It had sprinkled light rain three hours before sunrise. Just before a rain the calm thickened, more so in Sedona than elsewhere.
This enchanting effect
resulted from Sedona's lofty sandstone edifices capturing the clouds while
they worked up their rain dance. Lighter rains often fell in cascades of
mist, gently settling on trees which then became jewels. It was this moist
evergreen smell which lingered into the morning for Ream who was especially
cognizant of such fragrances.
Thus the air was especially
clean when Gus trailered Biff over to Ream's. He was unloading Biff from
the trailer when Ream came out on the porch.
"It's got to be you
Gus, and Biff too?" questioned Ream into the noise of the horse unloading.
"Yup, it's us," answered
Gus. He ground tied Biff and walked over to guide Ream to Biff.
Biffer recognized Ream and the two rekindled their friendship.
"Gus, I have a question
for you about allowing a horse to do something, not pressing him," stated
Ream. "You said your Principle applied to all living things, even people.
Does it include the man-woman riddle?"
"You bet," Gus said
with a broad smile, "a lot of men are so busy chasing they don't
give a woman the chance to stand still. A woman's best comes forward only
if you let it. A lotta stuff happens out of sight, just from being
together. You've got to let whatever is, just be. Then something special
will float in softly, like fresh snow in the night. Something underneath,
down at the roots, blends together the hidden parts of two people. One
day you wake up, and it's there."
"Thanks, I didn't mean
to change the subject from loading horses, but I needed to know."
"OK, you got to understand
that a horse trailer is not a natural place for a horse. First, a horse
don't like small spaces because they're afraid of being trapped, or getting
hung up on something.
To a horse, a low roof
is a low ledge. In nature, a low ledge is a perch for a predator to jump
them.
Next, the trailer is
off the ground and it wobbles. To a horse it's like walking on ground
shifting under his feet. A horse weighs over 900 pounds, and he don't have
hands to hold on with, so he's more skeptical about unsure footing."
Ream thought about
how his blindness was helping him understand the horse's point of view
about sure footing, after stumbling so many times himself.
Gus continued, "Now,
up close a horse don't see well so they sense for safety by smelling. So
with all this, you can understand why a horse ain't pleased about going
in the contraption.
Often an inexperienced
or boogered horse will resist. So the wrangler will butt rope them by lassoing
their rear, pulling them from behind while he leads from the front. A good
wrangler will never pull from the front. This traps the horse's head, and
the horse will pull back in panic."
"What's boogered?"
Gus replied, "When
you booger up a horse, you implant a panic experience. A lot of horses
have been boogered real bad by dudes who jam them into trailers.
Afterwards it takes a long time to convince a horse to load."
"Does it happen often?"
"I had to do it with
Biff because Snake Buckman, a low down excuse-for- a-cowboy who owned Biff
before, had him boogered about trailers. Snake always used the kick-butt
approach. I figure he must have jammed Biff into a trailer by pulling him
head first or by using a whip. Biff was boogered so bad it took several
hours to load him correctly the first time."
Ream wondered about
himself, whether he had been boogered or perhaps still was. He sure had
moments of extreme remorse and panic. He suspected Sally might have had
a similar experience.
Gus went on, "When
we started, he was a nervous wreck in a lathered sweat. Sweat poured off
him in foam nearly an inch thick. His spirit was boogered. In this state,
he would resist anything and everything, to the death if necessary."
"I guess it could be
pretty dangerous," said Ream.
"Yup, dudes who don't
know how to load horses have injured them beyond repair. They'll whack
on the rear and stampede the horse into the trailer only to have the him
explode back out again. The horse comes out with such force he flounders
as his back foot steps down. Remember, a horse don't naturally back up
on his own, and to exit he has to back up and step down at the same time.
The more he is jammed in, the quicker he will forget the step down, and
he will crash out with enough force to break a leg."
"Is this when you have
to shoot a horse?" asked Ream.
"Sometimes it happens.
When a horse breaks a leg too seriously, it's over, you have to put the
horse down. Often you gotta shoot him miles from home. I always carry my
pistol when I haul horses in case there's an accident.
One time there was
an accident down the highway when I happened along. A cowboy's trailer
with four horses had overturned. I stopped to help. Two horses were mangled
real bad so I loaned the cowboy my pistol and he put 'em down."
"I guess that it must
be very hard."
"You got to do this
when your heart's all stuck in your throat, when it don't seem real, because
there ain't no reason for it.When you shoot, you gotta aim through the
brain so you hit the base of the neck bone. This ain't no time to be teary-eyed
sentimental. Your shot better be true, not just steady. If it ain't, then
you make the agony worse.
You don't get a second
chance because if you miss, your horse will thrash helplessly thinking
you betrayed him. This will burst his spirit and respect for you into a
thousand pieces. Be true to him, shoot true. Remember, it's about setting
your brother free.
All of this can be
avoided with a little respect for the spirit and dignity of the horse."
"How do you do it right?"
asked Ream.
"With Biff, before
I ask him to get in the trailer, I walk him over to the trailer with an
open door. I don't ask him to get in this first time, but I let him look
it over till he is satisfied. He'll look and sniff for a while, then he'll
blow it out. Sometimes he even paws one hoof on the floor and stamps it.
I let him take his time, respecting his right to look it over."
Gus pounded two stakes
in the ground, one about two feet outside the left rear door of the trailer.
The other he pounded about twenty feet in back of the trailer on line with
the first. Then he tied a rope between the two. This rope would be Ream's
guide.
Gus handed the lead
rope to Ream, telling him to put the loose end over Biff's shoulder while
holding the lead near Biffer's head. As he walked Biff toward the door,
Ream remembered the first approach was for Biff's preparation.
Biff seemed to accept
his hand-off to Ream comfortably because Ream was treating him the same
way Gus always had. Biff almost seemed to anticipate the routine. At the
door Ream stood aside while Biff surveyed the step up to the floor. He
sensed Biff was ready when he shifted his weight back from the opening,
and blew it off.
Ream said, "This is
going to be a little tricky but don't help me." He backed Biff slightly
and then circled right hoping to intersect with the rope. His guess of
the distance was accurate because his outstretched hand caught the rope
three feet from the end.
Gus was watching in
deference, and with active, helping patience. It was a remarkable sight.
Here was a horse about to be guided by a blind man into an unnatural place,
because each talked with actions not words. These moments belonged to a
small silent majesty.
Ream smiled, pleased
with his instinctive guess at distance. He stopped and took a deeper breath
before he again moved with Biff toward the trailer door. He led Biff with
calm assured direction toward the trailer door. He paused slightly at the
door before making a clucking-clicking sound to Biff. Biff hopped in the
trailer. It was one easy motion and happened without any resistance. Gus
took off his hat and wiped his brow with his forearm.
Ream was beaming at
the new confidence he had found with Bifffer. Gus's words caught in his
throat and he had to clear them. Starting again Gus said, "Well done. I
knew it could be done, but it's still a little astonishing to see it actually
happen."
Biff was in the trailer
munching on alfalfa as Gus said,"Now if you make a kissing sound to him,
he will back out, but be ready to find the lead. You can do it by gently
touching him as he comes out. You will know when his front shoulder is
out. The lead will be next. Stand clear, and just feel him coming out with
your fingertips."
Ream nodded, and then
kissed to Biff. Biff interrupted his snack and looked back over his shoulder.
Ream waited, and Biff returned to his food. Ream kissed again, and Biff
backed out of the trailer briskly. Ream's hand missed the lead rope as
it went by, but Biff stopped just a few feet back.
Gus smiled, and said,
"Guess we will have to work on it a little more."
Gus picked up the lead
rope and handed it to Ream. While Ream stroked Biff on the neck, Gus went
to the truck and returned with a gift he had brought for Ream.
"Had
this old hat cleaned last month and was gonna retire it on the wall. I
figure you earned the right to wear it 'till you get your own," Gus
said as he put the hat in Ream's hand.