A Letter from Tik Maynard: Why I joined NF+, and Why You Should Too

For the last six years, my relationship with NOËLLE FLOYD has grown quietly and steadily. In 2017, my first blog article went live, another one ran in 2018, then in 2019, a few more were published. Soon, I found myself hosting a Q&A for NF members on Zoom—with technical difficulties, unfortunately, but it was still fun. Then, I was recording two Masterclasses with NF in Florida, then two more in Oregon in late 2020. I started to feel comfortable with this new gig, and much less nervous about being in front of the camera.

The vibe at that Oregon shoot was like summer camp. I left the farm and all the paperwork behind in Florida and flew solo to the Pacific Northwest. Every day before and after filming I would go for a run in a local state park, followed by a quick plunge into the nearby river. Lunch each day was shared with the production crew. One evening we all hiked together, then drank bourbon at the local distillery.  

All this time I kept asking myself “am I really getting paid to do this?”

I began to watch the NF courses and listen to podcast episodes from the other instructors: Anne Kursinski, Dr. Jenny Susser, and Ian Millar. Chelsea Canedy, a friend of mine, did a great job with her contributions. And in my opinion, Caroline Culbertson’s “Equestrian Voices” was one of the best equestrian podcasts ever recorded.

In 2024 at Copperline, my farm just north of Ocala in Citra, Florida, we recorded one more Masterclass called “How to Play With Your Horse.” Having been involved with NF for a handful of years already, I could see that it was growing and a monumental shift was about to take place. That’s when NOËLLE FLOYD+ (also affectionately known as NF+) was born.  

NOËLLE FLOYD+  is a digital platform and streaming service which provides educational and entertainment content for riders across all disciplines. Members enjoy a variety of media forms including audio and video  lessons on horse care, training, rider psychology, fitness and horse behavior, wellness and more. NF+ content is designed  to expand the rider’s overall learning opportunities, improve the rider’s experience and provide a close knit online community, assist in the acquisition and development of horsemanship tools, and, most importantly, improve the riders relationship with their horse - maybe even themselves in the process. 

What do I love about NF+?  With so many instructors, each with different specialties and different points of view, being a member of NF+ is akin to joining a cool horse University where the instructors are Olympians and industry leaders across all disciplines, and your peers are like the best barn family you’ve ever had. With the launch of NF+, they’re also introducing a variety of entertainment horse content too, such as behind the scenes footage, "Inside My Stable", "A Day in the Life", and so much more. Beyond all of the learning opportunities available, there are also hours of entertaining horse content to be streamed on the platform. The community element has also moved off of the Facebook group to inside of the platform. It is now a vibrant space for members to share thoughts, questions, answers, participate in online and in-person events, and provide support to one another. One extremely unique aspect about the private community is that members get direct access to NF+ instructors, with live Q&A’s Office Hours, and channels where they can have their most pressing questions answered by a pro.

NF+ is forward thinking. NF+ is constantly asking “What’s next—what else can we do for our members?”

And, yes, Noëlle Floyd—the person, not the business—is going to be spending more time in the limelight with the launch of NF+.  Noëlle is about to launch her own podcast “Dear Horse World” on the NF+ platform, and by the looks of the first guests and episodes slated, I predict it will be wildly popular.  

What attracted me to NOËLLE FLOYD initially was the incredible quality of what they produce and provide for the equestrian community.  NF+ recruits the best of the best, not just the instructors, but the videographers, producers, sound technicians, and editors.  What has kept me working with NF+ so closely is their creativity, their ability to chart a new course, have a difficult conversation, and be on the cutting edge of the horse world.

I recently signed a contract with NF+ to create new content for at least the next two years. We are busy working on book clubs, Zoom office hours, documentaries, podcasts, courses, live clinics, and much more. I really want to see you there. I want to hear your opinions, listen to your questions, see what you’re doing, watch your videos, provide feedback and support and discuss the future of horsemanship around the world.