Sarge busts his butt and gives me a nervous breakdown.

What a day. Sigh...I hooked up the Brenderup trailer to go out and work with Sarge on trailering. I was so proud of myself. I pulled all the way to the back of the paddock road and turn the Brenderup on the road, backed it up and turned it!!! WOO HOOO

Sarge won't load up easily in the Brenderup. He will come up the ramp after some encouragement and working together, Barry & I have got him in it twice with Red and took them for little rides. So I was going to practice with Sarge.

I pull out to his paddock - Duke in the other paddock kept running back and forth making racket. I get Sarge out and encourge him with grain. We go back and forth up the ramp. He doesn't want to yield to the lead rope pulling him. He will pull back.

I finally get him all the way in the trailer with grain and alfalfa, put the breakaway lead on his halter and slowly go to move the center rail over to set the butt bar. He gets cross about and starts to back out ... hits the end of the strap and goes buck a$$ nuts. Pulling shaking - my Brenderup is shaking and rocking and I am trying to get to the lead to pull it off when it gives and out his goes down the ramp and stumbles and falls on his butt.

Saints preserve me I nearly had a nervous breakdown. He doesn't run off - he is just standing there, a scrape on his top left leg and his hair is roughed up in scratch marks on his left thigh and hip.

I called Ray right there from the trailer!! He trained Sarge from the git go and sold him to Charlotte.

I told Ray I needed help with one of his students!!! I told him that Sarge was really a butt wipe about getting in the trailer and I needed him to load when I said load! Ray said he had had to show him who was boss before and popped him with a buggy whip on his legs. He said it sounded like Sarge needs an attitude adjustment. I made arrangements for Ray to keep him for a week and train him to get in MY trailer. He said Sarge was used to more open trailers and would just hop in. He is not afraid of this trailer or nervous - he just doesn't want to load up.

I did as he suggested and backed Sarge up quiet a way, popped him with the buggy whip on the legs, not hard, but just to let him know I was serious and asked for the load again. I got him 2/3 of the way but he then backed out and I called it a day.

I have very little experience trailering and Red is very motivated by food and if you get onto Red he will do just about anything you ask. On the few occasions he hesitates to load a shake of alfalfa and he will go anywhere.

Sarge is going to Ray's Saturday if Barry and I can get him in the trailer. We have been able to get Sarge in the trailer together before but if we can't - Ray is coming to get him. Ray said give him a week and he will be getting in the Brenderup like he got in all the other trailers.

I hauled the trailer home & my Barry was like "what did you do to my horse?!!!" We went back out to the barn to check on Sarge...he was fine, just a little scrape but geez...this trailer thing has to be resolved!

So Sarge is going to Trailer Boot Camp Saturday for a week. Ray is going to tune him up and work with Barry on all of Sarge's buttons. It will be worth the money and we will be on Happy Trails then.