Asia

Wow, you say, a horse in a horse trailer. Well, yes, but this is Asia in a fully-enclosed horse trailer and she's facing forward. This is a mare that six years ago took 4 days of patient work to load in a fully-enclosed straightload Featherlight. She's why I now have a two horse slant Sundowner stock trailer and she prefers to turn around and ride in it facing the rear.

This is Asia. This is why all the patient work all this time is worth it. And how long did it take to get her in here? Not long. Maybe five minutes and the escape door wasn't open, so the trailer looked like a scary place. She had to load in a narrow opening as this trailer has a rear tack compartment, so the way in was scary, too.

She stood with me at the back and I asked her to get in. She sniffed the floor and then put her front feet in. I praised her and stroked her side. She backed out and repeated the front legs only. More praise. And then, on her third try? In she went. All the way to the front. I was so proud. She backed out, not as nice as I would like, but she did without too much fuss. And then she loaded again and we shut the divider and loaded Lady, her BFF, and off we went to the Dauset Horse Trails, but not until I had Elaine take this picture of the two of us. I am so pleased with my brave mare.

And we had a wonderful ride, too. Pictures of that later, but I'm about to load my mountain bike and go to the Dauset Bike Trails. Let's hear it for the Dauset Nature Center!