Nicole Qualtieri

Bozeman, Mato Grosso, Montana

Writer and Editor at Freelance

Editor in Chief at The New Wild West

This is my silly place.

Articles

Week 2 with BLM Donkeys: Less Wild, More Mild

1 week ago | thewestrn.com | Nicole Qualtieri

I’m less than two weeks in with the new adoptees straight outta the Bureau of Land Management’s wild herds, and things are slowly coming around. In training scenarios, many professionals talk about going slow to go fast, and though I’m not a professional, it’s something I take to heart with all my animals. Today, I’m breaking down my health assessment of the fellas, where we’re at, and where we’re headed.
Four Books That Changed How I See My Horses

2 weeks ago | thewestrn.com | Nicole Qualtieri

I’m not the sort of person who takes one idea and sticks to it. I prefer to read a lot, find what works for me, and apply it. This applies to horsemanship, as well as to many other areas of life, be it hunting, fishing, or otherwise. I’d caution any reader that there are public-facing trainers and programs that inspire a lot of cult-like behavior, and as a kid who grew up in a toxic cult, it grosses me out. It’s profit-driven and ego-centered.
Bringing Home Two Wild & Untouched BLM Donkeys

2 weeks ago | thewestrn.com | Nicole Qualtieri

I’ll be writing a full narrative feature about this experience for our July 1st print issue of The Westrn. Subscribe to The Westrn and you’ll receive 4 issues of our newsprint magazine, or you can pre-order a single issue for $10 here to try it out. I spent the past weekend in Livingston, Mont. attending the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse & Burro Adoption event at the fairgrounds. I told myself I was attending as media, and that I’d be leaving my trailer at home. Things happened.
Welcome to 'Four-Legged'

3 weeks ago | thewestrn.com | Nicole Qualtieri

I’m convinced some of us are born with a deep connection to animals dug into the softest and most deeply alive cells that make up our bone marrow. For me, it’s always felt atomic. I’m not talking about anything explosive, but to a knowing that is held not in my brain, but in the makeup of my being.
The Roundup: Summer Issues

3 weeks ago | thewestrn.com | Nicole Qualtieri |Kestrel Keller

Howdy folks,It’s June, which means in a few short weeks, the evening light begins to leave as summer takes hold of the country. I’ve always been a summer sorta girl. I love the strange tan lines of adventure, grown dark while running wild through hills, drinking cold beer on rivers, kicking my feet up and floating the day away on a lake.
I loved life in Bozeman, Montana, but I got priced out. Luckily, moving 100 miles away felt like an upgrade.

1 month ago | businessinsider.com | Paige DiFiore |Nicole Qualtieri |Henry Blodget

Although settling in Bozeman didn't work out for me, I lucked into a different spot that changed my life for the better. Nicole Qualtieri 2025-05-08T18:35:01Z Facebook Email X LinkedIn Copy link An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt. Impact Link Save Saved Read in app This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now. Have an account? .
Brad Brooks Just Wanted to Tell Stories

1 month ago | thewestrn.com | Nicole Qualtieri

This piece originally appeared as our first advertorial brand story in partnership with Argali in our inaugural print issue of The Westrn. “I’ve drawn out tent designs in the dirt with sticks,” Brad Brooks said, grinning. Brooks is a bonafide wilderness junkie. He runs to the hills come early fall, and the sort of adventures he tackles are unfamiliar to most casual outdoorsfolk.
The Roundup: Bloom Times

1 month ago | thewestrn.com | Nicole Qualtieri |Kestrel Keller

Howdy folks,Green up is finally starting in the sagebrush country of Montana. I sometimes catch meadowlarks singing through the thick wind that threatens to blow my little house away. My horses are shedding their winter coats, and we’re still vacillating between snow and rain. Life is in transition. It’s a welcome time, and yet it’s also an itchy time. I pulled the first fat tick from the nape of my dog’s neck.
Shot in the Dark

2 months ago | thewestrn.com | Nicole Qualtieri

Print Excerpt:The Spring IssueAuthor: Matt CunninghamI park in an inconspicuous spot by the airport hangars, the air thick with the smells of cut grass and warm cedar. A thin camouflage shirt sticks to my back as I walk past an open hangar. Four pilots sit in lawn chairs, swapping stories in front of a vintage Cessna. I hold the rifle sling tight, keeping the gun tucked close to my back as I wave. They casually wave back and sip their drinks.
Dead in the Water

2 months ago | thewestrn.com | Nicole Qualtieri

Print Excerpt:The Spring Issue Author:David McIlvaney“Now the river is the unborn, and the sudden fish is just the newborn — whole, entire, complete, individual, and universal.” — Henry BugbeeI last went fishing in February in Mexico, and it’s now the end of summer. To be fair, I’ve spent more days not catching fish than catching them — which is probably why I write about fishing — so a lack of enthusiasm to get out isn’t new. Lately, though, it’s gotten worse.