ESMA voting now open!

NickerNews and BestHorsePractices have been nominated in two categories of this year’s global Equestrian Social Media Awards. NickerNews is up for Best Blog. (We were Best Blog finalists last year!) BestHorsePractices is entered in the social media Newcomer category. Together, the two sites have brought […]

Lombard’s Land of the Horses

Midway through his book, “Land of the Horses: A True Story of a Lost Soul and a Life Found,” Chris Lombard writes about that elusive goal of feel: When you have a soft feel, there is slack in the lead line and slack in the […]

About our partners and sponsors

As we grow, NickerNews and BestHorsePractices are forming partnerships and sponsorships with like-minded companies and individuals. Like-minded how? Read the BestHorsePractices mission statement. You’ll see that we follow a Nature is Best philosophy. We recognize that sustainability and simplicity are essential to horse care and […]

Darn Tough suits us

I remember our laundry room way back when. On its wall hung sock stretchers, metal frames to stretch out ragg wool socks. One errant toss in the dryer and those socks were goners. Shrunk beyond use. The special care seemed like a big hassle for […]

RTT instructor among nation’s best

Congratulations to Kate Davis McKelvy of Riding To The Top Therapeutic Riding Center in Windham, Maine. The long-time instructor has been named Region 1 Instructor of the Year by PATH (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International). She’s been a certified instructor for 13 years and […]

Evidence-Based Horsemanship returns to Northeast

Lois Dietrich will host neuropsychologist Dr. Steve Peters and horseman Martin Black at their first seminar of Evidence-Based Horsemanship on the East Coast, November 15-17. The pair will conduct lectures, demonstrations, and Dr. Peters will dissect a horse brain at the Mountain Springs Arena facilities […]

Like Whale, Like Horse

Blackfish is this summer’s hot documentary. It’s a movie about killer whales and how captivity makes them miserable and crazy. It’s an easy concept for us horse owners to understand. A recent Los Angeles Times piece suggested humans should get out of the whale captivity […]

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 […]