May is Wildfire Preparedness Month, and our members recently stepped up to ensure they are ready for whatever Mother Nature throws our way. With this year’s wildfire season forecasted to be a brutal one, gaining confidence and being prepared for an urgent evacuation—including the ability to load another member’s horse—is absolutely vital.
To tackle this head-on, we held our highly anticipated hands-on loading clinic on Saturday, May 16, at the Delta County Fairgrounds covered arena in Hotchkiss. It was a well-attended event with over 20 folks in turnout. Leasing the covered arena turned out to be a brilliant decision, keeping both humans and equines perfectly comfortable in the shade on a blazing, sunny 85-degree day.
Overcoming the Unfamiliar
Juleen kicked off the session by explaining the core mission of the day: ensuring our equines become familiar with loading into unfamiliar trailers with handlers they aren’t used to.
Brandy then took the reins, sharing invaluable tips, tricks, and tools to improve everyone’s loading skills. A few standout takeaways included:
- Safety First: Always wear gloves, and ensure your truck, trailer, and tires receive yearly safety check-ups.
- The Right Gear: The group discussed the benefits of Blocker tie rings, trailer drive-up jacks, and proper trailer flooring.
- The Golden Rule: Above all else, stay patient.
We had quite the variety of horses on hand! There were a few “ultimate loaders,” some nervous nellies, and a few noisy, open stock trailers that Kookie definitely thought looked and smelled a bit too “stinky” to jump into! A huge thank you to all the members who brought their trailers, horses, and ponies to help us create these real-world training scenarios.
The Best Lesson of the Day
Incredibly, the most profound horsemanship lesson of the afternoon took place after most of the participants had already departed.
Jo had brought a 4-year-old sorrel Mustang mare who had only ever loaded into Jo’s personal trailer that very morning. When it came time to head home, the little mare decided she DID NOT want to step up into the trailer.
What followed was an extraordinary display of patience and partnership by Jo and Brandy. They never lost their cool and they never got angry. Instead, they systematically tried every single tool in their combined toolboxes. When nothing seemed to work, they realized the mare wasn’t being stubborn—she was genuinely fearful and didn’t quite understand how to lift her front feet up to make the step.
Thinking outside the box, Jo and Brandy worked as a team to gently place two soft ropes around the mare’s front feet. By calmly lifting her front legs in one at a time, the puzzle clicked, and the mare hopped her back legs right in!
Most importantly, they didn’t just slam the door and drive away. They stayed, taking the time to calmly load and unload the little mare at least 10 more times until it became easy for her. It was a deeply impressive masterclass in true horsemanship and the sisterhood of WSCSC.
