According to Red Bucket family member Cathy Hessman, that’s what you get when you

combine a formerly wild horse and a woman who, although crazy about horses, never

believed she’d have another one of her own. This is the story of Jenon Mathes and

Durham, her beautiful 15-year-old liver chestnut Mustang.

Durham and his Mustang pals Foster and Reynolds first came to Red Bucket after

narrowly slipping through the fingers of eager slaughter auctioneers (if you’re

wondering: all three horses were perfectly sound and in excellent health with good

weight and shiny coats!). After a 30-day quarantine period, we brought them to pasture

for some rest and relaxation and to de-stress before heading to the Ranch to begin their

socialization and training. When it was time to collect the Three Musketeers (who were

thick as thieves, by the way) from the pasture, Foster and Reynolds went along

somewhat willingly, but Durham, however, not so much. He wasn’t having any of this

reining-in business, hiding between and behind other horses and avoiding capture at all

costs. No way was he going to give up his freedom again; besides, he knew better than

to trust anyone on two legs! It took many more tries and another several months before

we were finally able to catch him and bring him to the Ranch. To say that he wasn’t a

happy camper when he arrived is an understatement. “Once he was caught it was as

though he resigned himself to whatever would be; it broke my heart. He was so

beautiful, majestic and yet so scared,” recalls Jenon. At the first glimpse of a two-legged

creature approaching, he would immediately retreat to the very back of his stall. He was

extremely guarded and evasive and avoided all eye contact with any human being. It

was several weeks before he even showed any interest in his dinner, lovingly prepared

and delivered by the feed crew in his very own red bucket.

Durham’s mood slowly began to change after Jenon, who has volunteered at Red

Bucket since 2011 and is currently a Breezeway Coordinator, started spending more

time around him. It seems there was some kind of connection between them right from

the start. Jenon was intrigued by Durham, wanted to understand him, to learn his

language (instead of demanding that he learn hers) and to gain his trust, similar to what

she had experienced with a previous rescued Mustang named Banjo. At first Durham

didn’t even know what a carrot was, or any treat for that matter, but Jenon patiently

worked with him by offering tempting goodies and gently reminding him to use his “Lips

– lips only, Durham!” Now every day he continues to grow and accept new things that

Jenon teaches him, like letting her put a fly mask on him and even allowing her to –

gasp – fly spray him. Of course, new challenges continue to lurk around every corner.

For example, a subtle change in Jenon’s appearance, such as hair down vs. in a

ponytail, long sleeves as opposed to her characteristic tank top, or any other color shirt

besides red, elicits much snorting and disapproval from Durham until he’s convinced

that she is still his person. But as he learns to trust, he tolerates these changes better

every day. Diana Harper observes that, sometimes, when Jenon asks him to do

something, he’ll give a look as if to say “Really?” and then he does it anyway. Jenon

explains: “I don’t force him; I give him choices and reward him for every little try, perfect

or not. And he, in turn, rewards me by respecting my space, following me willingly and

letting me know he has accepted me as his partner.” It is because of her kindness and

patience that this “wild horse” has undergone an almost miraculous transformation in

the last 12 months.

In fact, on any given day visitors and volunteers at the Ranch can observe Jenon (when

she gets a few minutes between chores) and her BFF taking a leisurely stroll from one

end of the property to the other with him literally following her around on a loose lead

rope. We all get a big kick out of Durham when he is turned out in one of the big arenas

and Jenon calls him. He instantly responds with this cute whinny and then takes off at a

full gallop to greet her. That’s precisely what Jenon loves most about him – his whinny.

She remembers: “The first time he ran to greet me in the turn out and whinnied all the

way left me speechless with tears in my eyes.” Susanna Woeste states: “It’s easy to fall

in love with a horse, but it’s much more special when the horse also falls in love with

you!”

Still, despite their undeniable connection and the tremendous progress that had been

made on Durham’s end, a horse of her own was not on Jenon’s radar. It was actually

Susan Peirce, who, from her unique vantage point and through quiet observation, came

to realize that this was truly a match made in heaven. Susan is the one who eventually

approached Jenon and flat-out told her: “You love Durham – it’s obvious! He should be

yours and you need to adopt him.” Sometimes we all need that little push to realize

what’s good for us, don’t we? And so, on September 4th, 2014, Susan and Jenon made

another “forever” happen by officially adopting Durham into the Mathes family.

Currently the two remaining Mustangs are roomies at the Ranch while Foster patiently

waits for a home of his own (we’re happy to report that Reynolds, the third Musketeer,

went to his forever home last summer). While Durham is protective of his “brother”

around other horses, he will still hide behind him when he feels threatened, just as he

did back at the pasture. For now Jenon says she has no plans on moving Durham.

Since she spends almost all of her free time at the ranch in Chino Hills, Durham will

continue to live and thrive at the place he’s learned to call home. In the future the pair

hope to venture out on some nice relaxing trail rides in the area to enjoy nature

together. While Durham isn’t quite ready for that kind of adventure just yet, he certainly

takes steps in the right direction every single day.

Everyone you ask and who knows these two peas in a pod wishes them nothing but a

lifetime of companionship, love, trust and happiness. May they grow and thrive together

for many years to come!