Weekend Warrior

Most people look forward to unwinding on the weekend, but our featured volunteer is amping it up!

TGIF! Here’s to the weekend with happy hours, family gatherings, weekend getaways, lazy mornings. Many people work hard during the week so they can play on the weekend, but not our featured volunteer. She works hard during the week so she can work even harder on the weekend. Judi Reiprecht has a full time job, family obligations, and often travels for work. Yet when Friday rolls around, she shifts into high gear for her weekends at Red Bucket Ranch!

Judi first heard about Red Bucket Equine Rescue through the Therapeutic Riding Center in Huntington Beach. She is a self-professed “rescue person” with a fondness for horses, so the idea of volunteering with a horse rescue group tugged at her heartstrings. Judi explains, “I have great respect and admiration for any animal rescue group, and I really wanted to help. Nothing is more gratifying then to save lives and see transformations with these beautiful animals. The story about Red Bucket hit home and I just knew that I could help, that I could learn, and that I could make a difference.” Judi’s pets are all rescues, and although she has no prior horse experience, she does have a deep admiration for these magnificent animals.

After attending a few Red Bucket events and speaking with some of the volunteers, Judi knew this was the perfect group for her. “Everyone I spoke to really made me want to learn, and made me want to be a part of this organization,” Judi shares with me. “Everyone was supportive, informative and genuinely caring. I heard stories about some of the Red Bucket horses which truly moved me; I really wanted to help.”

“Judi is a great example of someone who wanted to get involved and displays a great ‘what can I do to help’ attitude that is the backbone of our organization,” states Susan Peirce. “She is very mature and dedicated to our cause and always wants to participate in any way possible. She is a great help at events, such as the Expo in Pomona that she just worked for us. Judi helps with grooming, events, morning buckets and more. She truly has service at her core and our horses in her heart!”

This Garden Grove resident with no prior horse experience and very little spare time has found a way to make room in her life and her heart for the Red Bucket horses. Judi tells us, “I’ve always wanted to volunteer with a rescue group, but my lack of time and concern about trying to save them all prevented me from doing so. With Red Bucket I just had a strong desire to help from the very moment I paid them my first visit. As a result, I found ways to make time, and it is an important part of my routine now. I think the time was right.”

From the moment she discovered the group in Huntington Beach, to the point where she joined on as a volunteer in Chino Hills, she has become instrumental. Judi started by helping out with events and apparel. With Susan’s encouragement she learned to groom and feed with Jenon, and soon she began walking and turning the horses out for Kimberly. Now she is responsible for some of the morning feedings, a task she takes to heart. “I started to help with bucket feeding on Fridays,” Judi explains. “This is a great way to learn and bond with the horses. It is so amazing how they recognize those buckets and show their excitement when you pull up, and it is so rewarding to know you are helping to nurture them. I loved it so much I took on the Saturday morning feedings too. I also help with the Visitor Center as needed and supporting apparel sales at shows. I have been the only feeder on Saturday mornings and although additional help would be welcomed, I have to say I really enjoy the time I get to spend alone with the horses and Fenton the mule. This is such a special time, the peaceful early hours of the morning. This is truly a rewarding experience.”

Kimberly has watched Judi grow and thrive and speaks highly of this dedicated volunteer. “Judi is very attentive and perceptive, and she is quick to point out if something seems amiss with one of the horses. She asks a lot of questions and truly has a ‘can do’ attitude. Her easy going demeanor is calming to the horses. You would never know she came to us green and is now so comfortable around the Ranch!”

As Judi has learned by volunteering with Red Bucket, she has come to realize that education is an avenue that must continue to develop. As she has watched us grow, she envisions the future with optimism: “Red Bucket has strong morals, and they care. The mission statement is epic: To save and rehabilitate horses, restore their trust in humankind and find them safe, loving and permanent adoptive homes. Rescue is just the beginning, and it is the part that is most heart breaking, but it leads to recovery and finding a loving forever home.”

While joining Red Bucket has allowed Judi to learn more about equines, Red Bucket has benefitted from her enthusiasm and commitment. Maybe some day she will spend more than just weekends at the Ranch; for now we truly appreciate every hour she dedicates to saving our precious horses.