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…
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…
