2018 Readers’ Choice: Lighthoof Video of the Year

How do you choose just one? We have no idea — that’s why we’re having our readers decide!

At the end of each December, we at Horse Nation like to look back on the year that was and highlight the articles, essays and videos that most inspired readers, triggered important conversations or had everyone rolling on the floor with laughter — and then let readers decide which one is deserving of the title of the Best of the Year.

Today, it’s time to choose our favorite video of 2018! Take a look back at these fan favorites and narrow it down to the one video deserving the title of Video of the Year.

The nominees are…

5 Things I Learned Horseback Riding

Published January 18, 2018: “It’s a rare video that hits all of these points while making us laugh — not AT the individual, but WITH them — and encouraging everyone to go out and try riding for themselves. Josh Pray, you’ve knocked it out of the park with this one, making all of your viewers laugh while also igniting that spark of curiosity to go out and try.”

Disclaimer: video contains a few NSFW moments.

Holy Long Spot, Batman

Published May 18, 2018: “Thank you for flying Seurat Galotiere Airways — we hope you had a lovely flight. Holy long spot, Batman! Don’t try that one at home, kids.”

Fear the Turtle

Published July 20, 2018: “A good mother protects her offspring from danger… perceived or otherwise. Yes, all of us sitting at home watching this video understand that the turtle poses no threat whatsoever, but we’re going to give Momma credit for bravely facing this tiny dragon and protecting her foal from its reptilian might. This whole scene reminds me of every time there’s a bug in the room or a mouse up from the basement running around the house — ‘it’s more afraid of you than you are of it!’ (I’d love to say that this was when I was little, but in reality, it was, like, last week.)”

Brentina Dances to Aretha

Published August 17, 2018: “Debbie McDonald and Brentina danced at the 2005 World Cup Final to a compilation of Motown hits, culminating in a rousing final passage to ‘Respect.’ This performance forever changed the face of freestyle dressage — listen to the crowd’s enthusiasm. We’d like to dedicate this video to you, Aretha Franklin: another pair of powerful, inspiring women who danced to your music to remind us all to celebrate our strength, command respect and never be afraid to shine.”

Equestrian Life Hack: How to Move Stall Mats

Published October 11, 2018: “Horse Nation contributor Melanie O’Neill, an event and dressage rider from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, shared this recent mind-blowing equestrian life hack. We’ve all had to contend with the dreaded barn chore of moving, cleaning and then replacing those cumbersome yet necessary stall mats — they’re bulky, heavy and just not designed to be picked up and moved easily. Melanie found a cheap and easy way to haul those mats around the farm using common materials lying around pretty much every barn we can think of. In Melanie’s words: ‘I have heard of using clamps or vise grips, but I didn’t have those… and this is free!'”