Always a bridesmaid … not yet a bride.

For the second year in a row, horsetrotting.net is nominated for a BlogPaws Nose-to-Nose Pet Blogging and Social Media Award in the “unconventional pet” category. What’s an unconventional pet? Essentially, not a dog or cat. (For the record, I have one of each).

I’m thrilled regardless of the outcome because as they say, “It’s an honour to be nominated.” Considering the quality competition I have from another horse blog, a rat blog and a chicken blog (yes, chicken), I will likely be uttering that quote a lot in two weeks. In the meantime, check out all the Nose-to-Nose categories and nominees.

The awards ceremony on June 25, 2016 is part of the BlogPaws Social Media conference at the Sheraton Grand at Wildhorse Pass near Phoenix, Arizona. [UPDATE: Horsetrotting.net didn’t win … again]

BlogPaws, an online community promoting and developing pet bloggers of all breeds, hosted its first pet-friendly social media and marketing conference in 2010. The BlogPaws conference has grown annually into the biggest social media event of its kind, attracting attendees from all over the world – all animal enthusiast including pet industry representatives.

It’s like an educational ComiCon for bloggers – serious pet bloggers and their pets.

That’s right it’s pet friendly, so fur friends of all stripes will be padding across the hotel lobby floor – mostly dogs, but also cats (some in strollers)  along with ferrets on leashes and rodents in carriers.

Where else can a grown woman wear a set of cat ears in public and fit right in? (Wait, don’t tell me.)

Back to the Nose-to-Nose Award – or more specifically, horses.

Horses are a unique pet – many have to generate some revenue to justify their keep. Sure, some people have them for the pure pleasure of it, but those are a small few. Most own them as part of a riding business, or at the least, as required equipment for participation in equestrian sports. Others, like me, must be content to ride and interact with them as part of other people’s stable, lesson or trail riding businesses.

That in no way diminishes my reverence for these majestic creatures so often misused by the human race whose social and economic development to date is indebted to them.

All right, I’ll save the history lesson and rant for another day.

Why a horse/travel blog?

Several years ago, like you, I was trolling the internet looking for answers and reading intended inspirational articles about following your passion and doing what you loved.

Ok, sounds good. But what did I love? What was my passion?

To answer these questions, I turned to the great 21^st Century oracle Facebook and posed this question to my FB friends (all of which actually know me in some capacity):

“What am I, Sherri, passionate about?”

The answers came back:

Animals. Cats. Dogs. Travel. Horses. Riding. Writing.

“Ok,” I thought, “there it is.” I will start writing a travel blog with a horse focus and eventually develop complementary travel blogs about dogs (which I have called dogtrotting.net) and cats (cattrotting.net is in the works).

So I did.

Every time I travel, I love experiencing the new surroundings via horseback. I always try to trail ride anywhere in the world, searching out only reputable operators who care for their animals like family in addition to depending on them for income.

A love of both globetrotting and horse trotting merged into Horsetrotting.net – Global Travel for Equine Lovers.

Horsetrotting.net has evolved into a travel, trail riding, advocacy, love and reverence of all things horse magazine-style blog and social media platform that’s continuing to prove an endless source of passion and inspiration for me, and hopefully readers.

I have the BlogPaws community to thank for helping me develop my social media skills and perseverance.

Ok, clearly I don’t need an acceptance speech or award. I’ve already won so to speak. But, congratulations to all the BlogPaws Nose-to-Nose nominees, and the eventual winner of the ‘Unconventional Pet’ category.

Just to amuse you, here are some images of last year’s BlogPaws Social Media Conference in Nashville, Tennessee (where I rode a Tennessee Walking Horse!) Enjoy.