A suspected thief snatched three horses from trail riders, mostly kids whose work with horses keeps them away from trouble in the Greenspoint area.
Children in that area call Cedric Robinson, 58, “Unk.”
“That’s (because he’s) been around me for a minute now,” AJ Shepherd, one of the trail riders said.
Robinson embraces them as if they were his own. So, when young thieves broke into his barns and stole horses and saddles used to help his kids, he cringed.
“I was thinking, man, who would do that to us,” Robinson said.
He mostly invites at-risk youth, even former gang members to join his “Step It Up Ridahs,” who steer past trouble through horse rides and trail rider parties.
“This is life for me,” Shepherd said. “I don’t know how to explain it. It’s just me being around these horses and just up here around everybody cooking, partying up here, dancing, life is fun.”
Then, Saturday, three horses and three saddles vanished.
“I (saw) all the gates open and I said ain’t nobody on (a) trail ride or nothing,” Charles Johnson of the “Step It Up Ridahs” said.
“I was like oh my gosh our horses are missing,” Tamara Scott, one of the “Step It Up Ridahs” said.
Robinson immediately called trail ride bosses headed into Houston for the Livestock Show and Rodeo.
“I said we got a paint horse, two Tennessee walkers out there,” Robinson said. “If anybody comes up talking about selling horses please let us know.”
A tip led him to a wooded area on Mansfield Street in Acres Homes where he saw strangers holding the stolen horses. Houston Police confronted Rodney Battles, 20, who claimed he bought the horses on Facebook.
“I said what they gave you two extras for that,” Robinson said. “And then he wouldn’t say anything.”
Prosecutors charged Battles with theft. Robinson believes Battles had help in the crime. However, as someone with his own brushes with the law in the past, “Unk” also believes in second chances.
“They could have walked through the front gate if they wanted horses,” Robinson said. “And we’d have to let them join the club and they could have rode. Like I said, we have gang bangers, drug dealers and we try to turn all of them into better people.”