SAFE Horses
SAFE News and Updates
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…
Kelly is Adopted!
Kelly was the last of the Graham horses to arrive at SAFE, but no less loved. Actually, she quickly cemented herself as a volunteer favorite (we all know size doesn’t matter, but it’s hard not to instantly love the really big and really small ones). It was really her gentle demeanor and kind eyes that drew people to Kelly. She had a sweetness about her that was undeniable. And a patience too —…
Barb’s Recent Daze
Oh little barb! What have you been up to? Well, for starters, she was turned out with a herd again — do you hear that sigh of relief? Finally, she said. Back in her old stomping grounds, living with other mares 24/7. Getting into trouble, of course. We have to watch Barb a little closer than some. We hear some squealing coming from the direction of the park and prick our ears, waiting for the…
Nova’s Training Looks
Our lady Nova has been off at training for the last little while, and while we miss her tall, dark, and handsome self, we couldn’t be happier that she is getting a quality education under the blue skies of Ellensburg. Nova will likely always be a mare who is her best self when in regular work, so her time at training has been excellent for her in so many ways. Under Dylan’s tutelage, she is…
June Volunteer of the Month: Brandi Reyna
Congratulations to our June Volunteer of the Month, Brandi! We are very lucky to have the talented Brandi as a volunteer on the Wednesday AM team. Her reliability and consistency held the team together when it experienced a lot of understandable absences last winter. She was always there, the rock on the team, making sure the horses were cared for, working longer shifts and also occasionally…
Handsome Jacob
If you’re looking for a photogenic horse, a horse who practically poses for you when you take out your camera, then look no further than Jacob. Well, ok, Jacob and Edward — they’re kind of a matched set, and the way they play off one another’s energies is second to none. Book them for your next gig requiring two chestnut geldings who really understand how to make line work in their favor, and…
Heroic Henry
Two weeks ago, we reported that Henry had regressed in his training a bit, becoming unfocused and exhibiting herd-bound behavior. A new routine was established for him: stand tied in the big covered arena while Jax gets worked, followed by some moving and flagging along the wall, followed by ground work with an emphasis on coming down from the trot to a relaxed walk, followed by trot poles, and…
Otto is Adopted!
Otto was born to the desert, raised alongside sun-warmed rocks and plump lizards in the wilds of Nevada. He was rounded up, tattooed, and, via some circumstances unknown to us, found his way to Washington. A boy of only three, some of his adult teeth still sitting unerupted, Otto experienced something most horses will be lucky enough never to even imagine: being seized by Animal Control. When…
A Bath for Moshi
Being a horse at SAFE means many things: you get fed three times a day (if not more), you always have fresh clean water, you get daily vitamins and minerals, you make new friends on two legs and four, and you learn a whole lot of things. We do our best to prepare our horses to be the most well-rounded equine citizens possible, which involves things like holding their feet up for the farrier and…
Tiva’s Journey, So Far
I’d written an article some months ago documenting Tiva’s journey with the intention of having a video to accompany it, showcasing the immense amount of progress she has made since she first stepped off that trailer over a year ago, snorting and scared. But as it has a habit of doing, time got away from me, and the visual accompaniment to Tiva’s tale was delayed. However, in the months between…
Summertime Bijou
As the days slide along and we begin to cruise into the summer months of long sun and warm weather, as the ground dries up and we ask ourselves ‘mud? What mud?,’ as we open our pastures and slowly introduce our herd to grass, the horses make the transition to living outside 24/7. For a horse like Bijou, who spent the time she was in her stall (and not nose down in her food) with her head hanging…
Arrow’s First Bath
The first glimpse we had of Arrow was of a slender buckskin horse curled up in the back of a paddock, sternal like a cat in the ‘loaf’ position, watching over his surroundings. He rose slowly, in no hurry to greet us, accepting our invitation to come over and say hello like a gentleman – wary but not unfriendly. When we were told we would be picking up a stallion who had not had regular handling…
Brave Roy
In my time at SAFE, I’ve learned a thing or two about horses. One of the things I learned is that the majority of them love power tools. If you have to fix a fence or drill in some hardware nearby, even the more timid horses will inquire as to what you are up to. But do you know what horses do not really tend to love? Tarps. Big billowy objects that float and flutter and crackle when stepped on.…
Thank you Blue Spruce!
We have several retaining walls around our property and it has come time to give them a little updating. This task was originally a little daunting both because of the price of railroad ties and the amount of labor necessary, but, thanks to the Nichols family at Blue Spruce, we were able to complete these projects at very little cost! The Nichols family donated all of the railroad ties we…
Alumni Update: Moon
Moon is very happy being a beautiful pasture ornament, hanging out with her animal friends and greeting visitors to the farm. Her best friend is a draft gelding named Goliath. She especially enjoys having a friend her own size for mutual grooming. In addition to Goliath there is another horse, as well as alpacas, sheep, goats, chickens, dogs, and cats at the farm. Beth was happy to report that…
Addie, Ready for Adoption!
Addie arrived at SAFE back in November of 2022, as part of the Graham 27 seizure. She was the youngest of the Graham group, with a dental putting her at around 5 years old. And while her exact breed makeup is unknown, Addie proves you can be every bit as cute even without a known pedigree. Before coming to SAFE, Addie had a somewhat tumultuous start: she was born at another rescue, where…
Alumni Update: George
We recently heard from George’s adopter who said: “George is doing phenomenally. We haven’t had time to hit any “real” trails yet but since the daylight has been sticking around longer in the evenings we have been working on our confidence moving off on solo rides “around the block”… which is a mile combination of gravel, trail and road. He is so proud of himself when he completes something and…
Edward, Back to Work
Since healing from his popped splint, Edward has been on the mend and back in work. Edward is a special guy. He is definitely the kind of horse who, if he knows you and trusts you, allows you to get a lot more done. Whatever happened in Edward’s past, a combination of being orphaned as a foal and poor handling in his time before arriving at SAFE, has not set him up for success. He has…
Going the Distance with Montana
From the moment he arrived at SAFE, Montana garnered a lot of attention. He is a flashy-looking horse, and with his medicine hat markings and pretty blue eyes, it’s no wonder he had people immediately smitten. But Montana was — is — troubled. He had a rough start in life that left him with some pretty significant baggage. When he arrived at SAFE, despite having ‘been started’ in his youth, he…
Figuring Out Henry
Figuring out horses is a thing we have to do a lot here at SAFE. Rarely do they come with instructions. Their histories often begin at the point where they’re rescued, and we can usually only guess at what their lives were like before. We watch for clues or hints. We reinforce the good behaviors, and discourage the bad. When past neglect has been a factor in shaping a horse’s personality, we may…
Bandit & Brandy on Grass
If you were to stay at the Brandy and Bandit Bed and Breakfast (only fun to say because of all the alliteration, and goodness me, try saying ‘Brandy and Bandit’ ten times fast), you would find that grass is newly on the menu. These two ladies have been spending a bit of time separate as of late, in paddocks that neighbor one another but are not connected. This slight separation has been good for…
Meet Arrow
A handsome stallion joined our herd last week — an 18 year old buckskin boy named Arrow. He was an owner surrender, and while he is overdue for some basic care and in need of groceries, he has clearly had some good experiences in his past given how gentle he has shown himself to be so far. He let us curry (and bathe!) away the caked on mud on his hocks and the rain rot on his back, and he…
Alumni Update: Rhythm
What a cute selfie of these two! Rhythm and her adopter competed in low-level eventing for 10 years, but nowadays Rhythm and her pasture mate, a 27-year-old retired roping horse, enjoy their time just being horses and going on a couple of rides a week.
Irene is Adopted!
This is a record breaking adoption!! Our Irene was at SAFE for a short 3.5 weeks and it only took 11 days for Irene’s new adopter, Stanalee, to meet her and fall in love. That’s incredible! Stanalee came to us looking for a pasture mate for her mare, Kihanna (a SAFE alumni) after recently losing their herd mate, Haley. In fact, it’s the same reason Stanalee first came to us 7 years ago and…
Domino’s Days
What has our rodeo king been up to in his spare time? Well, mostly Domino is still just patiently waiting for his person to show up. This sweet old gent is ready for a nice and easy retirement, ideally alongside a pushover gelding or a nice mare he can romance. Domino continues to enjoy his human interactions, loving the time he spends with his groomers. He remains very attached to his fence…
Terrific Tanis
Volunteer Meghan N has been spending most of her weekday afternoons with Tanis for almost a year now, and took the time to write a bit about their partnership over the last months: “Yet again, Tanis impresses us with the huge amount of try she has! This mare has really come so far since her intake in spring of 2022. Over the winter, we worked hard on everything from hindquarters/front…
Alumni update: Bowie
Bowie is doing entirely well in his loving adoptive home with his friend Raven. Although would like to be, he is not on pasture right now because he is on a diet. He needs to lose some weight so he is currently in a gravel paddock and will be back on the trails once he has lost a few pounds.
Cramer is Adopted!
Once upon a time, there was a big bay horse. Before he came to SAFE, he had cut his teeth at the rodeo, used for years as a bucking horse. When his quarter ran out, he was relegated to a practice horse for people to hone their skills, and when his time there was done, he found himself bound for a feedlot. The antagonist of this horse’s story does not have a name we know, but there are…
Meet Roy!
Our newest addition has a very sad story and once again we are so thankful for the animal control officers in Pierce County for their gallant efforts to help horses in our community. Roy was part of a herd of 7 horses, sadly two were euthanized on the property, one at the hospital and two others while trying to save them while in holding with Animal Control. Roy is a true survivor and has…
Moshi’s First Rides
Moshi, one of the Graham 27, had her first rides here at SAFE recently. From the first few times working with her, we had a feeling this little mare was going to make it easier on us than some. And this isn’t to say that there are not always challenges (both standard and unique) that accompany each horse we start here, but it seemed that with Moshi, said challenges would be rather manageable.…
