Trailering

I took today off of work to practice hauling a trailer with my own truck. My friend is allowing me to borrow her BrenderUp not just to haul Rocky to the clinic, but for the whole 38 days between now and then. This gives us plenty of time to get Rocky and me both used to the trailer. It also allows a freedom I’ve not had before. With freedom comes great responsibility…but also horses, so that’s ok.

The trailer looks tiny, but it’s actually wonderfully tall. Rocky’s always been fine in narrow spaces like a trailer slot, but he worries when the ceiling is low, so this trailer is the perfect shape for him.  It’s also designed to be pulled by smaller vehicles.

Next step will be to load Rocky in and out, feed him in there, make the trailer a fun place to be. And the step after that? Head to the rodeo arena down the road!

I am ridiculously excited about having made the appointment for Thursday afternoon to get the towing apparatus installed in my truck: hitch, wiring, brake controller, and all.

Most of the people in my professional life are a little in awe of my three-quarter ton pickup, but that’s because my professional life is in the high-tech field, where people have Priuses and Civics and sports cars and motorcycles. In my horse life, though, my Toyota Tundra SR5 two-wheel drive is barely considered a truck.

Luckily, I have a friend with a Brenderup trailer and the willingness to lend it to me.

And Erin is willing to let me practice with the old two-horse straight-load that is used now only to haul inanimates from the ranch to the dump.

Today, Rocky practiced being alone in the Big Trailer while I worked with River.

It is so freeing, this process of Making Things Happen. I’ve felt stuck lately and it really has nothing to do with horses or trailers, but horses and trailers are hauling me out of it.