Inner Strength
Our featured volunteer exudes strength and grace as he embraces the Red Bucket mission. The volunteers at Red Bucket wear many hats, feeding, grooming, turning out, mucking stalls, fundraising; the list is sometimes endless and the duties always vary. Most jobs require endurance and physical strength while others require innate horsemanship. One of the most valuable characteristics a Red Bucket volunteer can possess is passion, a trait Bob Cronin possesses in spades.
Bob discovered Red Bucket Equine Rescue quite by accident. While searching for a place for his Border Collie to herd sheep in February 2011, he investigated Huntington Beach Equestrian Center and stumbled upon the Red Bucket. “I noticed the ‘no dogs allowed’ sign at the Equestrian Center, but something drew me to this place, and I decided to visit with the horses there. Red Bucket was hosting a ‘Have Lunch With Your Horse Day’ fundraiser, which is where I met Susan Peirce. The rest is history.”
An experienced horseman, Bob has been around horses since he was 13. He spent summers in Wyoming as a ranch wrangler and worked his way up to training Trail, Pleasure, Stock (or Reining), and Stock Seat Equitation and won several championships until a near fatal accident rendered him severely disabled.
With youth on his side, Bob began to heal and continued to ride and train pleasure horses until he no longer had the strength to get on a horse. “Never a day goes by that I don’t miss straddling a good horse,” Bob confides. “I go to the Ranch as often as I can and support Red Bucket in any way that I can. The dedication of all the volunteers at Red Bucket keeps one reminded that there are good, selfless people in this world, and it makes me want to do more and more for this great organization. I was never aware of the way many horses are abused, starved, neglected and abandoned because in my world that never happened. The people I knew respected and loved their horses.”
Jenon Mathes spends a great deal of time with Bob when he visits the Ranch, and she explains how his warm character has made a huge impact on our organization. “I met Bob about 2 years ago while we were still in Huntington Beach. Every time he came to the ranch, he brought a gift for the horses. When we moved to the Ranch in Chino Hills, I didn’t know if we would see him anymore, yet it was only a few weeks before he came bearing gifts. He always shows up when we are in need of carrots, applesauce, apples and canola oil and with the pride that all of our volunteers have as a true guardian for the ‘Ranch the Horses Own’.”
Bob had a very soft spot in his heart for our little Hotwheels, who is no longer with us, and Sawyer, who helps acclimate our most traumatized horses. But it is Liam that tugs at Bob’s heartstrings. “The way he looked when he came to the Ranch versus the way he looks now is amazing,” Bob explains. “He is my kind of horse and I really love him!” Bob can’t wait to meet all of our new arrivals and relishes in those that have found forever homes, especially Banjo, one of our rescued mustangs!
Susan Peirce is deeply touched by Bob’s compassion and wisdom. In her words: “Bob is such a wonderful person, and is indicative of how our volunteers come in all shapes and sizes, from all corners of the world. He is a perfect example of how a person is touched by our horses, and how that person touches our horses in turn. He is loving and selfless, always wanting to be more involved. He is a horseman through and through, and although he may not physically be up to the arduous tasks at the Ranch, he gives his heart and soul in a way that nurtures our horses like none other. Our horses get into our blood and under our skin, and they have a way of making us all walk a little taller, breathe a little deeper and love a lot stronger.”