Nicki is one of Cayman's local entrepreneurs. She was born in England and has lived in Grand Cayman from the age of three. Nicki was raised by her Caymanian grandparents, who owned and operated a guesthouse and dive resort. She grew up helping out in the dive shop and on the dive boats. There was always lots of hard work, discipline and fun to be had. Nicki says "diving was our existence. With no TV or radio station on island we lived a very active life."With no TV or radio station on island we lived a very active life

By the age of 10 Nicki was taking English riding lessons and owned her own pony at 13. She rode bareback on 7 mile beach every weekend.

Nicki started windsurfing at about age 23 and received her instructors course. Her sailing career lasted 10 years or so. Some knee damage brought her back to riding. Now the knees are stronger and the riding just gets better!

"In 1995 I had five horses for personal use. Myself and some friends bought a horse trailer so we could go out to the beach and ride on weekends. We would make an all day activity out of riding, swimming, picnicking and watching the sunset at the end of a day in paradise.

I thought tourists would really enjoy this, and I could make a few dollars to help feed the horses. I only intended to do this on weekends. I made up fliers and contacted the hotels; they took to the idea like flies to molasses. There was no riding available to tourists at that time.

I would not forget why I started this business - for the love of horses

I would load the horses into the open trailer and stop at the hotels to pick up customers. The staff at the hotels would all come out to say hi to the horses. I did not realize that this was the best advertisement one could wish for! Well, the phone started ringing and I left my full-time job to move on to Horseback in Paradise.

Back in the early 90s the Cayman Horse Association invited John Lyons (one of America's top natural horsemanship trainers) to the island for a two-day seminar. Although I have been riding since I was nine years old and had already started and trained a number of horses, the seminar, books and videos brought on a new appreciation for these incredible creatures of the universe. Since then I have trained at least two or three yearlings per year. I have purchased all my own horses young and trained them myself with a loving and gentle hand, requiring a bundle of patience and time. I have enjoyed all of my experiences and learned a lot from them in return.

I also made a promise to my horses and myself that I would not forget why I started this business - for the love of horses - and to never overwork them.

Time has passed and we are still in love with our obsession with the equine species."