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 foster sibling (and Alumni) Finn when the humans decide to play “can I put this on your head?” As is the case with all the horses…
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 get a handle on even the worst cases. Brandy sure appreciates them, as do we! Take a peek at how we help Brandy’s hooves:
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 our “i“s and cross our “t“s here, and Ranger has been running through our groundwork checklist from the beginning as though he…
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 and deferential pasture mate, which made her a top choice for slotting into a new environment. Her kind personality translates to…
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 later, Winter is nearly half the horse she was before, physically, though mentally she has come a long way. Once afraid to be caught,…
Andy’s Favorite: Mahina
There are many reasons to love Mahina, and here Andy talks about a few of them.
Week in Review: January 5 — 11
A haiku for this week’s Week in Review: Weekend is over It is time to look back on What we did last week
Round-Up at Grange Supply
We want to give a huge thank you to Grange Supply, for their Round-up for SAFE fundraising campaign this holiday season! In November and December, Grange Supply customers had the opportunity to round up their purchase amount or make a donation supporting the horses at SAFE. This resulted in over $4000 in donations to our organization and we are so appreciative of their continued support…
Edward over Cavalettis
In the new year, Edward has made it his resolution to try new things. including popping over a few cavalettis under saddle. We think Edward looks quite striking in english tack, and he certainly doesn’t seem to have anything bad to say about it. Edward is just starting to work on his baby jump skills, but he seems to enjoy the work, and he sure is fun to watch.
One Smart Mare: Bandit
Bandit may be on the older side, but her mind is sharp as a tack. A recent anecdote to prove such as true: One of the last times I (Lily) haltered Bandit, it was to hold her for the veterinarian. This was already a demerit against my character, but made even worse based on the fact that the reason I was holding her was so that she could get a vaccine. We have already discussed Bandit’s lack of…
Meghan’s Favorite: Mirana
There are many reasons to love Mirana, and here Meghan talks about a few of them.
Free Forever, Autumn
We are deeply saddened to share the news that Autumn has passed away following a tragic accident in which she suffered a broken leg due to a kick. While such incidents are rare, they are an unfortunate risk when horses are turned out in herds. The team at Freedom Reigns is heartbroken, as are we. Their sanctuary provided Autumn with the incredible opportunity to live freely on her own terms,…
Trixie’s Life at Foster
What has Trixie been up to at foster — apart from living her best life? Well, bossing miss Rae around for one — but is it really considered ‘bossing’ when you’re just setting a boundary? These two are thick as thieves, but even the best of friends need to remind one another whose hay pile is whose sometimes. When not snacking and hanging out with Rae, Trixie is getting top notch care from…
Week in Review: December 30 — January 4
Can you believe it’s already 2025? We hope you had a happy and healthy start to your New Year. Here at SAFE we are setting our goals and intentions for this brand new year — in amongst all of our regularly scheduled programming, of course.
Alumni Update: Roscoe
Roscoe looks wonderful and has a great little herd to run with all day. Fantasia (32-year-old-mare), Ebby (4‑year-old gelding) and Hazel (15-year-old mare). Plus, Bam and Daisy, the very large goaties! Kasey and Roscoe ride regularly on trails, doing arena work, in clinics, and the occasional FUN day, like learning roping, trail obstacle courses or cow work.
Snohomish Animal Control Officer Training
We managed to squeeze in one last event before the end of the year — a training for a new officer at Snohomish County Animal Control! Officer Cameron was warmly greeted by our barn cats before spending the day learning some of the many things there are to learn about horses and horse rescue. It’s always a pleasure to host new officers and give them a snapshot of what SAFE does, and by…
January Volunteer of the Month: Megan Kavanagh
Congratulations to Megan Kavanagh, our January Volunteer of the Month! Who better to help us kick off the new year than Megan, whose dedication and compassion have been an integral part of SAFE for nearly three and a half years? Megan’s kind spirit and warm smile create a welcoming and positive environment for both horses and humans, making her an irreplaceable member of our community. From her…
Year in Review 2024
In the spirit of the recent week in review recaps, we decided to broaden our scope a bit and show you a taste of what happened each month of 2024. There is no true way to encapsulate all that the year held, but please accept this brief snapshot of a few of the things our horses and humans got up to. It was a busy year, and 2025 looks to be no less busy. Cheers to another 365 days around the sun,…
2024 Volunteer of the Year: Carrie Sjaarda
At SAFE, our mission is centered around helping horses heal, gain a solid foundation and education, and find their forever families. Each year, we take a moment to celebrate a volunteer whose extraordinary dedication, kindness, and passion embody our mission and enrich our community. This is no easy task, as SAFE is fortunate to have so many incredible volunteers. Yet, every year, one name tends…
Harissa and the Can Bag
Here is a showcase of Harissa vs. the Can Bag. Clearly, Harissa: 1, Can Bag: 0. Harissa sure has come a long way in her own self-confidence, and as a result, feels no fear about showing the can bag who is boss! This process of ‘sacking out’ is not just for fun — it is also helping to teach Harissa that the ‘cans’ she encounters out in the world pose her no threat, no matter where they might be:…
Alumni Update: Boone (Mr. Fezziweg)
Boone (now Mr. Fezziweg) was adopted from SAFE in late November 2020. His adopted family had just seen the show A Christmas Carol, and Mr. Fezziweg was the name of Scrooge’s first boss at the counting house. Mr. Fezziweg was the jolly fellow that gave the wonderful Christmas party for his staff before Scrooge turned into a jerk. So, they named him Mr. Fezziweg after the jolly guy in the…
Bijou is Adopted!
Many of us have dreamt of a horse beneath our Christmas tree, but this year it is Blair’s reality. We could not be happier to announce that our dearest Bijou is a failure — a foster failure! This sweet sugar plum has been having the time of her life over in Ellensburg for the past few months, and has made a permanent home for herself in Blair’s herd, home, and heart. These two make a phenomenal…
Thanksgiving in December (or: A Turkey’s Wish)
Author’s Note: To read this year’s Christmas-adjacent story, you must understand two things: the first is that SAFE has a resident turkey, and the second is that, while humans do exist in this story, they somehow do not witness the goings on. All of the horses and humans at SAFE wish you a very happy holiday. And if you’re having turkey, please, keep it to yourself. — Thanksgiving came and…
Week in Review: December 15 — 21
As we enter the final stretch before the holidays, it’s just business as usual here at SAFE. Aside from being surrounded by festive cheer, very little changes occur around the farm. Each day, horses are fed, watered, and mucked. Our farriers and vets still come out. Our to-do lists grow short, and then long again. We are busy busy busy little bees! Check out some of what we got up to. …
Alumni Update: Sundae (Neapolitan)
Neapolitan (formerly Sundae) is doing very well. She is easy to handle and her adopter, Cheryl, hopes to do some in-hand trail classes with her.
Alumni Update: Frosting (Shawnee)
A note and photos from Frosting’s adopter, Ann L. I am so excited to welcome Shawnee, aka Frosting, as my new family member. It’s been a week to the day since I brought her home. So far, she has proven to be such a special girl with a heart of gold and curiosity, Welcome to your forever home, Shawnee!
Bijou’s Beautiful Days
Bijou has been living the good life at her foster home, settling well into the herd alongside foster brother, Bear, and sister, Roulette. The three make quite a trio, romping and playing and generally enjoying each other’s company. Western Washington has transformed into a winter wonderland, which means Bijou gets to enjoy many a snow day — a fact that doesn’t seem at all displeasing. Hearing…
Zuri: Caring for Our Beloved Senior Mare
Zuri has had us all concerned over the past few weeks. Several times, staff received calls during night checks reporting that Zuri was down and not getting up for her evening mash. Each time, Bonnie came down to check on her, and fortunately, it was determined that she wasn’t colicking. While we know Zuri is an older mare, we wanted to ensure there were no other underlying issues contributing to…
Alumni Update: Lucca
Lucca is living the good life with her adopter Jane, spending time riding trails. Lucca enjoys the company of four other horses in her herd. While Lucca is at the bottom of the herd hierarchy, her sweet disposition makes her a favorite among the other horses.
Happy Sweet 16, Sunny D!
Penned by: Best Buddy to Shasta & Sunny After the bomb cyclone hit Western Washington and before the official start of Thanksgiving week, Sunny D turned Sweet 16 on November 23! Where has the time gone? The little guy was only 3 when he and his Mama, Shasta, arrived at SAFE in 2011 after being seized by Animal Control. Thirteen years later, he and Shasta continue to earn their keep as SAFE…
