Many horses who find their way to Red Bucket do so out of the need to be rescued and

rehabilitated. Most of the time the horses that find solace at the Ranch have made their

way there to escape various circumstances. However, for a few, this has not been the

first attempt at being rescued, but Red Bucket makes sure it is the last. This was true of

Dr. Seuss who had been a racehorse and needed to be saved twice, something that is

not uncommon for horses. We learned about Dr. Seuss from a fellow rescuer in

Northern California who had contacted us about him, and we followed our mantra to

save all that we can, then one more.

Upon further assessment, we learned that Dr. Seuss had a delightful personality; he

was knowledgeable, but needed to be fine tuned. So during his time at “charm farm,” we

were able to rehabilitate and restore Dr. Seuss’ trust in us so he had the confidence to

be matched with his forever home.

For Andrea Elwell, learning how to ride, and the desire to become a horse owner, had

been an aspiration for her entire life. Having spent many years of her childhood in New

York, and then Arizona, she planned on having a barn before it was even a realistic

possibility. She had taken lessons sporadically over the years but had really increased

her level of experience which made her feel comfortable when moving forward with her

dream of having her very own horse. When that time had arrived, she knew exactly

where to go.

Having come across Red Bucket Equine Rescue in a magazine while on vacation in

Huntington Beach, Andrea has been a long-time supporter of Red Bucket and had been

amazed by what she saw after having come out to the ranch for a tour all the way from

Arizona! Andrea visited us again when she was ready to begin the matching process.

Having first rights on two horses, Andrea brought her entire family to the Ranch to

assess which horse would be the best fit. It was during that weekend visit when Dr.

Seuss stopped interacting with the other horses he was turned out with to walk over to

Andrea, her husband, and their kids. It was this almost magical, special (Seussian)

gesture that allowed Andrea to realize that her childhood dream was about to come

true. Dr. Seuss wanted to go home with this family, and he did everything possible to

ensure that he did.

While reality may not have been so lyrical, or colorful, as a children’s book may depict it

to be, Andrea has never been happier. She puts hard work into her relationship with Dr.

Seuss because she thinks he deserves every chance. When asked about what it is like

to own a horse, Andrea gives a very honest answer: “The relationship is different than

with any other animal; it’s a partnership. You can’t be afraid of commitment, and you get

what you put into it.”

From childhood dreams, to accomplished reality, Andrea and Dr. Seuss allow us to

remember the places we can go with hard work and dedication even after rescue and

rehabilitation.