Horse See, Horse Do
"Let's try something different," says Jamie. "Hold Eddie for a minute."
Jamie disappears into the barn for a couple of minutes and returns with Image, Eddie's pasture pal. Image is an easy loader.
Without a word, Jamie brushes past Eddie and marches Image to the edge of the trailer. The horses nip at each other in greeting as Jamie unlatches Image's lead rope.
"Get in."
Image goes in like a shot.
"Learning by example?"
"Not quite. We're just fooling him. He'll feel a lot better about going in with Image already loaded."
Jamie gives Eddie a pat on the rear and the horse steps inside the trailer. Then, as I latch the back chain, she backs Image out of the trailer.
"That was pure genius, Jamie."
"Maybe. But I'm not sure how many times he'll fall for that."
As with any form of deception, loading trickery has within it the seeds of its own ruin. In this case, Jamie hadn't given any thought about how she was going to get Eddie back in the trailer after the trail ride.
But I didn't say anything.
Bob Goddard is a freelance writer specializing in equine humor. He lives in Ravenna, Michigan, with his wife, Jenny, and two very naughty dogs, Jessie and Elvis. To contact him, send an e-mail to bobgoddard@verizon.net
