FEEDING A CAUSE

Food nurtures the body and soul. At Red Bucket, feeding time is also bonding time, and this month’s featured volunteer explains how she has grown and bonded with horses and Red Riding Hoods over the past year.

‘Twas the night before Christmas when all through the Ranch, not a creature was stirring…except for Shivani Joshi! Shivani can often be found double checking every stall after evening feeding, and it is her level of commitment and dedication that has earned her special recognition this month.

Andrea Velarde, feed crew lead, explains just how dedicated Shivani is: “I don’t know what we would do without Shivani. She came along at just the right time. About a year ago we were short staffed when she stepped in and stepped up to help with evening feedings. She will not leave until every last bucket of water and feed has been tended to, and sometimes she is here until 10 p.m.”

This valuable volunteer explains what piqued her interest in our group. “I wanted to volunteer for an equine shelter or rescue where I could get the chance to work closely with the horses,” Shivani shares with me. “My co-worker suggested Red Bucket, so I looked them up online and registered for the next orientation which was a year ago. When I came for orientation, I found that everything here is run by volunteers and their dedication and professionalism impressed me very much. The excellent condition of the ranch, which is also maintained by volunteers, motivated me to join the team.”

Shivani works with the feed crew, mostly the evening rounds, but also occasional mornings. Her duties include mixing the feed buckets, feeding them to horses, delivering hay bags and flakes, checking water buckets, removing fly masks, and pretty much anything else that might be needed at the Ranch.

According to Susan Peirce, “Shivani is right as rain! She fully embraces our work and she is in love with our mission and our horses. She understands our vision and our values and she truly LIVES it! She is completely devoted and works selflessly with no ego.”

After a year at the Ranch, certain bonds became stronger than others. “I love each and every one of our equine residents,” Shivani gushes, “though I must say my favorites are Buffy and Pixie. Buffy was my first love at first sight and Pixie was my love at second sight. I love that they have minds of their own and are very active and playful and sometimes hard to handle. I’ve learned a lot about the different personalities of horses and donkeys and how to work with them and handle them. I’ve also learned a lot about their diet, medicines, and the steps we need to take to ensure their continued wellbeing.Working with horses and making sure everything is in order also helps me to be more responsible and pay greater attention to detail.”

In addition to learning about equine care, Shivani has become more aware of the dark side of equine rescue. “I never knew about horse auctions and slaughter houses. Working at Red Bucket made me aware of these sad realities that surround us, but it also showed me that we CAN make a difference. Red Bucket is much more than a horse rescue organization. Our ultimate mission is to restore these abused animals’ trust in mankind and find them forever loving homes, and this is very important to me. We are taught to treat each Red Bucket animal as if they were our own, and that is what makes the biggest difference.”

“Red Bucket is doing a great job of not only rescuing abused animals and giving them a second chance, but also for drawing attention to the ghastly practices of slaughter and auction,” Shivani continues. “We need to work harder to reach out to a wider audience. I want to continue giving my services to Red Bucket, and I would also like to help with fundraising and marketing.”

Diana Harper, feed crew coordinator, paints this picture of Shivani: “This wonderful, petite girl has such a big heart and so much energy that when you see her coming you know the work load has just been lightened. The love she has for these animals is intense, and she takes each bit of news, good or bad, to heart. She had very little horse experience prior to coming to Red Bucket, but you would never know that by watching her now. She does not leave at the end of her shift until she has loved and said good night to each and every horse. Her attention to detail, following direction, and paying attention to what is required to care for these horses is amazing. She is such an asset to the Red Bucket team!”

Karen McGarrah shares Diana’s sentiments of just how valuable Shivani is: “Shivani is very eager to learn, and has learned a ton in the past few months! Whatever it is we might need done, she is quick to say ‘yes’ before we can even finish the sentence.”

For all Shivani does for the feed team, she is quick to point out the special cohesion of the entire crew. “I am very impressed with the dedication of my mentors in the feed crew,” Shivani explains. “Our feeding program is the backbone of our success mainly because of the hard work and dedication of the team. The team goes above and beyond to ensure that all horses get their food, medication and water and are safe and secure in their stalls and paddocks. I have to extend a big thank you to Susan Peirce of course, but also to Karen, Diana, Andrea and Jessica. They have taught me everything I know at Red Bucket. And of course I have to thank Jenon for teaching me how to approach some horses that I wasn’t feeling comfortable with. These are some of the best human beings I’ve ever met.”

Shivani ranks right up there with some of the best human beings WE’VE ever met!! Thank you Shivani for all you do to help nurture and love our horses.