, new neighbors were having a keg party of sorts in their front yard. […]

Fringe Benefit

Like a window-shopper getting drawn into a favorite store, I couldn’t help myself when it came to Fringe, Kathleen Threlfall’s western wear and leather business. Read more about her here. Her handsome work and prized references from experts convinced me that lone pair of hand-me-down […]

Horse training mantra gets a dog test

Horse trainers like to say, “Make the wrong thing hard and the right thing easy.” I embraced the strategy with my dog, Kip, during our most recent training session. In this case, though, weather lent me a helping hand. As previously noted, Kip has had […]