He heard the blast and felt the lurch simultaneously, and knew in an instant what had happened. Trailer tire blown, no spare. He fought the wheel, not daring to brake, then grappled for control, avoid a jackknife, the ditch…he was stopped, ten feet off the left edge of the interstate pavement. He got out, confirmed the four horses were all standing. Using a flashlight, confirmed none of the four were bleeding.
He was breathless, filled with anxiety, unsure what to do. He had no spare for the blown left rear trailer tire, one of four. Recognized it was a miracle the gooseneck trailer had not come uncoupled from the dually at the ball joint. What must he do?
He removed his cell phone from its holder on the dash, pressed the number for the highway patrol, gave the dispatcher his nearest mile marker. In ten minutes he heard the wail of sirens and saw the tricolor bar lights atop the cruiser at the same moment.
The trooper was young, less than thirty he guessed. “All your animals OK?” were his first words, reassuring to him.
“Bound for Paducah?” were his next. The trooper read his mind. “My father runs bird dogs there as an amateur.”
“I’m running in the Invitational starting Saturday.”
That exchange told the Trooper most of what he needed to know. “I have no spare,” told him the rest.
“Can you call other handlers who may be coming to Paducah on this route?”
“Was about to start to when you arrived.”
“See who you can raise. I’ll call my dad — he lives on a farm near here. He’ll call any amateurs he thinks might be coming by here, bring you a spare if he has one, maybe call tire stores if he doesn’t. What is your number? I’ll have him call you now.”
Several calls and two hours later he was back on the Interstate bound for Paducah. The trooper’s father had called a tire store with a road service truck equipped with an air tank which had brought a new replacement tire and tube and fitted them on his rim, thankfully undamaged by the blowout and ensuing rough stop.
The trooper’s father also came with a trailer to rescue his stock if that had proved necessary. The trooper had not issued him a ticket which he could have for insufficient equipment (or whatever Kentucky called it). He had two new friends, the trooper and his father, the latter appearing in the winners photo made Monday afternoon when his entry was named Runner-Up in the Invitational. It also placed second in the Kentucky All-Age Classic where the trooper and his father rode in the gallery.