Jenifer Soto

Like so many other little girls I always dreamed of having a horse of my own, but it was never a possibility. Eleven years ago when I moved to the Bryson-Hesperia area I came upon Redwings! I was working full time then, so I would occasionally stop by to admire the beauty and playfulness of the horses in the herd. Then I got laid off from my job, and I finally had my chance to help out by volunteering at Redwings on a weekly basis; something I’ve done for the last four and one-half years.
While I’ve grown close to some of the horses and burros over the years, I always admired the gorgeous palomino draft on the hill called Lover Boy. He seemed so magnificent to me that I wanted to get closer to him, but I’d heard that he was very shy. After I completed my Level-2 training and had more experience, I went into his pasture to groom his herd mates. He always stayed on the hill, peeking at me from behind a tree. After a few weeks he moved closer, and finally one day he let me touch him! With patience, I had won his trust.
Now, Lover Boy “cuddles” with me by putting his nose against my chest and nuzzling my neck. A couple of weeks ago he even played a trick on me by stealing the straw from my water bottle. Then, running away with it he’d look at me over his shoulder, toss his head up and down, and then toss the straw in the air. Oh, how I love that gorgeous palomino draft horse on the hill.