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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

A Horse’s No Win Situation

That was the tough, take-away message from Dr. Rebecca Gimenez when asked about how to protect your horses in the event of a tornado. Close them in barns and you run the risk of harming them when the barn collapses. You may also stress them […]

Memorial Day may be for horses, too

Barbara King is a member of a small group of articulate scientists discussing and contributing exciting research on non-human emotions. It’s a fascinating field and one that has, over the generations, weathered challenges of anthropomorphizing and, on the other end of the spectrum, outright dismissal. […]