Nicely's Performance Horses

04/18/2022

Wanna know a secret? My horse is 19 years old and I still get nervous to enter certain events. Even after countless wins, placings, and qualifying for finals on what I consider an old faithful, I still sometimes second guess my ability. Here's my advice- enter anyways. Even when you don't think you're capable, worthy, when you're feeling invisible by other competitors, when you think your horse is too old or too young, whatever your anxious about- just keep trying. Maybe you won't place. Maybe you'll hit a barrel. Maybe your horse will spook at the flags. But I bet you both learn something from all the maybes. And maybe, just maybe, you'll win 😘
Photo credit: 📸

03/19/2022

I know he'd be proud.

03/08/2022

Same horse, same plan. 🖤

03/02/2022

A little Wednesday Wisdom...
While Riley was riding Bug, at the end of her ride she said, "I'm going to walk him a lap and then get off." I told her, "okay, be sure to walk him both directions before you get off."
I'm so big on repetition. Anytime I'm doing circles or laps I'm sure to count them so I go both ways the same amount of times, working both sides of the horse equally. After however many circles or laps I ALWAYS stop, back my horses up, and flex them to the right and left. Repetition creates muscle memory. Muscle memory creates confident horses and riders, confident horse and riders create wins.

02/25/2022

Yesterday we watched Firefly leave for her new home with Toni Marie DeCarlo in Pennsylvania. Firefly was Pungi's first foal. Pungi was born and raised by Adam. She was born in April 2008 and after Riley was born April 2009, Adam gave Riley Pungi. Firefly was the first foal Adam, Riley, and I raised together. It was a hard decision to let her go but we knew this was the only way to keep his legacy alive and for others to have an opportunity to love what we worked so hard to create. I pray Firefly enjoys her new home and that Toni loves her as much as we do. 👑🖤

02/23/2022

All my hopefuls are paired up, living with one of my OGs.
It makes my heart full to see a prospect with an "old faithful." I always tell my young horses, "I hope you learn something from this one." And I tell my older horses, "I hope you rub off on this one."
As I watch them together I quickly see my older, confident horses making sure the young guns know who's boss. Dually is gentle, but she puts Flamingo who is a little pushy in her place when she needs to. Tomato makes NO bones about the fact that she is queen bee and Cactus Pete better bow down to her. Roany and Bug are lovers, but Bug definitely knows Roany is head honcho and she gets the first dump of grain, no matter which bucket it gets put in.
As my older horses get older, and I know their runs are limited, I only pray that the young ones do follow in their huge hoofprints. I'm so humbled by all the places in the past that those 3 mares took me. (Dually, Roany, and Tomato) They shaped me into the rider I am today and still continue to bless me.
As for Bug, Cactus Pete, and Flamingo- I'm anxious to see where they will take me. They sure do have good role models ❤

01/29/2022

Fast French Fame at SEBRA National Finals in Murfreesboro, TN.
1st go round 4th place winning money.

01/29/2022

We made the trip to Murfreesboro, Tennessee for our 4th year and finished the season in the top 5- which has been our goal the last couple of years.
My intention was to run Dually the first night and run Bug the 2nd night but after a successful first go run I made a business decision to stick to my "old faithful." We knocked the 2nd go because of me, but I still think it was the right decision.
After talking to some of my most trusted friends and family, thinking, and thinking some more- the decision was easy to make. Dually will be 19 this year and Bug is still so young. He's got (hopefully) plenty of days to shine, and her days, while I pray are still many, are dwindling.
It was her time to shine. After the year she had, she deserved the chance. After two injuries she came back each time firing harder. She won back to back rodeos. Out of the top 20 horses at the finals she was the 3rd most winning horse, meaning rodeos won at 1st place. She did that after Adam died, she did that after two significant injuries, she did that when she was on auto pilot and my heart and head weren't in it...hers always was. She's made so many dreams come true for me.
I feel with everything in me Bug will be special too. His day is coming. He will have his turn 🖤

01/16/2022

These two made their first pass since September for Bug/October for Dually and the last one they will make until SEBRA Finals next weekend. They felt ready 🖤🥰
PS: one of my favorite parts about Bug's video is watching Dually turn around to watch him 🤗

01/05/2022

Mic drop 🎤

11/11/2021

Rooster Cogburn looks amazing at his new home! So glad he's with Olivia at Rafter P Quarter Horses & Cattle 🥰

10/30/2021

Fast French Fame was 3rd at the SEBRA in Blackstone, VA last weekend 🔥
Huge thanks to Wes Begoon, Amanda Buchanan, and Dr. Reiners who keep her shod, fed, and performing her best.

10/25/2021

Olivia Williams purchased Rooster 🐓 Cogburn from us and today she sent us this picture of him saddled. My heart skipped a beat. These babies were not made with the intention of them leaving our farm but life threw such a wrench in our plans. We found ourselves drowning in grief and felt overwhelmed with the amount of babies we had, which included a 5 year old, 4 year old, two 3 year olds, and one that dropped in April. It was such a tough decision to make but we decided the only way for Adam's legacy to truly live on in the way he'd want it to, we had to let some of them go.
Tears have been shed. Stomachs have been tied in knots. Some sleepless nights. But, so glad this guy has a chance to go on and be great with Olivia. Xoxo, Rooster...you were Adam's favorite to brag on. Go be great, dude.

10/23/2021

We got to run last night in our hometown in front of a lot of people we know. As we were walking to the trailer to get the horses ready Riley said to me, "this is the biggest crowd I think I've run in front of of people that actually know me." I was SO happy she had a clean run and was shown so much love and support. My Kelly came out of retirement too and ran Tomato which made my heart so full to have her back with us. It made up for me hitting the 1st and 3rd barrel in front of everyone 🙈 3 bratty mares, some hometown love, Bert&Kev reunion, and my baby girl crushing it sure did make for an awesome night.

10/21/2021

I was thinking last night. I was alone with my horse, the full moon, my crazy dogs running around (okay so maybe I wasn't "alone") in my outdoor pen just lunging Dually. I started thinking about routines. I started thinking about "my way of doing things." Everything is usually juat like it was last night. Calm. I do most everything slow and steady. Correct. Repetitive. The lessons I teach are the same. Slow. Boring. Repetitive.
What I hope to accomplish and teach is fluid motion. How to hit your spots on the pattern. How to cue your horse. How to really learn and bond with your horse. When you do things slow and steady you learn. So do they. Like learning any new sport or even in today's society- a TikTok dance. What do you do to learn it? You watch it over and over again. You slow it down. You practice it over and over again. You make corrections. You do it until it's second nature, without even thinking about it you've mastered and picked up the moves. Barrel racing is like that.
You can't correct horses with a bigger bit and spurs. I encourage you all to learn your horses. Watch their ears. Watch their tails. Are they licking and chewing? Is their head high or low? Pay attention. Give them a chance to learn. And if you're riding a finished open horse, treat then like a finished open horse. If you're riding a green, young horse- you better know what you're doing or find someone you trust and admire that is good with young horses to help you bring them along.
As I hand walked big circles around my outdoor pen last night, I thanked Dually for everyrhing she's done for my family and I. I patted her neck and told her how special she was and by the soft look in her eye I could tell she understood...however a horse speaks to you, listen.

09/26/2021

This Bug has been on fire the last 3 weekends in a row. He went from back up to step up real quick this season. So thankful for him 🖤

09/26/2021

HPH FIREWATER TOP BUG was 2nd at the SEBRA in Isle of Wight last Friday and was 4th in a tight race at the SEBRA in Powhatan last night.

09/23/2021

After careful consideration and some tears, Riley and I have come to terms with the fact that we can't keep all of our young horses. We have decided to let two of them go. They are both home bred and born but both are grade. PM me for info. This decision was a tough one so we will be picky about where they end up.

09/13/2021

What a weekend for HPH Firewater Top Bug! He was 2nd in the 2d (8th out of 71) in the IBRA Open in Raphine, won the adult class, and then placed in a tough race at the SEBRA rodeo in Gordonsville.

08/31/2021

A lesson in confidence. By: Brooke Nicely
The last few weeks I've really struggled. But s**t, who am I kidding? I've really been struggling all year. Last week when I entered the rodeo in Gates my truck was needing a new fly wheel to which Rob said, "I can fix it." The part came in mid week and he spent 3 days on it, the last day working until he got off from his job until 6am without going to sleep. When I saw the list for who had entered the rodeo there were some heavy hitters on there. I thought to myself, "You're going to have to make a perfect run to place, girlfriend." I did my normal routine. Talked to God, talked to Adam, talked to Dually, talked to myself. I wanted to win, I said it out loud, but I had this feeling in my gut that I probably wouldn't. I was the first horse to run and I sent Dually in the pen pretty hard, kinda right at the first barrel so I had to step her over and it slowed her down, but on she flew to the second, I grabbed her on the backside and then sent her really hard to the 3rd, and she pulled off and stepped way off of it but I gave her her head and asked her for her life on the way out. 16.295. I was so happy that it was clean and despite my errors she listened to me so well....but deep down I thought....maybe you'll get lucky and snag last hole. "This is normally a 15 something second pen." That's what I heard 3 times. But my time held for the perf and I watched the slack in disbelief as horse after horse ran and didn't outrun my time. A stranger I made friends with from the crowd watched with me and when the last horse ran he said, "welp, congrats, you won it." I could've cried and slapped myself for being so hard on myself and not truly believing we had what it took to win. On Friday, I was at work and a client said as I was sweaty and tired, "You always look so professional." She later told me that I'm "so pretty." It made my day. After my run even when I was feeling like it wasn't going to be a winning run, Caleb Key (bullfighter) said, "Brooke Nicely, you're a badass!" I got a message from a sweet friend who said, "When I saw you got into the alleyway I said she's about to go win." These little compliments were so huge to me. Because even when I felt ugly, not put together, not good enough....someone thought the exact opposite. Imagine how unstoppable we'd all be if we could see ourselves in such a positive light. Here's the moral of this long winded post, say it and believe it. "You owe it to yourself to be great."
📸: Michael Crowder

08/30/2021

Fast French Fame winning two weekends in a row! From a small pen to a big pen, she killed them both 👑🖤 Huge thanks to our farrier Wes Begoon, Dr. Reiner for fixing her up after her injury, and Buchanan Livestock for her feed.

07/22/2021

I made this video last year but thought I'd reshare! What other tips/exercises/videos would you like to see?

07/13/2021

HPH Firewater Top Bug was knocking on the back door at the SEBRA rodeo in Gordonsville last weekend. He was 12th on the ground in deep dirt. He's trying so hard! One hole out in a tough group of gals 🥰🐞

07/08/2021

𝙏𝙝𝙚 ‘𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙇𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝘽𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙖’ 𝙫𝙨. 𝙩𝙝𝙚 ‘𝘽𝙖𝙙 𝙇𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝘽𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙖.’
The term 'bad banana' is usually used to describe a horse that is inverted over the top line, but if we put the banana on its side, we can see the shape we want to encourage through our horse's entire body laterally – and if we flip it over (right), the opposite 'inside out' position that commonly develops especially at the second barrel when our horses want to turn too soon, lean, drop their shoulder and cut in.

We can usually ‘get by’ for a while even after our horse has developed his habit, but eventually staying two handed and focused forward as long as possible isn’t enough. Many times, the problem isn’t just that our horse is ‘dropping their shoulder,’ but that they’re not hair-trigger responsive to our guidance – and we need both responsibility for correct position, and responsiveness to our suggestions.

If you’ve ever felt frustrated after tipping the second barrel or even coming out of the turn wide – a positioning issue in the approach could be the culprit. The fix isn’t as simple as doing counter arcs, though. Resolving second barrel issues really depends on what the cause truly is, which could vary - or be a combination of things.

We want our horses to stay correct on their own on the pattern based on only subtle guidance from our body language and focus. We need them to willingly yield their mid-section, soften to our hands and allow us to quickly place any part of their body anywhere (at any gait) without delay or resistance - if there is a one second hesitation in their response going slow, we aren't going to have much if we need to help them in a run.

To set yourself up for second (and ALL) barrel success, listen to more insights on this "banana topic" in today’s new Barrel Racing Tips Podcast, no. 182. It’s available on iTunes, all your favorite podcast apps and online at 👉🏽 www.BarrelRacingPodcast.com! 🎧

07/01/2021

06/29/2021

Both Fast French Fame and Big Uns Packin Sixes are at R&J Equine getting fit on the water treadmill 💪 R&J is located on the same property as Mountain View Equine Hospital. I started working there at the end of April. There is a cold Salt Water Spa, an Equivibe floor, and the water treadmill on site. Trailer in or have your equine partners stay for a month (or two ;) ) Good for rehabbing an injury or just simply getting them super fit for competition.

06/15/2021

Riley and 4 year old Cactus Pete.

06/15/2021

Don't forget to stop and hug them 🤗

06/15/2021

HPH Firewater Top Bug getting 2nd at the Gordonsville. Thanks for the fast shoes, Wes Bagoon. Buchanan Livestock LLC keeps him fueled with the best feed.

06/15/2021

HPH Firewater Top Bug has been making some nice runs! He ran in the 3d at the Virginia Barrel Classic his first run and then got half a second faster running in the 2d with roughly 600 entries the second run. The very next weekend he was 2nd at the SEBRA rodeo in Gordonsville!