Nicole Brass Horsemanship

09/07/2026

Fun view of the Big Hitch wagon rolling through the parade. Beautiful, historical sight to see

09/06/2026

. Saddling Up for Wagon Days Parade

There are parades, and then there’s Wagon Days Parade in Sun Valley, Idaho— and this year the crowd showed up huge, loud, and full of heart, cheering on every hoofbeat down Main Street.

For me, the day carried a little extra magic. A year ago, I honestly didn’t know if I’d ever be back in the saddle on my stallion, JBS Suspiro. So riding him through that roaring crowd wasn’t just a parade lap — it was a full-circle moment, and every step felt like gratitude made visible.

And I wasn’t out there alone in spirit. My daughter-in-law Kelsey rode right alongside us, and my son Dakota stood cheering from the sidelines, along with my sister and brother-in-law — the whole day was wrapped in family and love.

It truly was a multi-generational affair: our mounts ranged from 9 to a seasoned 25-year-old, and my own family bookended the riders — Kelsey at 29, full of energy and grace, and my mother, still going strong in the saddle at 89. If that’s not proof that riding horses and this life keep you young, I don’t know what is.

None of it happens without the village behind it: River Grove Ranch owners Tom and Elizabeth Tierney, who made it all possible, the incredible ladies who rode with me, the helping hands who got us saddled, fed and kept the ch*****ne flowing, and the whole River Grove Ranch crew — led by Ruben Palomera, who capped the day off with tacos for all. Best kind of finish line

A heartfelt thank you to the Wagon Days Parade Committee and their posse of volunteers, who pour so much into making this day the treasure that it is. And to the judges — thank you for the first-place honor. We’ll display that ribbon with pride!

Horses & Riders;
JBS Suspiro ~ me
RS Perseo ~ Elizabeth Tierney
RSTD MonteBlanco ~ Joyce Almas
RSTD Expreso ~ Gabrielle Tierney
RDL Legado ~ Jenifer Phillips
JyW Premier ~ Nina Eriksen
LEA Tomas ~ Teri Atkins Szombathy
LEA Princesa del Rio ~ Rachel Clifford
RDLF Festejo ~ Lisa Paulos
PK Dominante ~ Kelsey Sue Christiansen
Amar Del Sol ~ Cheryl Hymas
RSTD Paolo ~ Erin Crawford
PVR Montezuma ~ Michelle Medsker

09/05/2026

It’s that time of year for the Wagon Days Parade in Ketchum, Idaho; the largest non-motorized parade in the US
River Grove Ranch will be out in force again this year with 13 Peruvian Horses and riders. Thanks to my parents, there have been Peruvian Horses in this parade for the past 52 years and I’m honored to carry on the tradition they set .
We hope to see you there tomorrow!

09/04/2026

09/03/2026

Offspring of LAG Triturador, collectively ushering in the first ‘feels like’ day of Fall

09/02/2026

Fall vibes in the morning air

09/02/2026

It’s been great having the rogue sheep in the barn, just to change up the environment for the horses. I love studying them and the different personalities and how they assessed the strange to them creatures

With sheep, it’s mostly about their different smell as they are much different from cattle. Although they smell similar to llama and alpacas, which we have also encountered out on trails, so it’s great life exposure

There were a few of the horses who predictably did not care one whit about them; Teo, Tru, Tru’s offspring (although one of his 3 yr olds was initially the most reactive, then 30 min later he was the most ear pinned, get away from my food and space little white things). Suspiro and his offspring were all predictably suspicious and stood back and slowly assessed, then they were completely fine.

I’ve brought as many horses into the barn to sleep by them as I could and love the little inter-species sleepover as I watch on the night cameras. The sheep have also relaxed and are much braver and not as skittish

I’ll be sad to see them go!

09/01/2026

Great real life experience to have sheep in the house. Hank, the throwaway pound pup, took watch behind the flock today, just… watching. Not a muscle twitching toward a herding instinct, just quietly soaking it all in, brain cells of ancient Catahoula/Heeler/Mastiff DNA firing away trying to make sense of what he was looking at.
Meanwhile, the resident border collie/Aussie pups, Duke and Magpie couldn’t have cared less, they quickly bored and moved on.
Some dogs are workers. Hank’s clearly the philosopher of the bunch, trying his Jedi mind tricks on a different species