Woodinville resident Carolyn Gudmundson has been named as Save a Forgotten Equine’s June Volunteer of the Month. She was selected for this honor because of all the years she’s helped look after our rescue horses with consistency, with genuine care, and with absolute gusto. Carolyn is a workhorse, a go-getter and a tireless leader of her crew team. She’s been an amazing, long-time asset to SAFE.
Carolyn was looking for an opportunity to work with animals again after leaving work as a biologist when her youngest son was born. She saw SAFE’s location and thought it sounded interesting. Carolyn began volunteering with SAFE in the fall of 2015, after her youngest son started Kindergarten.
Carolyn has seen a lot of horses come and go during her time at SAFE. It’s hard to choose a favorite, but one that sticks out in her mind is Emmy. “My first day volunteering at SAFE I went in to clean Emmy’s stall and paddock. I had a pair of leather gloves in the back pocket of my pants. Emmy thought they were quite intriguing and followed me around the paddock while I cleaned, trying to nibble on the gloves. It was a fun way to begin my time at SAFE.”
“I’ve felt blessed to be a part of the amazing team of volunteers at SAFE. Much of the work is thankless, dirty work but people do it gladly and I’ve had a great opportunity to rub shoulders with some wonderful folks. Many people find it hard to believe I would voluntarily clean horse stalls and other barn chores but I have loved watching the transitions the horses who come in to our care go through. Most of the horses come to SAFE with severe physical and behavioral challenges because of neglect and abuse. It’s inspiring to watch the changes these horses go through as they learn to trust humans again. Love, care, patience, and persistence changes lives, animal and human alike. Other horses come to SAFE when, due to circumstances beyond their control, their owners can no longer care for them. It is a difficult decision to have to make to surrender a beloved pet. I’m thankful a place like SAFE exists so, when owners have to make that decision, their horses have a future.”
When not volunteering for SAFE, Carolyn spends most of her time keeping up with her three sons and their active, busy schedules.
