Alumni Update: Dottie
SAFE Alumni volunteers recently paid a visit to Dottie and her adopter Karmin. Dottie is looking great, she’s at a good weight and was friendly when we visited, asking for lots of scratches and moved so we could reach all the areas that had an itch. She doesn’t lie…
March Joel Conner Clinic Report: Ranger
Carrie S brought Ranger into the groundwork portion of the March Joel Conner clinic, and had this to say about the experience: “What a fun way to start the clinic season! Ranger participated in his very first Joel Conner clinic in March 2025. It was a big week for…
March Joel Conner Clinic Report: Brownie
“Man, Brownie is gonna be a cool horse for someone. In a short time, Brownie has been making strides from an anxious and pushy horse to a more confident and balanced horse. He’s learning how to get his feet under him and understand what people are asking of him. It…
One Week of Eda
Eda was the last of the Valentine Herd to arrive at SAFE from her foster location. Some of her first week has been documented here, and gives a bit of insight into what most horses’ initial homecomings to SAFE look like. Welcome to the herd, Eda!
March Joel Conner Clinic Report: Sienna
Cameron B participated in his first Joel Conner clinic this past March alongside Sienna, and reflects on the experience here: “Working with Sienna during my first Joel Conner Clinic was an incredible experience and one I’m truly grateful for. Throughout the three-day…
New Gelding Mateo
It has been a big week for Mateo, who we are happy to introduce as SAFE’s newest gelding! This new status means that in the next few weeks once he’s healed up, we will see about getting him some buddies (oh Artie, ambassador of the New Gelding Club, looking at you..)…
March Joel Conner Clinic Report: Tiva
The first clinic of the year blows in like the rest of spring: a sudden burst of energy and excitement and new growth. We have been working through the winter months on what we learned back at the end of fall, chipping away at old issues while discovering new ones in…
Guess the Birthday and Name the Foal!
Our Valentine gal Frida is very pregnant and starting to show signs that her foal will be here soon. “Soon” in pregnant mare terms means later this afternoon or five weeks from now. We don’t know when she was bred, so we can’t really guess the impeding arrival date.…
Mabel’s Mishap
The day before she was set to be saddled at SAFE for the first time, we went out to get Mabel at her usual turn-in time and found that she had gashed her leg open. Thoroughly searching the paddock revealed no cause. We guess she decided that stall rest sounded better…
Blissful Mirana
We love it when things work out even better than planned! Mirana is thriving in foster with SAFE alumni Bliss, and we couldn’t be happier! When Bliss suddenly lost her gelding, Buddy, to colic, SAFE jumped into action to ensure she wouldn’t be left without a…
Alumni Update: Emma
We recently checked in with Jan and his adopted horse, Emma. Jan boards another mare on his property and her owner trail rides with Jan and Emma. Both horses also enjoy the company of two friendly goats.
Clarissa Passes
We are so sorry to tell you that last week, we made the sad decision to lay Clarissa to rest. When cleaning her stall in early February, we discovered blood coming from her vulva, a small drip that cleared up in less than 24 hours. Dr Lewis examined her and found no…
Alumni Update: Violet
We recently checked in with Lexee and Violet. Here is what Lexee had to share: Violet has been such a great addition to my herd. She and Duke (my other horse) get along so great. Best friends at first sight. She also loves to run around with him and our minis, Bubba…
King 5: Horses rescued from cockfighting bust near Yelm find new hope
REDMOND, Wash. — Neglected horses have a second chance at life following a large-scale animal cruelty bust near Yelm. The Feb. 13 raid resulted in the arrest of four individuals and the seizure of more than 500 roosters allegedly bred for cockfighting. Terry Phelps,…
Thank You, Bishop Blanchet!
Last Friday, 3/14, SAFE hosted 22 people from Bishop Blanchet High School for their second annual Day of Service. We had around 30% more participants than last year, and a lot of familiar faces returned for round two of facilities projects! These events are always…
Fox 13: Horses rescued from cockfighting farm in Yelm, WA now recovering in Redmond
REDMOND, Wash. — A herd of horses is recovering in Redmond after the animals were rescued from a farm family in Yelm, accused of running a cockfighting operation on the property. The backstory: FOX 13 first reported on the cockfighting raid on February 13. At that…
Introducing SAFE’s Valentine Herd
What’s in a name? For the horses who come to SAFE, it signifies a new beginning. While their names may change as they find new homes and families, each one marks the start of their journey to safety, care, and a brighter future. For the Valentine Herd horses we…
Joel Conner at SAFE: March 21 — 23
This weekend, Joel Conner returns to SAFE for our first clinic of 2025. Here he talks a bit about the style of horsemanship we use here at SAFE, and why. Fellow equestrians, horse lovers, and curious minds—this clinic is for YOU! Joel Conner is an highly…
Sunny and Shasta go to Postdoc Brewing
Last Saturday, Sunny and Shasta hit the town to talk to the good folks over at Postdoc Brewing about SAFE. Well, they let their human handlers do the talking, but standing there looking cute is a full time job in and of itself! As always, the pair were perfect little…
Moshi in March
As Casey A, who works and rides Moshi says, “there’s a lot to love about Moshi.” “A few things that I really appreciate about her are that she’s pretty brave and confident, not a whole lot really bothers her. She hops right on the trailer, we’ve taken her off property…
Nova Goes to Foster
Nova has had enough of this rain and Western Washington Weather –— she has temporarily relocated to the East Side to foster with Blair, Bijou, and Bear. Blair’s ‘R&B Ranch’ is already known to us as a phenomenal place to spend time (just asked Bijou, who loved it…
Alumni Update: Dolly (Rose)
Rose (formerly Dolly) and her adopter Angela are doing great. They made a move to Oregan and enjoy rides in the woods on the weekends with friends. Angela has found that Rose enjoys trail riding a lot better than arena riding.
Trixie is Adopted!
Our favorite kind of failure is the foster kind. We could not be happier to announce that Trixie has been adopted from her foster home! She’s been spending the last half-year or so living her very best life alongside Alumna Rae, getting completely and utterly doted on…
Alumni Update: Ruger (Koa)
We recently checked in with Koa (formerly Ruger) and his adopter Barb. Koa is doing great! He goes for walks twice a week with Barb in Bridle Trails and spends time playing with his mini horse friends in the paddock. He also enjoys the benefits of monthly massages!…
Alumni Update: Gabby & Caramel (Carra)
Our beloved alumni Carra and Gabby are thriving under their adopter Trisha’s care. They enjoy their VIP life on her serene, peaceful farm in Monroe with their herd mates Tess and Hazel. Both have come so far with Trisha. Carra is now being trimmed by her farrier…
Clarissa and Tulip off to Foster
Two of our (TWELVE!) chestnut mares have gone off to foster with our dear friend Manuela, adopter of alumna Freya. Clarissa and Tulip headed to Manuela’s place this past weekend to live alongside Freya and Manuela’s other mare, Mocha. The two of them loaded right up,…
Rest in Peace, Winter
These are the posts that we never want to write. It is with deep sadness that we inform you that we lost Winter to a colic last week. During her time here at SAFE, Winter made good friends — both human and horse. She gained a great deal of confidence in herself,…
Cooper’s Path
Cooper came to SAFE at a time when every human in his life had failed him. As we uncovered his past, we learned how unfortunate his early interactions with people had been. Likely around two years old, he was wild-caught off the Yakima Reservation and pushed into the…
Alumni Update: Cassidy
We recently checked in with Cassidy and her adopter, Bri. They are focusing on participating in the Ride to Rendezvous this May. They have done it in the past and Cassidy did great! Bri said she is so glad SAFE exists and she’s very happy to have Cassidy!
Adopting a Companion Horse from SAFE
If you look at the current population of horses at SAFE right now, eleven of them are what we call “companions” — older horses that can’t really be ridden anymore…but still need a safe, permanent home. Any of these horses would tell you that caring for a companion…
Transformations 2025
It isn’t always easy to watch transformations as they occur. They don’t happen overnight, after all. But to juxtapose a horse when they first arrive at SAFE, and to see them now — well, it’s clear that these horses have made some massive changes, both inside and out.…
Mabel’s Mouth
Back in September when she first arrived, we knew Mabel was unique. From her tiger striped legs to her multi-colored mane to her one cloudy eye, Mabel has things that made her special wherever you look. And at her dental, we would come to find out that those unique…
Theo: SAFE’s Volunteer Valentine Sweetheart
In honor of Valentine’s day, we asked our volunteers to vote for their SAFE horse valentine, and to tell us why. While the majority of our herd has at least one heart in their corner, there was one stand out member who has clearly won over the bulk of our volunteer…
Eye-yi-yi!
Oh horses! Look away for a moment and they’ve found a new and inventive way to hurt themselves. Yesterday at turn-in time, Mirana showed us her cool new injury — a scrape just below her left eye. She was talented enough to avoid the eyeball itself, but regardless the…
Week in Review: February 2 — 8
It snowed at SAFE last week, which meant more work for our humans, but also more fun for our horses. In an effort to keep the herd from getting stir crazy, we made sure to give them some extended arena turnout time, which they all seemed to enjoy.
Quirky Deja
Deja is what you might call, in layman’s terms, a silly goose. When she is in her space with her friend-sister-mother Cleopatra, aka, comfortable, she is a mellow sight — a mare who can nap for hours in the sunshine and who enjoys mutual grooming. But once removed…
Mara’s Favorite: Zuri
Mara has recently started grooming Zuri, and here she talks about a few of the reasons why this mare is so special:
Alumni Update: Amira
We checked in with Amira’s adopter, Laura, earlier this month and this is what she had to share with us. Amira and I are doing wonderful. I think Amira is doing absolutely amazing as always. She is a steady, reliable partner. She lives with her best friend Jasmine, my…
Four New Faces
Last week, we welcomed four new members into our herd. All four come to us from Pierce County Animal Control, two pair out from two separate seizures. The first twosome were originally part of a trio, but sadly the third horse on the property had to be humanely…
Alumni Update: Bubbles (Bella)
Mary and Bella are doing great! Bella has been in a training refresher for the month of January. The lessons have been going well, and she is learning to be more confident on the trails, where she holds her head lower and more relaxed. Bella has been doing great with…
Liz’s Favorite: Sienna
Liz really likes Sienna, and here she talks about a few of the reasons why:
Alumni Update: Declan
Declan is doing great at the top of a “mountain” in Granite Falls. It is about 1100 feet elevation, cold and beautiful. He is hanging out with Sue’s (his adopter) other horse Cal and having a great time. Lovely 20 plus acre farm with plenty of action going on and…
Jacob In His Own Words
If Jacob were a human, we think his self-introduction might go something like this: “What’s up, my name’s Jacob, and I put the ‘nut’ in ‘chestnut.’ Ha-ha-ha, just kidding. I actually like to describe myself as a pretty chill dude. My fave hobbies include hanging out…
Alumni Update: Montana
Montana’s adopter, Alycia, shared this update. I wanted to reach out with a Montana pic and update. I captured this photo as he ran up the pasture after his new bestie, Mikey. Montana has settled well into his routine here and is building warm relationships and…
Ginni’s Favorite: Artie
Artie has been one of Ginni’s favorites for years, and here she talks about some of the reasons why.
Inula’s Sunny Days
When you’re Inula, your main responsibilities in life are munching hay and grazing on the occasional blade of grass, imitating the horses at the Spanish Riding School and leaping with all four of your legs off the ground at once, and providing moral support to your…
Combating Brandy’s Thrush
As Carrie S says in this video, Brandy is a ‘yes’ girl. But that yes also translates to thrush, something Brandy is prone to especially in the wet winter months. Luckily, our friends over at Red Horse Products make some amazing thrush busting items that really help us…
Ranger’s Saddling at SAFE
If we were the betting types, we likely would have put money on the idea that Ranger had been saddled before. A gentle, older horse who doesn’t balk much at the flag touching him or get squirmy in the cinch area tells a story, wordless as it is. Yet even still, we dot…
Ciara at Foster
Sweet Ciara went off to foster this winter, at a lovely spot just down the road from SAFE. Her foster family had just lost their gelding, and were in need of a companion for their older mare. In the herd settings she had been tried with here, Ciara was an easy-going…
Winter’s Workout
We’re not body shaming, but when Winter arrived back in April 2024, she was in need of a diet. Being overweight as she was put Winter at risk for various health conditions, including laminitis, and so we cut her calories immediately upon intake. Now, nine months…
