by Chris Lomon

Wherever she happens to find herself, as long as there are horses, Nicole Wiser is happy to be along for the ride.

The horsewoman from Port Crane, NY was destined to work with equines.

As to what that career would be and what breed she’d be associated with wasn’t clear until the mid-1990s.

“It was 1995 when I started working as a groom with the standardbreds,” Wiser said. “I went to Morrisville College for riding horses, but I ended up going with racehorses. My dad and I had racing ponies and that’s kind of where it started. And I’ve been doing this ever since.”

Wiser went from her native New York to New Jersey in 1996 where she would work for Hall of Fame trainer Joe Holloway until 2018.

During those years, she had the good fortune to groom several talented types, a list that includes a pair of mares.

“There are actually quite a few horses that stand out for me,” Wiser said. “Working with Joe all of those years meant I had a lot of nice mares that I took care of.”

Shebestingin, a bay daughter of Bettor’s Delight, enjoyed a prosperous career, one that yielded 18 wins from 36 starts and over $760,000 in purse earnings.

The now 13-year-old mare still holds the world record for the fastest mile (1:47) by a 3-year-old filly.

“She was a very difficult horse to deal with,” Wiser said. “At home, she was fine. The minute you took her to a racetrack, you didn’t stand still with her. You had to keep her busy.

“But she was a sweetheart. She would never do anything to hurt you. She was easy to jog, but when she was at the racetrack, she was all business. She didn’t want to stand still. I spent a lot of time walking through paddocks. She had that game face on in the paddock.”

Ideal News, a bay daughter of Western Ideal, tops Wiser’s all-time favorites list.

“I had her when she was a yearling and took care of her until she was retired in 2006,” Wiser said. “She was just a really nice mare. Everything about her was nice. She did everything you wanted her to do.”

The pair cemented their bond after a Fan Hanover elimination win at Woodbine Mohawk Park in 2005, one that took a frightening turn not long after the score in 1:52.1.

“A few days after the win, she got sick and had to spend six weeks at Guelph University,” Wiser said. “After that, we got her home. After a while, we tried to get back to racing, but she just could never finish a mile very well. The whole time I was with her at Guelph, I would feed her every day. She wouldn’t eat for anyone else. I spent a lot of time with her, and she was just a very special horse. She gave you everything she had. She was not your typical mare. Anybody could jog her. John Campbell drove her and loved her. David Miller drove her and loved her. She was a great mare.”

That experience was a reminder of what Wiser views as the most important and rewarding part of her job.

“I just want to see them come back safe and sound,” she said. “I’m all about the horse. As a groom, we are the ones that spend probably around 90 per cent of the time with them. We have a unique connection with the horses. It’s a lot of hard work and you hope it pays off. I just care about them.”

As she does with her horses, companions or the ones she rides.

Two of them are former standardbred racehorses.

“One of them, Quick Draw, is 27,” she said. “I took care of him when I was in New Jersey. He shattered his sesamoid in a race, and his owner asked if I wanted him. I rehabbed him for six months and now he’s a pasture pet. He is an amazing horse and has always been very friendly with me. I have another one that my friend uses as a riding horse. My riding horses are quarter horses. We have a lot of trail horses, who have done horse shows, team penning, and all kinds of stuff. Riding my horses is my mental therapy. You get on them, head to the woods and everything is at ease.”

Forest landscapes aren’t the only scenery Wiser’s horses are privy to.

While she has typically resisted the idea of going on vacations, shorter trips closer to home have become the norm over the past five or so years.

Horses are always along for the journey.

“I go camping with my horses,” Wiser said. “That’s what I do for fun. Every now and again I will go on vacation. There is never really any downtime. If I take time off, it’s usually a day or two, here and there. After my first seven years with Joe, he would make me take a vacation. But the horses are always on my mind. Whenever I’m around them I’m happy. We take them trail riding and take them camping. They hang out with us and have fun.”

Close to 30 years after she began her career as a groom, Wiser remains content and fulfilled to be around the horses every day.

That she has been in the sport this long doesn’t come as a surprise to her.

“I was born and raised on a horse, so it’s my lifestyle, it’s what I enjoy,” she said. “Doing the business that we do with the racehorses is a passion and it’s a dedication. It’s hard work and it’s not for the paycheck. If that’s what you are there for, you’re in the wrong business. I live and breathe horses.”

Five words perhaps best sum up Wiser’s genuine affection for horses, an enduring love for equines that has never wavered.

“Horses… they are my life.”