Artie

A is for Artie, and also for Asking ourselves how this Awesome guy hasn’t been snatched up yet? This 11 year old Yakima Reservation Horse stands at an Admirable 13.3, but don’t let his status as a short king have you writing him off — he is a stout and hearty dude! Artie remains calm cool collected in the face of new situations and environments, and we think this Adventurous guy would make for a great trail partner. Amicable Artie gets along great with other horses of all temperaments, and is an absolute pleasure to handle on the ground. 

We can’t wait for Artie to find his human Amigo!

Kirsten AL has been working with and riding Artie for the last several months, and back in June took him to the Buck Brannaman clinic in Ellensburg. Here’s what she has to say about the experience:

“This guy! Artie recently participated in the Buck Brannaman Foundations Clinic in Ellensburg, WA and he did not fail to impress. Calm. Cool. Collected. What a champ! From loading at SAFE, to walking around a huge arena filled with wind, clapping flags, metal bleachers and noisy stomping to tons of new horse friends – he kept his mind on the business at hand and paid close attention to the instructions given.

When arriving at E’burg, Artie was selected to “room” next to a pawing, whinnying mare and wasn’t phased a bit. Then onto getting saddled and into the arena for a first peek, we went. In hoping to explain Artie’s capabilities, it is important to note that this is my first time taking a horse to Buck’s clinic and Artie didn’t pick up on my jittery nerves. Artie’s demeanor helped me to focus and enabled me to be a better student. It felt like he was saying, ‘I’ve got you”!

During the skills portion of our work together, he confidently moved through united circle, hindquarters, stepping up to the wall, all forms of backing and even riding up to a trot with a soft feel. Artie has an incredible heart of compassion, care and connection. His stability in a new situation is beyond noteworthy and I’m hopeful that his forever family will cherish this guy!”

Kirsten L has been riding Artie for several months, and brought him in to the March Joel Conner clinic. Here is her report on the experience:

“Mr. Artie Shaw is quite the gentleman! This was my first riding clinic with Joel and Artie was incredibly patient with my learning curve. Levelheaded. Confident with new horses. Unflappable when asked to walk, trot, lope, and didn’t spook once. We’ve found a sweet spot when bridling to help him with his history of poll shyness – he likes slow movements, lots of gentle rubs and routine! He stands well when saddling and is excellent when putting the boots on his front feet and equally as great at lifting his back feet. Like a true gentleman, Artie has much to give a future adopter including taking great care of his rider and a willingness to provide a stable start for a new owner!”

Terry has the following addition about Kirsten and Artie during the clinic:

“I was thoroughly impressed with Kirsten and Artie’s performance in the clinic. Despite it being Artie’s first-time riding through the full three-day, three-hour classes, he seemed to maintain his energy levels throughout. Kirsten even worked with him at the lope towards the end of the last day. This is a significant achievement for the little pony, considering he initially struggled with enthusiasm, showing more “whoa” than “go” at the start of his riding career.

However, one issue arose during the class when Artie began shaking his head, showing reluctance to stand still, and even exhibiting a little hop with his front end. I decided to mount him to assess the situation. After a brief examination, it became clear that he was unhappy with the bit having extra contact in both reins. It was reassuring to see that his discomfort did not escalate into anything dangerous.

Kirsten demonstrated her skill by adjusting her contact and providing more significant releases in the reins and her body language to communicate to Artie that she was no longer asking him to do something. Offering a horse peace even within movement is a crucial lesson for riders and handlers alike. It communicates to the horse that as long as they stay connected and doing what was asked, continual cuing is not needed.

I often liken this to driving with a turn signal left on after changing lanes. The constant clicking becomes grating, much like Artie’s discomfort with excessive contact in the bridle beyond what is necessary. Observing Artie’s responses to different riders and his boundaries regarding what he is willing to tolerate provides valuable insights.

Overall, it was a great learning experience for Kirsten, and it was heartening for us to witness Artie’s adaptability and his clear communication of his needs.”

If SAFE had class superlatives, Artie would definitely win ‘friends with everyone.’ He is the horse that most other horses (at least if they’re geldings) first meet, and for good reason. Artie’s mellow demeanor around other horses helps introduce even the most unseasoned herd members to the idea of drama-free interaction. A lot of ex-studs come to Artie, all with varying degrees of politeness, and Artie greets each one in stride. He will kick up his heels a bit, and enjoys engaging in gelding mouth games once in a while, but for the most part is just a rock steady energy that is a real boon for horses who are just learning the ropes on how to interact with other horses.

He may not weigh a ton, but Artie is worth more than his weight in gold as a friend, especially a first friend, to other horses!

Notes:

• Artie tends towards the dull side, but has a lot of try. He will work hard knowing a break is coming.
• Poll shyness — can be reactive to things in that area, especially if they are sudden. Has come a LONG way with this.
• Can be reactive to flag by his poll or in his blind spots — new environmental factors can bother him (see can bag)
• If you prove your leadership skills to him, that translates to his trust of you in many other capacities
• Stopping on a hind, good. But fully turning loose to it, not as good. Might not carry over out of context.
• Right is his more difficult side — has more trouble with things on that eye
• Ties, but still has a bit of a pullback spot in there. Having something come up on the side of him will incite panic. Hasn’t yet tied in a trailer or shut the divider in for this reason.
• Has been handed over to others to ride, monitoring for the common issues that might arise with a more intermediate rider.

What drink comes to mind when you are asked to conjure up the most refreshing, thirst-quenching beverage? Is it a gallon bucket of water with a handful of senior and a little bit of salt? No? Well you must not be a horse then!

We give ‘sweet water’ to our horses in a variety of situations. When the temperatures drop, often does the horses’ desire to drink water. A warm sweet water, however, is not something they readily refuse. On the opposite side of the spectrum, when the heat comes, we want to keep the horses well-hydrated. This situation also calls for a sweet water. Colicky horse? Sweet water, hold the salt! Particularly hard work session? Sweet water!!

The senior mostly dissolves in the bucket, making for what is technically just an incredibly soupy mash. But there are typically some bits and pieces of solid that remain, or a nice slurry that sinks to the bottom. The horses who are wise to the nature of sweet water will often go bobbing for senior, aka sticking the majority of their heads into the bucket in order to get those good bits down at the bottom.

Artie is no stranger to sweet waters, and knows just how to maximize his enjoyment of the good stuff. After a workout one day, we let Artie imbibe, and captured the following video of him demonstrating how best to taste the complex flavor profiles of senior enhanced water, and also how to clear out one’s nostrils after going diving for senior bits. Check it out!

Much like watching a plant grow, it is difficult sometimes to see the change in something unless you can clearly see from where you began. Sure, you know it’s different, but how different can be hard to quantify without a comparison.

We first met Artie as a untouched stallion, one whose extreme amount of self-preservation came by way of necessity. When you’re defending a band of mares, it works in your favor to always be looking over one shoulder, to react strongly and quickly to something coming over top of you, to kick out at things that have the misfortune of rubbing you the wrong way. But when you’re a horse bound for domesticity, these traits become a bit less desirable. The threat of things above you makes it very difficult to ever wear a rider, and the casual brush of something against your hocks means the farrier needs to consider taking out a more robust life insurance policy before touching your feet.

Artie showed us from very early on that these ingrained traits would not go quietly. His initial reactivity was what had us relegating him to companion status in the first place, feeling that the amount of work it would take to make him a safe riding horse would lead us all down a steep and difficult road. But if horses do anything, they surprise us time and time again. Artie showed us that with a little bit of patience and a lot of time, he could accomplish those things we thought were out of the cards for him, one example being working through things in his blind spots.

In his early days, Artie had an incredibly difficult time changing eyes. Having something behind him in his blind spot, even for a moment, caused him a lot of anxiety. On his better days, this looked like a quick spin. On his not as good days, it looked like a sharp kick in the direction of whatever was behind him. So much time went in to helping Artie through this spot of anxiety — hours upon hours upon hours spent helping him change eyes, showing him that that scary flag or rope or person wasn’t out to get him. And slowly, sometimes nearly imperceptibly so, Artie began to change, to see the light, if you will, even if that light was in his blind spot at first.

This short video shows Artie at a place close to where he began (those earliest days, unfortunately, live only in our memories), fearful and anxious to change eyes. It ends with Artie where he is today, a lot more willing to let people in that blind spot, to change eyes, to have things touch him. Something I didn’t mention was Artie’s other blind spot, under the chin, which is a story for another time. But you can take my word for it in believing that he has come a long way in this department as well.

We knew that Artie has transformed from a seedling into the beginnings of an impressive tree, but it is very fun to be able to watch back and see exactly how far he has come!

Artie has spent a great amount of time under saddle recently, and while he has been on the occasional traipse around the property, he had yet to explore the big wide world… until now!

We at SAFE are lucky enough to be situated beside a park, which means we essentially have backyard access to horse trails. With the weather how it is, dry and hot, we do our best to make it out for trail walks as often as our busy days allow for. Some days, this looks like us handwalking our horses through the forested trail, reminiscent of going on a hike with an overlarge dog. But other times, the horse is feeling so good and the timing is right that we can ride out. Everyone has to have their first ride sometimes, and recently, it was Artie’s time to test his mettle out away from the comfort of his familiar round pens and arenas.

As you can see, he did a stellar job. Almost immediately after walking on to the quiet of the trail he let down with several big exhalations. He was comfortable leading the pack, but was equally as relaxed when his temporary herdmates disappeared around a bend and he lost track of them.

Artie is still available for adoption as a riding horse. He is still quite green, so will need more miles under saddle out on the trails with a confident rider, but from what we’ve seen thus far it looks as though Artie could really go places as far as being a little trail pony goes.

Given how mellow he has been under saddle thus far, we had no reason to believe that Artie would not be able to find as much comfort in his rider outside the arena as he did within it. And our hypothesis was proved correct when taking him out for the first time for a walk around the property. Artie was a very brave boy, walking over pallet bridges, through puddles, and by all sorts of birds and other creatures. We are excited to get this guy out on the trails for real, but expect him to make someone a stellar companion in all sorts of environments.

Extra extra, read all about it — Artie Shaw is available for adoption as a riding horse! There was a time, not all that long ago, when we wrote riding out of Artie’s future. His first experiences with the saddle were so dramatic that we felt the time and effort it would take to get him comfortable, not to mention the risk involved for those humans on the ground, seemed to outweigh the potential gain of making him a riding horse. But then a situation arose that alleviated us of having to make a choice, for Artie found a home as a companion horse.

Artie’s return to SAFE a year later was unexpected, but not unwelcome. It gave us another chance to check in with him, and what we found was that Artie was ready for a second try.

So now, going on 4 years after his arrival as a wild stallion, Artie is ready to go to his forever home as a riding horse.

Now for the details: Artie was only started at the tail end of 2022, so he is still considered green, and will need an adopter who is comfortable with putting more miles on a horse and helping support him through new experiences. Artie is also more woah than go at this point, so would do best with a rider who can keep him lively and moving to prevent him from dulling out. However, Artie has so far felt very safe to his riders – he is not spooky, and handles new environments like a champ. He’s spent some time riding in the outdoor arena recently, and even amidst geese honking and the energy of other horses working nearby, Artie kept his cool. Really, not much seems to bother him these days.

The same is true on the ground. Artie is a complete and total puppy dog to handle (his nickname amongst staff and volunteers is, in fact, ‘puppy,’ because of his gentle disposition) and has really transformed into a model horse citizen. He is safe for nearly anyone to halter, lead, groom, and blanket, and he is a horse who I feel confident introducing non-horse people to because of his gentle energy and kind disposition. He does very well in a herd, and tends to get along with all types due to his tendency to stay out of trouble. He is currently good buddies with Otto, and the two play for hours each day. But despite his friendships, he is not herd bound.

Artie is a truly special horse, and we’re so excited to start showing him off to adopters.

Since his debut as a riding horse at the end of 2022, Artie has really shown he is the little horse who could. From his early days as a literal wild stallion to now, it’s hard to even picture him as the same horse. His nickname around the barn now is ‘puppy’ because of how sweet and docile he has become, and his temperament under saddle is mostly just more of the same. He has a tendency to get dull, and therefore needs a little bit of a kick, literally and figuratively, to get going sometimes, but he has made major improvements in his life since his first rides. He is much more likely these days to take his rider up on the good deal of their first ask, rather than them having to resort to a more firm aid.

Well, it’s official: our sweet, handsome little Artie is a riding horse, and we couldn’t be more proud of him.

Lexee N has been working with Artie for the last few months, and has been a huge part of this guy’s transformation. She calls him “Artie the wonder pony!” and says his tagline could be something like: “Coming to life under saddle in all the right ways!”

Emphasis on ‘life.’ His first rides would have never indicated that his first saddling went the way it did, with him doing everything in his power to get the saddle off from the moment it was cinched up around him. The preparation leading up to the moment Joel swung his leg over was immense, and it was this same preparation that made that first ride so, dare I say, easy.

Artie does not have much get up and go, however, so getting him to move out was a difficult endeavor. That will definitely be a spot to work on with him going forward (no pun intended) to ensure he stays responsive moving up through the gaits. Having a second person in the arena with a flag to help move a horse like Artie out helps the rider to not have to do as much, and teaches the horse how to come up off the feel of the rider’s seat vs. their legs. After only a few sessions using this method, it was clear that Artie was understanding a bit better, and ‘feeling’ of his rider more. As Lexee put it, “He’s a character that tends to work smarter not harder which can be difficult to convince him the balanced way is the right way. However, that said, his tool box is slowly becoming a tool bench and he knows what to reach for now.”

Artie’s tool bench, as Lexee puts it, will only continue to grow as the pair continue their groundwork together, and those same tools will come in handy for his riders as well. We are so delighted that this amazing guy “made it” under saddle, and can’t wait to see what the future holds for him as his training continues.

Horse, or hat model? These days when he’s not wearing a saddle, Artie Shaw entertains with displays of handsome stoicism to rival any fashion week editorial.

I jest, of course – a hat perched atop his head is not a common look for Artie. And while I’ll be the first to admit it’s quite a delight to play dress up with a handsome little horse, the fact that Artie allows such childish displays speaks to just how far he has come. It was not long ago that even the suggestion of something passing over his ears, let alone something perched atop them, was enough to set him off into a nervous spiral. Artie’s growth has been exponential, and this small, silly display speaks to just how astronomical those leaps and bounds have been.

When a horse leaves SAFE for its new home, we hope that there is a ‘forever’ tacked in front, but this is not always the case. But our commitment to a SAFE horse is lifelong, and when Artie needed to return to us, we welcomed him back with open arms.

Artie had left SAFE as a companion. This was not always our intent for him – an able bodied young gelding like Artie was more than capable of becoming a riding horse. But his years spent as a stallion, defending his band and himself in the veritable ‘wild’ he was rescued from had made him cautious, perpetually concerned with the threat of danger descending from overhead. This trait, while very useful for survival outside captivity, is not one very well suited to domestic life. When we first started Artie’s training under saddle and saw immediately how difficult it would be for him to unlearn his ways of self-preservation and be comfortable with a rider on his back. There comes a point in our assessment and work with a horse where we determine that what the horse would have to go through to be a safe riding horse would not be worth it to them, and we are fully under the belief that just because a horse is not a riding horse does not make them any less valuable. So when Artie found a home as a companion, we couldn’t have been happier for him.

And you already know what happens next. Artie returns to SAFE, and to greet him again as a domestic pony while his wild stallion days still remain fresh-ish in our minds is the best kind of shock. Here is an Artie who has learned how to wear a blanket, and who has stood for a fresh cut from a pair of clippers. Artie has grown since his days as a feral thing, confined to a round pen for fear he’d make a break for it. We took Artie’s return to SAFE as a new chapter in his life, to be filled with some new experiences.

After Terry’s initial assessment, Lexee N began groundwork with Artie. After hours in the round pen together, working their way through the Red Book, it was determined that becoming a saddle horse was perhaps not out of the question anymore. But they would have to take things slow, go at Artie’s pace, which was fine by all involved parties. Our horsemanship volunteers are nothing if not patient, and so Artie’s new journey began.

So far, things are going well for these two. There are many steps taken to prepare a horse for being saddled and eventually carrying a rider, but as Lexee assures Artie, they have all the time in the world.

Artie is adopted and he lives with a SAFE Alumni pony, Ruckus! Jacquie was looking for a companion to live with Ruckus and turned to SAFE searching for a horse buddy.

As the Volunteer Manager, I like to ask volunteers if they have a favorite horse at SAFE. Of course, many reply with “I like them all! BUT if I had to choose, it would be…” There is usually a horse or two that stands out to each one of us. Artie was my standout horse and most recent favorites on the farm. Most people who spend a little time around SAFE talk about the transformations the horses go through. It’s a cool thing to witness a horse with an uncertain future arrive at SAFE fearing people and see them transform into a calm horse who now has a bright future. Spend some time in the barn and you will hear current volunteers telling brand new volunteers stories of how “That horse was so thin,” or “that horse was scared of everything” and “Wait until you see them now, they are a whole new horse.” Artie was one of those horses.

He was part of the Fall City 40 situation two years ago. Many of those horses were adopted out to qualified homes, but those who didn’t find homes, came at SAFE. Artie was still a stallion when he arrived, so he was separated from all other horses and only staff were allowed to clean his paddock. He was always very respectful, standing on the opposite end of his turnout, always calm, but keeping a watchful eye on you. Terry, our Operations Director, spent her time getting him to trust her and slowly introducing the halter and human touch. Artie took longer than most of our horses and Terry spent a lot of time closely working with him. It was a long time before we could walk him outside of his paddock. Artie was once a horse who stayed as far as he could from people and easily spooked and right before he left, he was a horse that walked right up to you to be haltered.

There are many reasons I love being part of SAFE, but one of my favorite reasons is they listen to the horses’ needs. Most of the time if a horse is young and healthy we start them on a path to becoming a riding horse. Most adopters are looking for a riding horse, so it makes sense to make them the most adoptable they can be. Occasionally along the way we learn that a particular horse is not suited for that path. After working with Artie for quite some time, the staff came to the conclusion the nicest thing to do for Artie was to offer him as a companion horse as he struggled with things coming down over him. How would he ever except a saddle and rider and how long would it take? We believe his time as a stallion he was constantly protecting his little herd of mares and babies from other stallions who would come down over him. As a healthy 8‑year-old horse, some might want to keep pushing him, but SAFE made the kindest choice for Artie to live his life free of the stress of something on top of him. This could make it harder to find him a home, but it was the best decision for him. So, you can imagine how overjoyed everyone was when we knew he was being adopted!

When Artie arrived at Jacquie’s place, she took a video of him being walked onto the property. All you can hear is his new buddy, Ruckus, calling repeatedly in the background. You can hear the excitement in Ruckus’ neigh and the giggles from Jacquie as she films his arrival. Shortly after we receive updates that Ruckus and Artie love each other, they are immediately playing, trotting around and insist on eating out of the same hay bag. Jacquie is in love with our handsome man and so is Ruckus.

Jacquie recently sent us this update: “It’s been a month since Artie arrived home and each day I’m more in love with this boy. Not only are him and Ruckus total buddies, but he is so smart and quick to learn. He has learned how to stand tied, be patient for things, get baths that make him feel good, wear blankets of all kinds and relax in his work. He is also learning his body has Dressage gears he didn’t know he was capable of. He is amazing to work with once he finds things are no big deal he moves forward with great confidence. He gets to take tours of the property and has quickly learned the garden rocks will not eat him. He is consistently giving me his eye, checking in and paying attention to what’s next. He likes to check out what we’re doing around the farm and he and Ruckus are both the gate greeters when you go over for a visit. He is an incredibly sweet boy with a wise and silly personality and I absolutely love him.”

The day Artie left to his new home, Terry posted on her Facebook page “You’ve taught me more in a year than any other horse. Our time comes to an end, but I celebrate every single accomplishment and the gravel you put in my guts! Artie, you will never be forgotten. My sweet boy, I will miss you. Thank you for trusting me. I love you.” Artie was very loved at SAFE and we are so happy we found a family who instantly loved him as much as we do.

Artie’s start to life was different than most horses, even compared to most horses that arrive at SAFE. He was a stallion before his arrival and spent his time in a fairly small space having to protect his little herd of mares and foals. He was most likely constantly defending himself from other stallions. It is no wonder that Artie struggles with having things come from behind him and above his head. This is a conundrum because how will we get Artie used to having a person on top of him, riding when he is used to predators and danger coming down on him. Looking at this through Artie’s eyes, he’s not a bad horse, he has his reasons for his actions and we continue to try and show him he doesn’t need to be protective of himself of those who are not trying to hurt him.

At this time, we continue to help him advance his abilities to possibly be a riding horse through our training program. We have no expectations that he must become a riding horse and will constantly evaluate what is best for him. At some point SAFE may consider discontinuing our attempts to saddle and ride him if the level of risk for those involved is too great or the time, energy and resources to start one horse no longer makes sense.

Artie has come very far in his other areas of training. He now has good ground manners, holds still for the farrier and has worked through his fear of being vaccinated. He has come to a level where he could have a

Artie relaxing with his friend Anderson

perfectly happy and healthy life as a companion horse. If we decided to have keep Artie as a companion, that would mean he would not be allowed to be riding horse for the rest of his life, however there are many opportunities to further his abilities through hand lead obstacle trails and groundwork. He is extremely smart and as a gelding he is very gentle with other horses and people. Every horse we add to Artie’s paddock, he welcomes in as a new friend. He truly is an easy-going, gets along with everyone, guy.

Little mister Artie sure is becoming a gentle little gelding! While he still has quite a ways to go in his training, the amount of improvement that Artie has shown is incredible. It wasn’t that long ago that Artie was the wild stallion kept in the round pen because he couldn’t be led out. Now he comes into a stall for the night! The same horse that couldn’t handle a rope going over his ears is now carrying a rope around his hind end and changing eyes without scrambling. The future is bright for Artie!