According to Susan Peirce, “Most donkeys just have a lot of personality. When our donkeys come to us, they range from being feral, to wild and to domesticated. Even within that range, Boomer was special. Unlike most other donkeys, Boomer, a 2-yearold, was extremely shy. He also seemed exceptionally kind.” Susan said that Boomer was also the easiest donkey at Red Bucket ever to be halter trained. “You can’t easily teach a donkey to longe to get exercise, so at Red Bucket, we have a process that I would describe as ridiculous or, more aptly, ‘red-donk-ulous’ in order to get the donkeys to exercise. We have a slow cart that has a red bucket full of treats that moves just ahead of them. They get rewarded often along the way. Boomer was always open to that experience!”
Through a friend, Julie Arjonilla had heard about Red Bucket. Julie had lost one of her horses, Justice, last winter. He was her first horse, a bay, almost 30 years old, and “he taught me so much,” she shared. “I knew I’d want a companion for my other horse, Sugar, but I wasn’t ready right away. But I knew that Sugar, who was dedicated to Justice, would need a new friend.”
Justice had been a retired mounted police horse, and Julie wanted the same again, if she could find one. But she also wanted a donkey, which was a dream of hers. “When I went to Red Bucket, Susan gave me a tour herself and I was just in awe. Susan shared so much about each horse and donkey.” Even after Julie found her other horse, she was determined to find a great additional companion for her horses so that there would be company for either horse when she was riding the other. And she had her heart set on finding a donkey.
Julie had a love for donkeys her entire life. “I told my husband that we would have a donkey one day and his name would be Boomer even before I met our Boomer. So I changed my focus at Red Bucket and looked for a donkey. I have young children and Boomer was just perfect for us.” Boomer seemed so sweet to Julie right from the start. “There he is, the donkey of my dreams. He had calmness about him and we just had a special connection right away. When we started to leave to go to our car, he was turned out in the arena and he just followed us as far as he could. All the others were cute and fun, but you have this feeling when you are around a donkey, and that’s what I felt with him.” Susan felt the same way about them being right for each other. “Julie is sweet, her kids are sweet, and her husband is sweet – it just seemed like the perfect fit. Boomer was shy and kind and a great choice for them.” Susan said, “When Boomer saw Julie, it was a heart connection from the start for them both. Donkeys are really empathic and he was one of the most sensitive and lovely we’d ever met.”
Boomer is very loyal to her and they continue to have that special connection. For example, Julie shared that “the other day, I was upset about something and I went to sit with him. He put his feet right by me and his neck around me, and for about 3 minutes, he just hugged me. He knew I was upset, and he responded to my needs. It’s hard to explain how amazingly special that was.”
Julie and Boomer live north of Lake Arrowhead in an equine neighborhood. “Boomer has a stall with a large turnout and plenty of room to move around. He is right next to Sugar and she is very protective of him. He just seems very, very happy!” Julie was a bit worried about his braying in terms of the neighbors. As it turns out, that is not a problem. “He brays when he hears my truck approaching. The neighbors love hearing him. They send me texts and happy faces when they hear him as I get home!”
Susan is thrilled with this match. “Our goal with every horse or donkey is to find them forever homes, so when we can find an especially perfect match like this one, that’s the best! He was not with us for very long and found his forever home quickly which is ideal. I could not be more thrilled for them both!”