I was a rescue volunteer for wrecked truck towing a trailer with one horse inside.
Car driver put on turn signal about a minute before he braked and slowed down. Truck and trailer behind could not stop. I probably drove by about 5 minutes after the wreck. I beat the emergency responders. Glass and broken stuff all over the road.
I was on my way to ride Fancy. Instead I stopped and asked if a trailer was needed for his horse. He hesitated, looked at me in my bright yellow Parelli sweatshirt with a huge horse and said yes, he needed to get horse out of the trailer while all the stuff would be happening. I said I live close and it will take 10 minutes to return with truck and trailer.
Horse was uninjured. He unloaded and loaded into my trailer easily. Whew!
Cowboy was a rodeo guy, probably a roper, and horse trainer with his son…about ten years old on their way from St Louis headed to central Kansas to let the horse spend the winter on a ranch to learn how to be a horse.
Truck was probably totaled. He slowed down enough that air bag did not inflate. Corner of his bumper struck the car. Truck and trailer slid into guard rails and bounced back to the other side of two lane highway on a bridge! Truck probably totaled.
Horse was calm and easily loaded into a strange trailer. Me and the Cowboy took horse home and put him in a stall. A local roping 70-80 year old friend came about 25 miles to get trailer and horse.
I didn’t ride Fancy today.
A million police, highway patrol, ambulance and fire truck were on the scene about 5 miles from the house.
The son pointed out to me that the air bag didn’t inflate while we were waiting for the friend to show up. He told me how scared he was after the accident when all the emergency response people showed up. Then he said he had an assignment in school to tell something that happened in his life. Now he had a story to tell. His favorite thing to do with horses is with the bulls. I’ll never forget that young man. He was able to talk with strangers. His father kept hugging him when they were standing on the road. Lord…
Yes, I had wine with my supper!