We are so pleased to announce our June Volunteer of the Month is SAFE volunteer trainer Laura McCorkle!

Laura has given to SAFE in so many different ways. She donates her time to train our horses in ground work, liberty work, basic manners, and whatever else is asked, several times a week! Laura has also hosted training seminars for the SAFE volunteers to better understand horse behavior. She is always recruiting others to volunteer their time and knowledge with SAFE too. And let’s not forget about all the tack that she has loaned or donated to our organization. Without the use of Laura’s comfie western saddle, Lola wouldn’t be the happy horse she is when being ridden!

Laura is truly a treasure for SAFE that Terry found by chance. Here is more about Laura in her own words:

Tell us a little bit about yourself!
I am a 46-year-old mom from Seattle who is lucky enough to make my living playing with horses, and the people who love them. I grew up on the east coast riding hunter-jumpers, but have lived in Washington for the last 16+ years. 

My business name is “Confident Companions” and that’s really what it’s about for me — I don’t train for shows or anything fancy — I just want people to have a good time with their horses and be safe. Ground work and “liberty work” are the foundations of what I do, but everything translates for riding. I love seeing people deepen and enrich the bond with their beloved animals. I also enjoy helping people develop a balanced and confident seat and technique in the saddle, regardless of riding discipline.

Neither my husband nor daughter are especially into horses, but they humor me and spend some time at the barn every now and then, and of course they love our horse (and dog) like family.

Besides horses, I like to spend time walking around Green Lake, making and eating good food, reading, and watching movies. I garden really badly but with enthusiasm. I love to travel, but always feel torn about being away from my animals.

What made you decide to volunteer with SAFE?
It kind of felt like fate! Our family tries to devote a certain amount of time to volunteering with various causes that matter to us, and I was feeling like I wasn’t pulling my weight now that my daughter is a teenager and doesn’t require as much of my volunteer time at her school.

One day last winter, Terry stopped by the barn where I board to invite the owner to the annual auction, and I happened to be out riding my horse. I didn’t speak to her that day, but I guess she talked to our barn manager, who said some very kind things about me and my work. Terry left her card in case I’d be interested in helping out at SAFE, and I was! We had a phone conversation a few days later and realized our skill sets meshed really nicely. I’ve been coming twice a week or so ever since.

To be honest, I was a little wary of doing “rescue work” because I have found that some rescues, while almost always well-meaning, get bogged down in politics or what I would call “bad horsemanship” out of pity for the horses… Of course we wish we could just pet them and feed them carrots and save them all, but that’s not the reality. SAFE has impressed me to no end with their professionalism and ability to put the horses FIRST, and to make decisions that truly benefit the animals. It makes it an easy place to volunteer.

Who’s your favorite SAFE horse?
Ugh — really?! I can’t choose!! I like them all for different reasons — and I am so proud of them and the progress they have made. I love that Finn is so snuggly and smells like cinnamon…I love that Kai is so elegant (yet goofy)…I love Jewel’s perpetual youthfulness and that she looks like a little unicorn from a medieval tapestry (when she’s clean!)…I adore Sapphire’s heart of gold underneath all her survivor’s toughness…Oscar’s pride…Lola’s fluid movement and all the progress she’s made…Dottie’s eagerness to please and episodes of exuberance at liberty…Stella’s surprise and blooming curiosity about these new humans who treat her kindly and scratch her…I love that inside gorgeous, elegant, fiery Cameo is (I believe) a very level-headed, thoughtful, dependable mare…I could go on and on. They’re all my favorites — and on some days, they can all be stinkers!

Anything else you would like to share about yourself or your experience with SAFE?
Just that I am so grateful to be allowed to work with these people and horses. I enjoy problem-solving, and it’s enormously satisfying to see a horse make progress toward becoming comfortable with people. I hope I can make a difference to them and help them have better lives, but I feel like no matter what I am able to teach them, they always teach me more. I don’t know everything and I can’t solve every problem, but if I can contribute at all I am happy. So THANK YOU, SAFE!