About three years ago a whole stable of beautiful purebred Arabian horses suddenly found

themselves headed to the slaughter house when their breeder decided to liquidate his entire herd.

Without exception all the horses were absolutely gorgeous, well-bred, healthy, intelligent, and in

some cases even fully trained! Red Bucket stepped in and luckily was in a position to save three

of the horses, including a roughly 6-year-old very affectionate gray gelding we named Shields.

Growing up, many girls go through a horse-crazy phase at one point or another. Nina Sellers was

no exception, and when she envisioned her “dream horse” it was a beautiful, spirited gray

Arabian (you might guess where this is going). Luckily, Nina was able to be around horses and

learn to ride, although her dream of actually owning a horse would not materialize until many

years later when she and her parents moved to Norco, California, aka “horse country.” Finally

ready to add a horse to the family but not quite sure where to start looking for one, Nina

happened to hear about Red Bucket on a local news broadcast. She sent in her adoption

application, and after getting to know Nina and understanding what she was looking for, Susan

Peirce had a feeling that Shields might be a good match for her. Upon meeting Shields, Nina

couldn’t believe that standing right before her, in flesh and blood, was the horse she’d dreamed

of all her life! But not only was he a sweetheart and easy on the eyes, Nina also noticed how

calm he was on trail rides and how much he seemed to enjoy being out in nature.

Susan remembers being impressed by the level of commitment and involvement the whole

Sellers family showed when it came to their new four-legged family member. Since the adoption

Nina has spent significant time on additional training for her and Shields, with the head trainer at

Red Bucket even coming to her property several times to help them work through issues and

challenges. Nina was amazed that even after the adoption was final, Red Bucket was committed

to doing whatever it took to make it the best possible experience for both her family and her new

horse. But it only shows how truly committed we are to making “forever” happen with every

adoption we facilitate. So it came as no surprise that when it was time to find a companion for

Shields, the Sellers family once again turned to Red Bucket. And that’s how a gelding named

Scout became Shields’ brother and partner in crime.

Nowadays Nina and Shields take twice weekly riding lessons or go cattle sorting. On the

weekends they usually go on long trail rides. She says, “Shields has taught me to be a great rider.

He has definitely given me some challenges but he knows my limit.” She also likes to take her

two “boys” to a local arena to turn them out for some running, bucking and just plain old horseplay.

Naturally, Shields has bonded closely with Nina because they spend a lot of time together

training and riding. But he has also become quite fond of Nina’s father who generally takes care

of the horses, feeds them and makes sure their stalls are comfy and clean.

Julie Shields and her husband Alan are cherished members of the Red Bucket family. Julie, a

valued volunteer, contributor and adopter herself, for whom our beautiful gray Arabian was

named, is thrilled with this particular match. “Shields is a fiery little fellow who is doing great in

his new life as a performance horse,” she says.

Many years of happy trails to you Nina, and your “dream” of a horse!