No Easy Task
What may seem like simple chores around Red Bucket Ranch are actually quite complex, and physically demanding, as our featured volunteer can attest to.
While watching his mom, Diana Harper, feed our horses, Jason Harper quipped, “That looks like a piece of cake!” After one evening in Diana’s shoes, Jason was singing a different tune.
“Jason thought feeding our horses looked like easy work, but after the first night on the job, he was crying about how tired he was!” Diana shares. “I don’t think he realized the amount of work that goes into feeding! He has come a long way in the two years he has been volunteering with us, and now Jason even helps me with training new volunteers in feeding. We teach them to make and deliver buckets, and do “wellness checks” at night, which includes checking water, filling hay nets, delivering flakes, removing fly masks and being sure that all the stalls are properly locked. Jason has been a huge help in making buckets, and he also loves spending time talking to the horses and scratching their withers and backs. He feels he needs to go around doing this to make them feel loved.”
A man of few words, Jason admits that his volunteer work has made him appreciate what it takes to run the Ranch. He also admits that the horses have taught him to be more sensitive toward all animals’ needs and care. “My mom has helped me every step of the way. She taught me a lot about feeding and working around horses, and I’ve developed a special connection with Galway, Kolcheck and Cece.” For as much as Jason has put into the care and exactness of feedings, he has in return learned a gentleness and compassion that only our horses can teach.
Susan Peirce admits that Jason is a lovable gentleman who has become an important team member. “Jason is such a teddy bear! He has become a fixture on the feed crew and has worked his way into becoming a very integral part of our team. It has been wonderful watching him blossom into such a horse lover; he has a gentleness and tenderness that is impossible to teach. Jason is the perfect example of a volunteer that gets out of Red Bucket as much as he puts in.”
Over the past two years, Jason has grown very attached to our group as a whole. “I’m not sure if Jason has changed or if it was me who has changed in working with him as an adult,” shares mom Diana. “It has been great for him to see how our horses have their own personalities and special needs. From Fenton the mule to little Munchkin the pony, they are all so unique and teach us such valuable lessons in life. For being such a giant, Jason can be a very gentle soul. He has a way of making any new volunteer feel comfortable, and he offers the same compassionate understanding to the horses.”
We are grateful Jason did not give up after that first grueling night at the Ranch! From all of us at Red Bucket, including Galway, Kolcheck, Cece, Fenton and Munchkin, we offer up a huge thank you to Jason for all of the love that he sends our way.