Nicole Chastain Training Stables

09/08/2025

Amen! No. Rope. Halters.

Welfare PSA! After my "natural horsemanship" training, I promoted the use of rope halters. After years and years of rope halter use, a friend of mine showed me this article. There are two spots on the horse's neck and poll where the spinal cord is NOT protected by bone. This is the Myodural Bridge. Both of these spots are where halters and bridles commonly sit. Excessive pressure can cause irreversable damage. Upon learning this my heart sank for all the times I've yanked on a rope halter or saw someone else yank on this area or hard tie a horse. I'm throwing away all of my rope halters. They will be replaced with flat breakaway leather with fleece covers.

We are always growing and changing and that is the best we can offer the horse. We learn and we do better. Please share.

08/16/2025

08/12/2025

They are out there creating relationships not making reels and “chasing likes”.

Where have all the good riders gone?

Not the flashy ones. Not the ones buying their way to the top or chasing likes.
I mean the ones who feel the horse.
Who ride with softness, but have grit.
Who know when to push and when to wait.
The riders who know a good halt is just as important as a big jump.
The ones who put the horse first — even when it costs them a ribbon, a round, or a dream.

It feels like we’re losing them to burnout, pressure, politics… or just being overlooked for not fitting the mould.
The world celebrates quick wins. But horses? They celebrate consistency, trust, and time.

So maybe the good riders haven’t gone anywhere.
Maybe they’re quietly doing the work, off-camera, in muddy fields, behind stable doors.
Maybe they’re not loud — but they’re out there.
Riding for the right reasons.

And maybe, just maybe, we need to start celebrating them again.

08/09/2025

08/08/2025

🤣

08/03/2025

The. Best. Dogs.