Let’s Have a Little Chat About Something

So, I’m sure at least some of you know that my mares struggle with loading into the trailer. A few minutes ago, I was working with them and my parents were helping me. We started with Flicka, which went well. We then went to work with Sissy, so I brought her out and we began to work with her. My mom stood at the side of the trailer holding the door open and my dad was there in case I needed help, my job was to load her into the trailer.

Everything was going well, Sissy was jumping in, she was standing there, she was backing out, all was dandy. After a few successful loads, Sissy started to back out without a command. Now I wouldn’t freak out or anything, I would just continue to back her up for a few feet and then try again. Now, let’s be honest, I was a getting a little frustrated because everything was going so well before. I didn’t show it of course, because if I flipped out then Sissy would get frustrated and my parents would get frustrated, so I wanted to avoid that.

When I went to try another time, Sissy loaded fine, but after a few seconds she started to back out. I didn’t pull on her, instead I just started to guide her out. Sissy however, was trying to turn and jump out, so I was trying to keep her head straight and just maintain a nice back out of the trailer. My parents however, didn’t know what was going on, so they were saying things like “Don’t pull!” And “Back her out!” Since I was already frustrated, as soon as Sissy was out of that trailer, I lost it.

I’m a person to keep my emotions on the inside, but when the emotions get to strong I literally pop like a balloon. I snapped at my mom and dad, I yelled “She was trying to jump out!” And because I had yelled at my parents, my dad naturally goes “Don’t yell at me!” I was now visibly upset, tears coming down my face. So, since this situation was already stressful and I didn’t want to stress Sissy out more, I snapped back “I’m done!” Then I took Sissy back to her stall.

I cried as I took Sissy back, because I was upset and angry. After I had put her away, my mom comes out. “Why did you get so upset?” She asked me. “Because, if I had allowed Sis to jump out of that trailer, not only could she have hurt herself, but she could have hurt me and everyone else around. That’s why I trying to straighten her head out so I could back her up slowly. Then, the reason I quit was because I didn’t want to frustrate Sissy, myself, or you guys anymore than we already were.” I replied. Now, because my parents are super cool and understanding, my mom got why I was so upset and hugged me.

Why am I telling this story? Mainly to get it off my chest, but also as a opportunity to educate others. If you’re in a stressful situation where you feel uncomfortable or upset, speak out about it, no matter who the other people are. With horses especially, a lot of things can go wrong, which can lead to injuries or even fatalities. No matter if it’s a parent, a family member, a trainer, a boss, you name it, do what’s best for yourself and in this case, your horse. Also, I love my parents, so don’t talk negatively about them please. They are human just like you and I, so they have feelings and they make mistakes. Thank you!