Introducing Wren
Wren came to SAFE back in May as part of a 7 horse rescue from the Gig Harbor area. She was living in a 4‑horse herd, and while initially curious, she was somewhat cautious around people at first, preferring to keep her distance. But after her arrival here and those those initial days working with her, catching her with a rope in the round pen and beginning the halter starting process, Wren…
Jet-Setting Addie
Here’s a limerick for you: There once was a young mare from Graham, Whose coat was a dark shade of tan, And if ever you knew What was good for you You’d adopt sweet miss Addie from Graham! Me calling Addie, a bay horse, ‘a dark shade of tan’ aside, I am very serious when I say we are all waiting with bated breath for Addie to find the person who is going to take her home. Over the last few…
Tiva These Days
Recent observations regarding Tiva: Her shoulders, in particular, are rather itchy this time of year, and she is not opposed to a little mutual grooming if you would be so inclined to scratch, yes, just there, above the elbow. A gentle mare, she rarely ever uses teeth, and those whose hides are a bit less thick much appreciate and prefer the ‘stiff upper lip’ technique to the ‘barber shop shark’…
Introducing Lancelot
Lancelot, along with his 6 other cohorts, were living in squalor in the area outside of Gig Harbor when we picked them up this past May. Lance’s paddock was a mud pit surrounded by broken and bent panels. His only source of water was from a dirty trough, and the ribs protruding from beneath his coat showed that he was not getting all the calories he needed. Lance was a stallion when we got him,…
Alumni Update: Ben
Here’s an update from Ben’s adopter, Lisa G: Uncle Ben, the ever-melty when kids are around. My niece is a horsewoman in the making and helped me muck stalls, feed, and groom! She led both my horses all around the field and Ben was just soooo gentle with her (much better than he is with me! ). I just love this guy so very much.
Training Update: Artie Changing Eyes
Much like watching a plant grow, it is difficult sometimes to see the change in something unless you can clearly see from where you began. Sure, you know it’s different, but how different can be hard to quantify without a comparison. We first met Artie as a untouched stallion, one whose extreme amount of self-preservation came by way of necessity. When you’re defending a band of mares, it works…
Training Update: Riding Veronica
Veronica has a mane nearly as long as she is tall, with a forelock that practically tickles her nostrils. On hot days, she loves to splash in her water trough, both front feet fully in and pawing, giving herself a two-for-one pedicure and face wash. She loves a good roll (the length and severity of which corresponds directly to how clean she was just beforehand), and playing around with her…
Pen Click Training
Trypanophobia is the fear of needles — and while I’ve yet to meet anyone who is fond of getting poked, some have more of an issue with it than others. The same goes for horses. Some hardly blink. Be it IM or IV, you’d be hard pressed to get a reaction out of our more stoic residents. But with others, you’d swear they could smell a needle they way they react. As is standard, the anticipation of…
Tanis Continues to Soften
The year is moving right along, and so is Tanis, as she continues to build confidence in herself and trust in people. This time last year, only a couple people could catch this mare; fast forward to this moment, and she loves face pets, has found more comfort and curiosity around people and recently realized that she kind of loves a good nose kiss! Tanis’s confidence is showing more and more;…
Alumni Update: Pyrrha and Valentine
A recent photo of Valentine, on the left, and Pyrrha (Zelda), on the right, on a sunny day after being bathed.
Poppy’s Cool Trick
No, you didn’t miss a chapter: Poppy wears a saddle now. More on that story and process later. But in the meantime, please enjoy this fun little “trick” she learned during the course of her training. This is one smart cookie of a mare. Believe it or not, this was perhaps the fourth or fifth time only performing this exercise — including the times she was actually on a line!
Training Update: Moshi in the Outdoor Roundpen
Moshi has been under saddle for several months now, and is coming along very well. Recently, she had her first rides out of the walls of an arena when we put a round pen out in the big outdoor arena. While a round pen is still a contained environment, it is a less controlled environment outside those walls, and can feel a bit daunting for some horses. But Moshi was undaunted by this new…
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…
