We are all very excited that for her senior community service project, volunteer Claire Crist chose SAFE! Here is a little about her first project with Jewel. You can follow her progress online at: http://learning.safehorses.org
“My name is Claire Crist. I’ve been volunteering at a local horse rescue called Save A Forgotten Equine (SAFE) since January 2015. SAFE is a truly remarkable organization filled with people who are committed to the well-being of all horses. Countless horses have passed through SAFE’s doors and been given a second chance at a life they deserved all along. Because of the huge difference SAFE has made in the lives of so many horses, I wanted to give back to this one-of-a-kind organization. To do this, I’m starting a project that involves a combination of community outreach and working with SAFE’s horses to get them ready for adoption.
The first step of this project is assisting in the training of Jewel, a four-year-old paint pony. She’s a pretty special girl—quiet, gentle and just wants to get along with people. When Jewel came to SAFE at less than a year old, she was infested with lice, emaciated, and had facial indentations from a halter that was too small for her. SAFE took her in and helped her make a full recovery from her neglect. This spring, Jewel was started under saddle and is coming along excellently, thanks to some help from trainer and clinician Joel Conner. She’s teaching me a lot too!
To further her training, Jewel and I will be riding in the Buck Brannaman clinic in Spanaway, WA from October 30th to November 2nd. Buck Brannaman is a world-famous natural horsemanship clinician who travels the country helping horses and people work together. A huge part of SAFE’s mission is to have their horses experienced and educated before adoption for the good of both horses and people. This clinic will be an indispensable opportunity for Jewel; it will help her become the best horse she can be for whoever is lucky enough to adopt her. We are so excited, but we need your help to make this happen! Even a small donation makes a huge difference. Our fundraising goal is $1,000 which covers the clinic fee, transportation, and the cost to house Jewel in Spanaway.
Please check back often to follow our progress! I will be posting regular updates of how Jewel is doing and a summary of what we learned at the clinic. This little horse is going to make someone very happy!”
