This is a Pat Parelli sentence. Understanding this very well, I prepared for Sweetie’s trailer loading to get to vet for her dentistry appt. Fancy and Sweetie will be riding together, but Fancy is in training with Erin. I took the first “prior and proper step. I haltered Sweetie and led her out of her pasture. Sweetie has one eye. She lost one eye to cancer and also had an operation on her rear end to remove cancer
Both were successful. I do nothing with Sweetie except feed her. I water her in freezing weather and when it’s very hot. Otherwise. the horses drink out of a lake.
I have not “handled” Sweetie for years. I remember she was easily led into the trailer many years ago when we went to vet for operations. Hmmm.
I haltered Sweetie two days ago. She is suspicious of a human in the stall with her. I’ve learned to put feed in the three stalls and then halter her. I have noticed this month that she is loosing weight. Usually when she eats, she doesn’t lift her head. She eats while her head is in the feed. hmmm. Now she eats and food falls out of her mouth. Teeth!
I “captured’ her and put the halter on. I led her out of the barn to the trailer parked close to the barn. I had a bucket of feed in the trailer. I led her to trailer and walked in. She followed me. I stood with her while she ate the feed. It was perfect. Yesterday was the day before the appt. Hmmm, How am I going to get two horses in the trailer. Should Sweetie go in first so she won’t be scared of Fancy…2nd in the herd command. Yes! I led Sweetie in with the food ready for her. Hmmm, the trailer metal ties are way too high for me to get the rope around them. Hmmm. I do have the escape trailer door with a clothe tie. I tied Sweetie to the tie and tried to shut her in with the two horse trailer divide. Well, that did not work. Sweetie tried to escape. Her head came around. Her body was not in position. I could not get her head back where it belongs in order to shut the divide bar. Also she was tied and I could not reach the place to untie her. I could net get her head back where I could easily untie the rope. And, if I did untie the rope, she could easily run over me to escape from the trailer.
Oh lord. I decided to get out of the trailer and go to the “escape door”. Thank goodness for the escape door. I thought she might panic when I left her tied in the trailer and she could break a leg, neck etc. Thank goodness, she did not panic that much. I made it to the escape door, opened it and untied her.
At this moment, she poked her head of of the escape door. I remember the new trailer instruction stating that a horse can exit thru the escape door. Her head was under the vertical tie. Her head was out of the trailer. There was no way I could get her head back into the trailer. Sweetie escaped through the door. Good Lord!
Thankfully, She had a 22′ rope on her. She sort of ran off, right to the trailer regular door where a horse is to go in and out. There is still feed in the bucket. The rope asked to her to load back into the trailer. 
She loaded, ate a few mouthfuls of feed, turned around and ran of the the correct exit trailer door. We did this until the feed was gone, one mouthful at a time. I tied her to the outside of the trailer and went to get another small amount of feed in the bucket. Repeat, repeat and repeat. I got a phone call, had to speak and put her back into her pasture.
Today, I traveled to get Fancy from her training home. OMG, the vet assistant called and said, come early, the appts are going fast. I said sure, but didn’t know how trailer loading will go. I decided to put Fancy in the trailer and close the trailer divider. I would go home and try to get Sweetie in the trailer, by directing her in from the entrance. I’m not going to lead her in. There is no way I can close the trailer door before she runs out.
I stood on the ground and directed her in. I had the trailer door where I could get it closed somewhat quickly.
Hells Bells. Sweetie went right in…there was a feed bucket. She went right in the first try and I got the door shut. Praise God. Praise the Horse World. Praise whoever taught this horse to load. She has been only a brood mare all her life. She has never had a human of her own. Before she and Delta came to my world, she never had a horse friend. Delta and Sweetie are close friends. Fancy has managed to be dominate over Sweetie, but there is no love, just herd behavior.
Sweetie went to her dental appt. Molars on both sides of her mouth were removed. It didn’t take long. They were ready to exit her mouth. She is now on antibiotics. She will still bleed for about 5 days, but she will be able to eat now. Her life will extend. She and Delta are both in their 20’s.