Stevie

description: 2013 black Mustang gelding
type of rescue: Owner Surrender
intake date: 6/19/2016
adoption date:12/8/2017
length of time with SAFE: 1 year 5 months

ADOPTED!! by Diana

Stevie is a young mustang gelding who was born at a wild horse sanctuary. Stevie was adopted by a family who fell in love with his photo, and ultimately decided to take a second young mustang, Lacey, as well. Unfortunately their adopter was forced to rehome the two youngsters due to personal circumstances. Two years later, the original owners were contacted by the person who had taken them, who also was unable to keep them. Concerned for their safety, both owners turned to SAFE for help. We evaluated the horses with the assistance of our veterinarian at Mt Rainier Equine, who found them to be in decent health and soundness, but pretty thin. Stevie needed to gain about 150 pounds. The two horses were surrendered into our care.

After he was fully recovered, Stevie was started under saddle by Joel Conner and made great progress learning to be a riding horse. He was ridden at SAFE 4–5 days per week by one of our volunteer riders who helped him develop into a wonderful partner under saddle. He found his forever home with Diana who was looking for a riding partner she could grow with.

A Home for Stevie

by | Jan 18, 2018 | ,

We are so excited to announce the placement of Stevie into a wonderful forever home with Diana! The pair hit is off right away. Diana was looking for a riding partner she could grow with and was taken with this dark eyed love bug! Diana took time to get to know Stevie before moving him. She asked a lot of great questions and was a very conscientious adopter. Casey and Diana met a few times and worked together with Stevie to help make it a smooth transition.

Diana wanted to find him a name that connected him to the Pacific Northwest and his mustang heritage. Stevie, now known as Chinook, is settled into his new home and has already won the hearts of all the mares on the property! 

Here is a little of what Diana had to say about how he is doing: “He’s made tons of new friends — his bestie is Crystal, an appendix quarter horse. And all the mares thus far seem to have a massive crush on him! His nick name is Curious George because he loves to stick his nose (literally) in everyone’s business. Don’t worry … I make sure he minds his manners. He’s settled in to his new home very nicely and is well behaved. I’m there every day and he continues to be a very quick learner and enjoys our lessons 2x / week. He also loves to go for walks around the farm, especially to visit the chickens and turkeys on the property. Thank you guys for the amazing foundation you have given him, especially Casey’s dedication. Please let everyone know that we’re continuing to advance his skills and I’ll keep in touch with progress.”

Chinook is a shinny example of rescue done right. He came into SAFE skinny, scared, and neglected and transformed into a beautiful well, behaved partner who has the foundation to go and do whatever Diana wants. He knows how to connect to people and truly ready for a wonderful life with his new family!

SAFE Horses at the SAFE Show!

by | Aug 8, 2017 | , , ,

Here are just a few of the photos from Jessica Farren of the current SAFE horses that competed at the SAFE Benefit Horse Show. It was a fabulous weekend of competition, and we all had a marvelous time!

Click to enlarge:

Clinic Photos: Stevie

by | Jul 7, 2017 |

Trail horses available for adoption!

by | Jun 12, 2017 | , , ,

Here at SAFE, we are enjoying the wonderful sunshine by exploring the trails at Farrel-McWhirter Park next door. The horses love to get outside and get a break from arena work. Last week, both King and Stevie went out for their first trail rides and did perfect! We had a nice steady group to help them along, with Anderson in the lead and Cameo bringing up the rear. You can bet we’ll be enjoying many warm days this summer walking in the cool forest with these horses. They all are amazing and more than ready for new homes!

Stevie Under Saddle

by | May 15, 2017 | ,

Stevie did very well while in training with Joel Conner. He accepted a rider well and there were no issues. Joel said that Stevie was the most well prepared horse that SAFE has ever sent him. Thanks to all the hard work Casey put into him, this phase of his training was easy.

Stevie returned to Safe Harbor and Casey has been working with him 4–5 times a week. She rode him at the Joel Conner clinic last month and he did very well with all the other horses and commotion. Casey said that Stevie has been fun to work with and while he is still very green she feels comfortable on him and is enjoying the process of teaching him new things.

When she started riding him, he was pretty mouthy, sticking his tongue out and flapping it around. We also saw him doing this while in his stall so we had Dr. Fleck take a peek at him. Dr Fleck said he had some sharp points and needed a dental float sooner than expected. Stevie was hauled over to Rainland Farm Equine Clinic for his float and had his wolf teeth removed. After a few days off to recover, Casey said he was 100% better and his mouth was quiet again with no sticking his tongue out. When horses have training issues, it’s always good to check that there are no underlying medical issues. A easy fix like a dental float makes all the difference in the world and keeps your riding partner happy and content with the work!

Casey has been working with Stevie for about a month now and things are going really well. She is still primarily using just one rein but has been able to start picking up on two for a soft feel. Stevie is starting to react to her seat and is learning downward transitions from seat aids. This young gelding is very responsive and has a lovely canter.

Stevie is going to be a very nice riding horse. He is young and sound with no conformation issues. He is ready to start meeting prospective adopters and with the foundation we have given him, he can be taught to go in any direction, western or english. We have not taken him out on a trail ride yet but will be venturing out soon. Stevie is suitable for an intermediate rider with help of a trainer or an advanced rider who has experience with green horses. If you are interested, please contact us at adopt@safehorses.org or submit an adoption application on our website.

Here are some recent photos of Casey working with Stevie at Safe Harbor this week.

 

Training Update: Stevie

by | Jan 27, 2017 | ,

Stevie left for Ellensburg last week to begin training with Joel Conner. He was a good boy, jumped right into the trailer and was calm and not stressed even though he was traveling alone. He arrived and settled in well. I spoke to Joel about him and he said that he is doing well and he put the first ride on him today. We were also concerned about the transition to the colder climate but Joel remarked that Stevie is handling the cold very well. He also complemented SAFE again for all the prep work that was done to get him ready for riding. Casey did an amazing job with Stevie which will not only make Joel’s job easier but less stressful for Stevie. We can’t wait to see him going under saddle and getting Casey over to ride him as he transitions back to SAFE as a riding horse. Our plan is to have him with Joel for 30–60 days of professional training so he will be back either the end of February or the end of March.

Here are some photos from the day he left Safe Harbor with one of Stevie’s biggest fans, volunteer Caren M.:

Joel Conner Clinic Report: Stevie

by | Dec 1, 2016 | ,

We are so grateful for the help of our volunteer riders. Casey is one of a very special group of people who make SAFE a great community, working together to train and find adoptive homes for our horses. She has been studying and working up to five times a week out at the arenas with her string of SAFE horses. We love to see all the progress she is making with them and to hear of her successes with both Jewel and Stevie in this past Joel Conner clinic. Here is a bit from Casey about the experience with Stevie:

stevie_11_18_2016_19At the clinic in August, Stevie was very nervous. He had difficulty with the energy in the indoor and passing the auditors on the outside of the ring. He showed great progress at the clinic this weekend. Though he is clearly still troubled about changing eyes, particularly from right to left, he settled into the high-energy atmosphere much faster. He was also better about passing the auditors. Joel worked with him in the round pen and showed me some areas that I will need to continue working in order to prepare Stevie for his first ride. Stevie is a very sensitive guy, and it’s so great to see how this style of horsemanship is helping him find confidence and balance.

Here are some photos of Stevie at the clinic with Casey and Joel:

Saddling Stevie

by | Oct 27, 2016 | ,

Today, after much preparation and groundwork Stevie was ready to be introduced to the saddle. He had just a few bucks feeling out the saddle but quickly settled to a nice comfortable and relaxed walk, trot and lope. Volunteer rider Casey A. has done great work preparing him for this day! The fact that saddling this young horse for the very first time was so easy and uneventful is a direct result of Casey’s patient and correct work. And, as always, we are so very grateful to trainer Joel Conner for helping our training team to develop the skills needed to provide these positive moments for our horses.

First saddling:

Groundwork with saddle:

Photos:

Hi Ho Stevie!

by | Sep 3, 2016 | ,

Stevie and Ben have a whale of a time together in turnout. Geldings love to pretend that they are fierce stallions battling it out on the wild plains. Well, Stevie does, anyway. From Ben’s expression, he might be wishing he was back with Oscar, who was a bit less rambunctious than Stevie is! Thanks to SAFE volunteer Caren M — who also sponsors Stevie with a monthly donation — for catching this action photo.

stevie_09_02_2016

Stevie: New Photos

by | Jul 11, 2016 |

Stevie has been with us now for just 3 weeks and he is settling in to life at Safe Harbor. He is a VERY sweet boy who is sociable and wants to connect with people. Here are some beautiful photos Jessica Farren took of his body condition after 3 week re-feeding. We are not working him yet since he needs all the calories he can get to gain weight but he is getting a little turnout to move around lightly, grass time outside with Lacey and some groundwork with Terry. He is shy but learning that we are his friends. This work is very helpful for gaining his trust and helping him feel confident. He is a bit jumpy and unsure so the quiet patient horsemanship work is really helping him relax and find peace around new people. He is going to be a very nice horse!

Health Update: Stevie & Lacey

by | Jul 11, 2016 | ,

We have taken them slowly through the re-feeding process, starting with just what they were getting for hay when they came to us and slowly increasing that to the full amount required. Horses need between 2–4% of their body weight in hay. Our flakes are about 5 pounds each so since Stevie needs to be around 900 pounds to be at full weight he requires 18–36 pounds of hay, Lacey requires 13–26 pounds per day. In our big 3 string bales of Eastern Washington Timothy hay, at 5 pounds a flake, Stevie will need 4–8 flakes a day and Lacey with 3–6 flakes. From what we estimated, Stevie and Lacey were sharing around 10 pounds of hay per day. It is clear why these two were not thriving and why they both were so thin. For the last 3 weeks we have been increasing their hay a small amount every other day and soaking it for 30 minutes rinsing off extra sugar as they adjust to getting more hay and preventing them from colic.

They were allowed to start a simple vitamin that covered the basic needs and contains the selenium that our Washington hay is lacking. They also were allowed access to the salt mineral block in their stalls right away and of course access to clean water 24 hours a day. Lacey was found many times chewing on her mineral block, a very good indicator that she was in need of them and had not been getting them before coming to SAFE. After working to the full amount of hay and slowly transferred them to dry un-soaked hay, we could begin adding a mash. This week they are begin to get a mash 2x a day to add more calories into their diets. Since they are so thin they simply can’t eat enough hay in one day to recover from their starvation. The mash helps them get more calories while they recover and this too is added slowly over the next few weeks. They will maintain on free choice hay and 2–3x per day mashes until they are up to weight. Then for some time after that as we slowly start them into work as to not slide backwards in their recent weight gain. They will ALWAYS need 2–4% their body weight in hay. Depending on the level of work a horse is in the 2% in the minimum needed to be at weight. This can fluctuate depending on how much grazing time they are able to get in summer month but is a good rule of thumb.

Meet the new kids on the block!

by | Jun 28, 2016 | ,

Stevie (left) and Lacey (right)

Stevie (left) and Lacey (right)

Please join us in welcoming the two newest faces at SAFE! Stevie and Lacey are two young mustangs who were born in the wild, then rounded up and sold at auction. They are now three and a half years old and while they haven’t had the easiest life so far, they have landed in a place where their future is bright.

Stevie and Lacey were born at the Wild Horse Sanctuary, which is located on 5,000 acres of meadow and forest land in Shingletown CA. The Wild Horse Sanctuary is home to nearly 300 wild horses and burros, most of whom were removed from public range lands in many parts of the western United States during government round ups. Foals born at the Sanctuary are offered for adoption each year. Stevie was adopted by a family who fell in love with his photo, and ultimately decided to take on Lacey as well.

Unfortunately their adopter was forced to rehome the two youngsters due to personal circumstances. Two years later, the original owners were contacted by the person who had taken them, who also was unable to keep them. Concerned for their safety, both owners turned to SAFE for help. We evaluated the horses with the assistance of our veterinarian at Mt Rainier Equine, who found them to be in decent health and soundness, but pretty thin. (Stevie needs to gain about 150 pounds, Lacey about 50–75.) The two horses were surrendered into our care, and arrived at Safe Harbor last Sunday.

Of the two, Stevie is the worst off. He’s visibly underweight, with prominent hips and ribs and a ewe neck. Lacey is shorter and stockier, so she does not look as bad as he does. She is also the dominant horse of the pair, so it’s likely that she got the larger share of what they were being fed. Both horses have dull coats from lack of nutrition and seem a little dull attitude-wise as well. They are both extremely sweet and friendly, and quite interested in people, so they have clearly been treated well in their short lives. A few months of good nutrition and plentiful food and they should be just fine.

13501937_10156987916100262_8256269168180473954_nSAFE has “the kids” in quarantine for two weeks where they are being treated for any possible lice and are being closely monitored for any signs of illness by our staff and volunteers. They are also being re-fed an appropriate diet for their current weight and condition.

Once they get a clear bill of health, both Stevie and Lacey will start into training. Stevie in particular has displayed some herd-bound behavior and needs to learn boundaries so he can be safely handled. Lacey has impressed us a lot with her willingness to approach new situations, like trailer loading. She definitely has her moments of mare-ish-ness, but she’s pretty easy to handle and was surprisingly well behaved for the veterinarian. A big plus for a 3 year old and quite promising in terms of her future demeanor!

We look forward to working with these bright young horses and will enjoy watching them as they transform into beautiful representatives of their hardy breed.