My friend Gary Richards has a column called the Mr. Roadshow in the San Jose Mercury. People write in with suggestions/complains about San Francisco Bay Area traffic issues and he tries to answer them. This one caught my eye.
Q I would like to share some thoughts on horse trailers with your readers. They are big and bulky and a bit slower than most cars. They’re not trying to get in the way, just getting to a destination like your readers. But here’s the thing: Live animals are on board.
Here’s what it might feel like to be inside that trailer: Imagine yourself at a school playground. You’re on your knees in a little red wagon with your hands tied behind your back and a hat pulled down over your eyes so you can only see down. The wagon is being pulled by someone who loves you but can’t see you while moving around the playground during recess. Uh-oh, someonejust cut in front of you, causing your “driver” to swerve or stop quickly. How are you going to avoid falling or getting hurt? Since you can’t use your hands or eyes for balance, you just have to trust your “driver.”
My horse Jack is a tall, black, beautiful, trusting animal. Despite the risk of being banged around in there, he quietly climbs in the trailer so we can enjoy trails all over the Bay Area.
When you see us on the road, please remember the horses. Resist diving into that space in front of the truck. Jack could get hurt and never see it coming.
I promise to avoid commute hours, use my blinkers, stay to the right as much as possible and keep a safe distance from the guy in front. Please help us stay safe: Allow us a little room on the road. Thanks and happy trails!
Heather Shoup
Los Gatos
A Happy trails indeed.