Tiva, All Cinched Up!
Tiva has been working hard this summer, if not to fit into a bikini, then for something infinitely better: a saddle. There had been talk of Tiva meeting a saddle from the beginning. Even in those earliest days when she was a wild creature, pinning her ears and…
September Clinic Report: Bandit
Kirsten AL has been working with Bandit for some months, and worked alongside her in the September Joel Conner Clinic. Below, she reflects on the experience of the three days spent together and what she and Ms. Bandit learned: “Day 1 question – How to decrease cranky…
Run Free, Big Girl
Heaven welcomed a new angel yesterday morning. It is with a heavy heart we share the loss of SAFE alumni Camille. She was living happily with her adoptive family of humans and horses until the end. Her condition and comfort had declined to the point that it was time…
Moshi, Ready for Adoption!
Moshi is one of three Graham horses left at SAFE, and one of two currently available for adoption (Addie being the other, with Poppy still in her early days under saddle). While only started earlier this year, Moshi has made great progress as a riding horse, and is…
Mirana’s Scrape
When we play ‘musical horses’ at SAFE, shifting paddock assignments around for one reason or another, we make two variations on the traditional rules of the game. The first is that everyone ends up with a spot at the end, and the second is that we typically don’t play…
Alumni Update: Logan (Razin)
Razin, known now as Logan, is living a fine life with his horse buddy Liam, three mini donkeys, four dogs and of course his loving human family. Liam and Logan have their own stalls, but they sleep together in Liam’s if they choose to go in at night. Heather takes…
Addie’s Perfect Feet
When the Graham horses arrived at SAFE last November, their feet were a stinky mess. Overgrown toes, cracks and chips, and thrush for days. They were all, lucky for us, willing participants for the farrier, who was able to see them quickly after their arrival. But one…
Checking in with Edward
As summer begins its descent into fall, as the mornings grow a little hazier and the evenings come a little sooner, as the air takes on a crisper quality, some people begin to think about vampires. It’s not as outrageous a thought as it sounds! ‘Tis the season for…
Learning First Aid with Sunny & Shasta
A few weeks back, we hosted an Equine First Aid class here at SAFE, where individuals from both inside and outside our organization spent the day learning all about the basics of horse emergencies, and how to deal with them. The session was packed with loads of…
Violet and Scotty See the Vet
Here is an example of the stars aligning at SAFE: The Friday after Scotty and Violet’s arrival, there was a vet appointment on the books. Two horses needed floats, along with several who were due for one vaccination or another. Two dentals and a few pokes is a light…
Nova’s Horror-mones
Nova has spent the entirety of her life here at SAFE. Her first breaths, steps, and moments were here on the farm, witnessed and overseen by the people who would go on to take care of her as she grew from a gangly filly into a long-legged mare. It is safe to say that…
Friends for Arrow
Arrow was a stallion when he arrived at SAFE, and while he was kind and gentle, we made plans to get him the snip as soon as possible. We are pro-gelding around here for a number of reasons, but for the sake of this article, I will specify one in particular: friends.…
Flagging Poppy on the Rail
For Poppy these days, wearing a saddle is no big deal. Nor are many of the things that once bothered her — being touched with a flag, or a rope. She has made huge strides, but there is still prep work to do when it comes to readying Poppy for a rider. One thing we do…
Brandy’s Mouth
For some of us, getting older means our visits with doctors and specialists increase, our bodies requiring more maintenance to remain afloat. And while the same is often true for horses of a certain age, there are some cases when vet care is required less frequently.…
Alumni Update: Miah
Miah was rehomed in early 2023. She is now living with Ashleigh who says Miah is happy and healthy and has two little girls who love her. Miah and Ashleigh’s daughter, Zoey, went to their first performance show together in April.
Jacob’s Return to Work
Jacob, we have learned, vacations well. I love this term, ‘vacations’, and the implications it has for horses (and humans) alike. While I don’t exactly imagine a horse on a beach, sipping piña coladas sprawled out on a lawn chair, the reality isn’t much different: a…
Rest in Peace, Alumni ‘Mina’
Heartbreaking news to share by way of Elissa, Mina’s adopter “This is the message I had hoped to never have to write; I am so sorry and heartbroken to share this. We had to say goodbye to our beloved girl, Mina, earlier this week. She was a happy, robust, sweet, and…
Alumni Update: Echo
Here’s some information to share after a recent visit with Echo and her adopter Brittany. Brittany’s daughter, Addison, is the main handler and rider of Echo. Echo has been on a few camping trips with her family this summer. Brittany and Addison both feel Echo is a…
Alumni Update: Bliss
Sweet Bliss is living the sweet life on a beautiful farm with accommodations made to meet her needs as a blind horse. She is getting top-notch care for her uveitis from Emily, who is a small animal vet, and she enjoys her grooming time with the little members of the…
Welcoming Violet and Scotty
We have two new additions to our herd this week: Scotty, a 12-year-old registered Arabian gelding, and his half-sister Violet, an 11-year-old Arab cross mare. They came to us at the request of a daughter, whose elderly mother had been their caretaker after the death…
Pepper’s Return
At the beginning of last month, Pepper returned to SAFE for a refresh and restart at the request of her adopter, Sue, who had been unable to ride her for a period of time due to circumstances beyond her control. Taking a horse back into our training program who has…
Henry is Adopted!
When Henry first stepped off the trailer last November, he was a nervous gelding with his head on a high swivel. While the majority of the Graham horses we took in that day allowed us to bustle around them quite casually, gathering measurements and even some basic…
Roy and Mirana, Grazing by a Tree..
If I could add a song to this post, I would probably choose ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight?’ from a certain loose Hamlet adaptation starring animated lions. It was the first song that sprung to mind when I thought about Roy and Mirana, two horses Of A Certain Age who…
Zelly is Adopted!
Zelly was #13 in the organizational system we used for the Graham 27 when they first arrived at SAFE, but now, less than a year later, she is #1 in her adopter’s hearts. That’s right, this sweet appaloosa girl has been adopted! Zelly’s people came to SAFE looking for…
Alumni Update: Echo and Nyx
Echo’s adopter, Brittany, shared some photos and a report on an adventure she had with Nyx and his adopter, Lindsay. Nyx and Echo had fun with summer shenanigans!! Echo survived going through two bee swarms and didn’t dump my daughter Addison despite them galloping…
Halter Starting Lancelot
Maybe it had been different at one point, but the Lancelot that arrived at SAFE was not able to be haltered. He was curious, but unwilling to be approached, and very reluctant to be touched. The first step for horses like Lance, those who need to be halter-started (or…
Training Update: Frosting Moving the Hind
There are, according to Buck Brannaman whose style of horsemanship we follow most closely, multiple ways of moving the hind. 5, specifically. One of them, and in my opinion one of the most mystical, involves bending the horse using the rein only and simply… waiting…
Introducing Ciara
Before she came to SAFE, Ciara was living alongside her filly, Inula, in a mud pit of a paddock. She was yet another of the Gig Harbor horses to arrive here back in May, and yet another who was afflicted by the same poor coat, long hooves, and lack of clean living…
Introducing Harissa
Some stories, by their very nature, take a bit longer to tell than others. Harissa’s story will be one of these, especially when framed alongside the others she came in with, who are steadily trucking along in their training, checking off boxes and working towards…
Introducing Inula
Inula was the youngest of the Gig Harbor horses, and despite not being a literal baby, she still had a youthful element about her that we made note of from our first meeting. A subsequent dental put her in her 4th year this year, but when you compare her to a horse…
Introducing Mirana
Mirana, along with Meadow, was one of the matriarchs of the Gig Harbor horses we picked up this past May. She was part of the largest herd on the property, a group of four mares living in a scrubby paddock. They, like the others on the property, were lacking in clean…
Jax is Adopted!
Yet another happy ending for a member of the Graham 27, as we said our goodbyes to Jax last month as he made the journey to his new home. From the beginning he proved himself as one of the most easily adoptable of the bunch (not that a horse’s singular value is in…
Remembering Meadow
Meadow was one of the 7 Gig Harbor horses who came to SAFE in May. Likely the oldest of the group, she was believed to be somewhere in her 20s. She was the most gentle of all the horses on the property, allowing us to halter her from day one, and give her a nice…
Rest in Peace, Alumni ‘Strider’
Heartbreaking news posted to the SAFE Alumni Facebook Page by Michel, Strider’s adopter, on August 16, 2023 Strider When I woke up yesterday, I did not know it would be your last day. When the day comes, We are always wishing for more. I remember the day I first met…
Introducing Wren
Wren came to SAFE back in May as part of a 7 horse rescue from the Gig Harbor area. She was living in a 4‑horse herd, and while initially curious, she was somewhat cautious around people at first, preferring to keep her distance. But after her arrival here and those…
Jet-Setting Addie
Here’s a limerick for you: There once was a young mare from Graham, Whose coat was a dark shade of tan, And if ever you knew What was good for you You’d adopt sweet miss Addie from Graham! Me calling Addie, a bay horse, ‘a dark shade of tan’ aside, I am very serious…
Tiva These Days
Recent observations regarding Tiva: Her shoulders, in particular, are rather itchy this time of year, and she is not opposed to a little mutual grooming if you would be so inclined to scratch, yes, just there, above the elbow. A gentle mare, she rarely ever uses…
Introducing Lancelot
Lancelot, along with his 6 other cohorts, were living in squalor in the area outside of Gig Harbor when we picked them up this past May. Lance’s paddock was a mud pit surrounded by broken and bent panels. His only source of water was from a dirty trough, and the ribs…
Alumni Update: Ben
Here’s an update from Ben’s adopter, Lisa G: Uncle Ben, the ever-melty when kids are around. My niece is a horsewoman in the making and helped me muck stalls, feed, and groom! She led both my horses all around the field and Ben was just soooo gentle with her (much…
Training Update: Artie Changing Eyes
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…
Training Update: Riding Veronica
Veronica has a mane nearly as long as she is tall, with a forelock that practically tickles her nostrils. On hot days, she loves to splash in her water trough, both front feet fully in and pawing, giving herself a two-for-one pedicure and face wash. She loves a good…
Pen Click Training
Trypanophobia is the fear of needles — and while I’ve yet to meet anyone who is fond of getting poked, some have more of an issue with it than others. The same goes for horses. Some hardly blink. Be it IM or IV, you’d be hard pressed to get a reaction out of our more…
Tanis Continues to Soften
The year is moving right along, and so is Tanis, as she continues to build confidence in herself and trust in people. This time last year, only a couple people could catch this mare; fast forward to this moment, and she loves face pets, has found more comfort and…
Alumni Update: Pyrrha and Valentine
A recent photo of Valentine, on the left, and Pyrrha (Zelda), on the right, on a sunny day after being bathed.
Poppy’s Cool Trick
No, you didn’t miss a chapter: Poppy wears a saddle now. More on that story and process later. But in the meantime, please enjoy this fun little “trick” she learned during the course of her training. This is one smart cookie of a mare. Believe it or not, this was…
Training Update: Moshi in the Outdoor Roundpen
Moshi has been under saddle for several months now, and is coming along very well. Recently, she had her first rides out of the walls of an arena when we put a round pen out in the big outdoor arena. While a round pen is still a contained environment, it is a less…
Introducing Rojo!
Ever since Sparky came under our care in 2022, we held the idea of another mini donkey coming through our program who could be the second pea to Sparky’s pod. Donkeys do best with their own, and we could think of no better way to improve his quality of life than by…
Alumni Update: Ajax
Ajax is very happy in his home with Gary and Nancy. He and his horse friend, Cheyenne, are very bonded and enjoy the retired life – both being about 29 years of age. Ajax has hypothyroid and is on medication.
Training Update: Frosting in the Snaffle
Frosting is really coming into herself as nice little mare! Hers is truly an ugly duckling story — it is hard to believe the scraggly, ratty little creature who arrived at SAFE is the same mare who stands before us now, a true beauty. But looks aren’t everything, and…
Declan: Companion
After giving it a fair shake, Declan told us that he was done being a riding horse, and would very much prefer the companion lifestyle. And we, as responsible stewards of his care, listened to him. To recap: it was clear pretty early on in his training that he had…
