A Tale of Poe – Part 1
In which Clara and her young gelding take a journey—or maybe not?
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There we were one sunny December day in 2024, ready to move my 4 year-old horse Poe (Poseidon) to his new home nearby at Via Nova. Our new trainer Gilly had brought a trailer over, and I was trying hard to convince her that really, truly, he had loaded before, I swear!
He had trailered several times. On his way to and from a training stint at another barn. He’d made the move from his last boarding location in a trailer. But now, Poe wasn’t having it. I was incredibly frustrated that Poe wouldn’t get on this trailer because I “knew” that he “knew” how to get on a trailer.
We tried for two days in a row. We tried everything – using what little R+ he knew at the time, using pressure and release, tapping him with a whip – short of whacking him with a broomstick, cowboy style. He wouldn’t budge. Finally, we looked at our options: force Poe into the trailer by any means necessary, or (can you see me blushing?) walk him the half mile down Ranch Road to Via Nova.
One of the first things I learned at Via Nova was the importance of working with the horse you have in front of you, versus the horse you believe you should have. So on a nice sunny Monday, we waited for a posse of Via Nova trainers to ride over on horseback to help us lead Poe down the road to his new home.
I was incredibly frustrated that Poe wouldn’t get on this trailer because I “knew” that he “knew” how to get on a trailer.
Based on what you’ve read about this horse so far, you might think he’s stubborn, spooky, flighty… and I would have agreed with you. But the horse we led was curious, engaged, sure-footed; and together we walked with this group of horses down a road he had never seen, as loud cars whizzed by a few yards away. He didn’t offer so much as a twitch. This wasn’t a horse that knew nothing but fear – this was just a horse who really didn’t know much of anything. I never gave Poe any real context for what the trailer meant, and the free rides were up, as far as he was concerned.
Since then, Poe has spent a little bit of time nearly every day in the Priority to Positive program at Via Nova. I’ve been learning, too, as a PtP Assistant Trainer. Coming into this program with my own young horse has helped me understand it because I see how it works for him. Poe has gone from a horse that I could barely lunge without him dragging me across the arena to a star student who tries as hard as he knows how. Via Nova has given both of us so many tools to cope with being a horse in a human’s world, and I’m really thrilled we landed here.
…these are, of course, thoughts that one has when things are going well.
After a few months at Via Nova, Poe was targeting a buoy on a stick like nobody’s business and happily doing laps at liberty around the Reverse Round Pen. He stood like a gentleman in the cross ties to be saddled. He offered a soft, collected canter on the lunge line. It was all fun and games until Gilly suggested we take Poe on a field trip to Albuquerque so he could see some of the world.
Oh! Then it got a little more serious.
I guess we have an opportunity to work on trailer loading.
Follow more of Poe and Clara’s journey in A Tale of Poe – Part 2 and Part 3
Series: "A Tale of Poe"
In which Clara and her young gelding take a journey—or maybe not?