SAFE Horses
SAFE News and Updates
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 introducing a friend who looked like him and talked like him. But we are a rescue, and by nature those needing help seek us out, not…
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 we would love Frosting just as much had she not had such an impressive metamorphosis. She was started under saddle earlier this…
August Volunteer of the Month: Tracy Carrithers
Congratulation to our August Volunteer of the Month, Tracy! We are so fortunate Tracy found SAFE, and agreed to start volunteering in one of the coldest, wettest and muddiest times of the year, January (2022)! Every Wednesday PM, Tracey greets us with their warm, welcoming smile and a great attitude. Tracy has been such a dependable and amazing team player, always willing to jump in to help…
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 some soundness issues, and after having him examined by our vets, we felt that he could be well managed as a light riding horse with…
Montana’s New Friend
There lives a permanent resident here at SAFE, one who is not kept within the boundaries of a fence. She stands with her head down all day, grazing a spot on the lawn that stays perpetually green beneath her feet. She doesn’t move at all, so well behaved is she. You could go as far as to call her statuesque — actually, you could go as far as to call her a statue, and you’d be correct, for…
Alumni Update: Freya
Here’s an update from a recent visit to Freya’s home. Freya is a companion horse to a Paso Fino named Mocha, who is lightly ridden. The two are very bonded and Freya will call and pace when Mocha is out, but she is only out for short rides, so is not gone long. A recent dental indicates Freya may have some arthritis in her jaw. She also may have sweet itch. Manuela is bathing her with a special…
Special Sienna
Sienna has many fans here at SAFE. It’s not difficult to see why — she’s a true gentlewoman of a horse, with a kind demeanor that makes her easy to be around for even the most novice of horse people. Oftentimes when polled on who is their favorite horse, volunteers won’t hesitate to name Sienna. On her way in from grass, volunteer Bob paused to share about some of what makes Sienna so special…
Esme’s First Trail Ride
Esme started her time at SAFE as a curious, yet standoffish mare, spending her days playing chase with Jacob and Edward out on the grass field they shared. She was challenging to catch, requiring a practiced (and patient) touch. And while there are still some days where she enjoys giving you a literal run for your money, Esme’s progress in so many realms has been astronomical. She has remained a…
Arrow up to Date
It’s tremendously satisfying when we intake a new horse and can speedily get them up to date with all their care and keeping. This process can take anywhere from a few days (not very common, but there are some rare times when the stars align and the horse is gentle enough that we can get them all squared away before you can say ‘wow, their intake quarantine period is already over?’) to several…
Riding Out with Artie
Artie has spent a great amount of time under saddle recently, and while he has been on the occasional traipse around the property, he had yet to explore the big wide world… until now! We at SAFE are lucky enough to be situated beside a park, which means we essentially have backyard access to horse trails. With the weather how it is, dry and hot, we do our best to make it out for trail walks as…
July Volunteer of the Month: Amy Quackenbush
Congratulations to our July Volunteer of the Month, Amy! It’s a joy to have Amy at the barn, she always greets you with a smile and her passion for SAFE is infectious. She started out on the Thursday AM team, but quickly started filling in on her other “day off” because she loves being at SAFE. Amy helps with events, comes early to help the Barn Staff when needed, loves baking (No, she did not…
Jax in Rehab
Picture this: a Rocky-style montage of Jax during his rehab. Instead of running stairs, he’s going over trot poles, elevating his back to relieve pressure off his spine. He’s getting strapped into the saddle for the first time in over a month. He’s emerging victorious from his diagnosis, this initial battle won. Kissing spines is not something that is ever completely remedied, but with proper…
Picasso is adopted
Our sweet Picasso moved to his forever home on May 24th, marking another Graham horse out our door and onto his happy ending. He has a lovely new stall and paddock set up, a great new owner Sen and supporting trainer KC (who adopted Eevie, the smallest of the Fall City 40 mares). He has really turned out to be one of the best geldings. Thanks to Kaya M and Lexee N for tag teaming his restart and…
2023 Q2 Impact Statement
New Horses Intake Date: April 20, 2023 Rojo (Owner Surrender) Intake Date: May 6, 2023 Ciara (Owner Surrender) Harissa (Owner Surrender) Inula (Owner Surrender) Lancelot (Owner Surrender) Meadow (Owner Surrender) Mirana (Owner Surrender) Wren (Owner Surrender) Intake Date: May 11, 2023 Arrow (Owner Surrender) Placed Horses Evie Irene Rae Kelly Quincy Picasso Euthanized Horses…
Evie is Adopted!
Evie, the striking snowflake Appaloosa mare who came to SAFE as part of the Graham 27, has found a home Emily, who has adopted from SAFE before (the late, great Beauty, as well as sweet, blind Bliss) came back to us looking for another riding partner to add to her herd, and was drawn to Evie. Despite having only been with us a handful of months, Evie was doing well under saddle. Her main issue…
Bodywork with Roy
We are so lucky here at SAFE to have a robust and multi-talented group of volunteers who dedicate their time and talents to help us take the best possible care of our horses. One example of this is, Natalie, a certified practitioner of the Masterson Method bodywork technique, recently performing a session with Roy. Roy is a boy who has been through a great lot in his life, especially recently,…
Grass Time for Lacey and Domino
If our horses had to pick a favorite season, it would likely be summer. The ground has dried up enough that they can stay outside 24/7 (although there are certainly those who miss a padded stall for nighttime snoozing), and the long and mostly warm days mean plenty of opportunities for naps in the sun. But perhaps the best reason of all is the opening of our grass pastures for a season of…
Bijou at the June Joel Conner Clinic
At the most recent Joel Conner clinic, Kaya M worked alongside Bijou in the morning groundwork session, and had the following to say about their time spent together: “Bijou is such a sweet mare, it was a pleasure to spend some time with her in the groundwork class! While Bijou is naturally very kind and enjoys pets and attention, she does have a few braces that can turn her sweet face sour.…
June Joel Conner Clinic Report: Brandy
At the recent Joel Conner Clinic, Carrie S worked with Brandy in the morning groundwork session, and had the following to say about her experience: “I participated in the ground work class at the June Joel Conner Horsemanship Clinic and had the wonderful opportunity to work with Brandy Snap. First of all, let’s just celebrate the fact that a 29 year old horse (that’s about 85 in horse years)…
Summer Open House and Tack Sale
Join us for our summer Open House and Tack Sale, Saturday, June 24th from noon-3PM! Take a tour of the farm, meet the horses, learn about volunteer opportunities, and the many ways you can be involved with helping rescue horses. You can also shop our huge tack sale, buy SAFE merchandise, and more. All proceeds support the horses in SAFE’s care and our community outreach programs. It’s a family…
Henry at the June Joel Conner Clinic
At our recent Joel Conner clinic, volunteer Sue C worked with Henry in the groundwork session. Here’s what she had to say about their time together: “I had the fine fortune of having Henry as my groundwork partner for the June 2023 Joel Conner Clinic. He is a lovely 11 year old Arab gelding, who came to SAFE in November 2022. He is a bit anxious and fearful of the unknown lurking around each…
Sparky Living the Good Life
Who’s that hiding under those luscious locks? None other than Sparky, of course! Our good friend Candi recently visited Sparky at his loving foster home, and found him to be just as cute as ever. But words aren’t always to be believed, so we had her take some photos as proof. Sparky is truly living the dream life at Jackie’s ‘slacker camp.’ We miss his sweet hee-haws and kind little eyes here at…
Convergint Social Responsibility Day
Oh June 9th, we were the lucky recipients of a massive work party with 130 hardworking, dedicated people from Convergint! We can’t thank them all enough for how much they helped out our property! Convergint supplied all the lumber and paint and even rented a scissor lift to help us get our home in great shape! The work they got done in just one day will save us weeks of volunteer effort that can…
Trail Horse Declan
Some horses jump fences that tower a horse-height above them. Some run races at breakneck speeds. Some move cattle out on the open range. And others are destined more a more leisurely life, filled with lots of paddock naps and some very casual walks in the park. This lifestyle is the one Declan is destined for. Since his lameness eval and subsequent joint injection, Declan has been taking…
Rae is Adopted!
Our nest at SAFE is never empty — when one leaves the coop, another one (or several!) are waiting in the wings to fill their spot. But for babies born at SAFE, the empty nest syndrome is perhaps a bit more acute. With Nova off at training, Rae was our last SAFE-born baby on the property. But like any young adult, she was ready for the next step. Rae had been to clinics both on and off property.…
Joel Conner Horsemanship June 2023 Clinic
Joel Conner will be at SAFE, Friday, June 16th — Sunday, June 18th, 2023!! Joel is a remarkable horseman and teacher whose dedication to classic vaquero horsemanship is unparalleled. Following the traditions of Ray Hunt, Tom and Bill Dorrance, and Buck Brannaman, Joel is passionate about teaching new students and experienced hands alike. Learn about building a responsive partnership with your…
Quincy is adopted again!
Quincy is adopted once again! He met a lovely family who drove all the way to meet him from Camano Island. Shenan, her mom Susan and daughter all came and spent the morning getting to know this special guy. Shenan was able to catch him with a little patience and we discussed the importance that he be handled daily for the first weeks he comes home. Even for a quick haltering he must be touched…
Darla and the Tarp
Our Darla is certainly not a one trick pony! This mare has come a loooooooong way (note how many ‘o’s I used, and know that I went conservative on the amount) from the anxious horse who first arrived at SAFE. She has become one solid riding horse with quite a few miles under her cinch in the round pen and in the arena. Fewer out on the trails, but even there she has proven to be steady. Darla…
Zelly, Companion Horse
Out of the horses who came from the Graham seizure, the ones we started under saddle all seemed to have some kind of soundness issue. Never have we done more lameness exams in such a short period of time. For some, it was just about being thin soled, and applying shoes fixed the issue. For others, there was a bit more going on under the hoof. But with the help of our vets and our farriers, we…
