SAFE Horses
SAFE News and Updates
Alumni Update: Pogo
Pogo lives happily on five acres with four other horses including a white mare named Elle. Pogo loves Elle and she is equally smitten with him. When Lilly adopted him in 2021 he was overweight and would not let anyone groom him, along with a few other bad habits. Lilly has worked very hard with Pogo and he has become a model citizen of his herd. He is now at an ideal weight for his size and has…
Herd your Horses
The nature of SAFE is that it is a transient place, meant to be a pause in the life of the horses who come here, a comma in their lives, not a full stop. What this means is that things change on a regular basis – we play musical paddocks quite often (though all of the horses have a chair at the end of it). What it also means is that herds grow and shrink as horses come and go. For Nova,…
Otto’s Playmate
Though one might say he is mature for his age, based on how well he is going under saddle and his general level-headedness, the fact remains that Otto is still just a young lad, not yet 4. And boys, as they say, will be boys. Otto has been getting into some shenanigans as of late, with none other than his herd mate, Artie. After they get turned out for breakfast and eat said breakfast…
Tiva’s Tale
There is a journey each horse must make, a map laid out before them when they first arrive at SAFE, a pathway to a brighter future. Not every route looks the same. The topography and length vary as much as the horses themselves do – some are short and flat, some steep and winding, some end before they’ve even really began (and these particular paths, if using the map analogy, dump out into a…
A Precious Gem Seeks a Home
“Bijou” means jewel in French, and never has a horse embodied her name so fully. Sweet Bijou truly is a gem of a mare, her kindness radiating outward from her gentle eyes. Hers is a face that enjoys being pet – she is the perfect horse for someone looking for a companion to dote over and love on, for she will soak attention up like a sponge. In a herd, she can adjust to a pecking order,…
Alumni Update: Stormy
It is with sad hearts that we share an update from Stormy’s adopter, “A dreaded moment but one filled with so much love. Stormy trotted over the rainbow bridge in Dec 2022. She was the sweetest, kindest creature and so trusting and resilient. She lived a lot of life and I’m so grateful for the time we were given. Four years as your person will never be enough. I love you, marshmallow. This is…
Stall Wars: A New Hope
Our Domino is a very special boy. His days before he arrived at SAFE were lonely ones, and so now, with so many other horses around and the bustle of daily activity, Domino lives a very different life than he did for many of his years. But that sort of adjustment can be difficult, especially for an older guy. Domino, like many of us, has a hard time with change, and at SAFE where change is all…
The Graham 27
On November 28, 2022, a large group of horses were seized from a property in Graham WA by Pierce County Animal Control. Fifteen of the horses were found in a large field, and the remaining twelve in an old dairy barn. The fifteen in the field were rounded up and haltered by members of SAFE, then loaded into trailers with the help of two of Seattle’s Mounted Patrol Unit sergeants. They were then…
Sisters Forever
We said goodbye to two darling horses last night and our hearts are aching. Beva and Aspen, sisters to the very end, did everything together. Last night, they shed their broken bodies and flew away, side by side for always. For Beva, it was colic, her second bad episode in a month. She could barely stand, she just kept dropping to the ground and refusing to get back up. Banamine, which usually…
Frosting’s New Friends
Our sweet filly Frosting sure is growing up quick! This little lady is really growing into a beautiful, feisty mare and has a new opportunity to figure horse things out in her new herd. Having been supported by her aunt Fancy for the last year, Frosting is ready to make some friends and live her rebellious teenage years with her fellow youngsters (while of course running back to the support of…
“Brandit,” Back at SAFE
As though returning from a long holiday, these two noble ladies have come back to SAFE. For many months we watched their experiences at their foster home from afar – frolicking alongside their foster siblings, enjoying a summer of grass, making friends with neighboring alpacas and dogs. But circumstances change, and as we slid into fall, we welcomed the girls back home through the gates…
Lacey’s Leisure Time
Lacey has been enjoying some time off this year; eating yummy grass, sleeping in her cozy stall, enjoying long naps in the sun, and spending time with her fenceline buddies (one of which was a very sweet donkey who she liked very much). Since Lacey let us know that her horsemanship journey is going to take some time, dedication, and very skilled energy, we decided to wait until we could really…
Bring Darla Home for the Holidays!
Our darling Darla is looking for her forever home! This sweet mare will melt your heart with just a single look into her big doe eyes. Darla is going well under saddle, walk trot lope, but will still need an intermediate rider to help support her as she expands her education. Her disposition would benefit from a confident partner, and she would thrive with someone who is looking for a project…
Alumni Update: Annie
Since Annie was adopted in 2011 she has lived with four other horses in Buckley, WA living it up as a pasture pal. Last year Annie was used in Competitive Mountain Orienteering and may do that again in the future. Her adopter Nicole absolutely adores her. We are happy to see Anne is doing so well and living a beautiful life! i
SAFE Holiday Open House
We’ve decided to postpone this weekend’s open house until next Sunday Dec 11. We’re concerned about the snow and ice on the roads making travel difficult or unsafe. And even if the temps warm up, that would make parking onsite here at SAFE near to impossible. Plus, with this week’s snow and cold, we’re all pretty exhausted… So we’re going to *try* to do this next Sunday Dec 11 from noon to…
Valentine is Adopted!
We are pleased to announce Valentine has found the perfect home! Sandy and her family are very familiar with SAFE horses having adopted two before Valentine. Sadly, Farley, passed away early this summer and while the neighbor’s horses provided some comfort to Zelda (formerly Pyrrah), they were looking for a friend to bring more joy to her life. The friendship started last month with barely any…
December Volunteer of the Month: Linda Goldman
I’m excited to announce Linda Goldman as our last volunteer of the month for 2022! I feel very fortunate to work with this kind, funny, patient, hardworking, mellow, go with the flow, do whatever needs to be done lady! Linda started volunteering in May 2021 and immediately started filling in on shorthanded shifts and then after only a few months of volunteering, took on the Shift Lead role when…
Alumni Update: Aries, Breve, Checkers and Pippi
All four horses, Checkers, Breve, Pippi and Aries were adopted together and are living together on a lovely farm up in Skagit County. They are impeccably cared for, in great health, and are living in ‘horse heaven.’ So wonderful four horses were adopted by the same loving family.
Rae-dy for adoption!
Our sweet, velveteen Rae is ready to find her forever home! This sweet-as-pie mare has come a long way from being baby Rae, and we are looking forward to get to share what makes her so special with adopters. Rae is exceptionally brave, and would likely make a wonderful trail horse because of it. On her first ride outside the arena, she conquered many obstacles – puddles, bridges, cats and dogs –…
Sparky’s New Friends
Since Sparky arrived last May, we’ve tried pairing him with a few friends for company. At first it was Ruckus, a pony, but he was adopted shortly after we paired them up. Then we tried our minis, Sunny and Shasta, but they had their routines and little home and decided they weren’t keen on sharing it with the new guy just yet. Sebastian was the first horse we introduced, because of his gentle…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Bandit
Kirsten AL worked with Bandit at the November Joel Conner clinic, and had the following to say about her time spent with this nice old gal: “Lessons learned … Ms. Bandit Bay can be both a student and a teacher. In haltering and working with this 25-year-old quarter horse mare, I was quickly schooled in the fact that this gal prefers not to be in tight quarters with other horses as she turned…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Brandy
Sue C worked with Brandy during the last Joel Conner clinic, and had the following to say about her time spent with this special mare: “This weekend I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Brandy during the groundwork portion of the Joel Conner clinic. Brandy is a 27 year old quarter horse mare who has had little training with groundwork, and is very tied to her paddock mate Bandit.…
Alumni Update: Justin
Justin is doing very well! He spends his days in a pasture with his young friend, Linus, and comes inside to a comfy stall at night. His adopter enjoys seeing Justin’s personality continue to shine through the longer she has him.
Barb, in Summary
Here are some things about Barb, otherwise known as: Barbie, when she is behaving like the doll – Barbra, with a stern intonation, i.e., when she’s exercising her right to be impatient – Bobblehead, when she’s silly (which is quite often, being newly four and all) – Barbarella, when, well, whenever. We do really like nicknames here at SAFE. No matter what you call her, this little mare is…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Darla
Kaya M, who has been working with Darla for a while now, brought this lovely white mare into the riding portion of Joel Conner’s clinic recently. Here is what she had to say about their time spent together in the arena: “I literally can’t say enough good things about this mare. She handled all of the clinic like she’d been doing it her whole life, even though it was only her second clinic. Darla…
Time with Tanis
Meghan N has been working with Tanis over the last several months, participating in two Joel Conner clinics alongside her, and has the following to say about this sweet mare: “Tanis is a big hearted mare with a whole lotta try! She has been busy since coming to SAFE earlier this year; and this past weekend participated in her third Joel Conner clinic. Leading up to the clinic, Tanis worked so…
Goodbye, dear Cameron
We lost our dear Cameron today. We noticed he was not walking steadily, and was unweighting his left hind and dropping his right hind pastern. He had bounding pulses in both hind legs and his heart rate was at 70 bpm. When Dr Renner arrived, it had increased to 80s (double normal range). He was in a grave amount of pain that we could not control and it was determined he would continue to suffer…
Bijou, Companion Horse
After her intake quarantine was over, we began to get to know Bijou. With her sweet eyes and gentle personality, we were excited to learn a bit more about her. It is not uncommon that horses come to us without a history to speak of, and we must rely solely on assumptions and the little bits of insight that they give us based on their reactions to things. To handle on the ground, Bijou is…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Declan
Kaya M has been working with Declan, and had the opportunity to take him in the groundwork section of the clinic this past week. Though he is a new arrival here at SAFE, he is gentle enough that he is able to get right to work in our program! Here’s what Kaya had to say about their time spent together over the weekend: “This is one special horse! The amount of try and motivation that Declan…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Cramer
Has there ever been a sweeter horse? Ok, I’m biased. But I think, objectively, that if there were a spectrum of sweetness, he’d definitely fall in the top percentile of the bell curve. There is just something about him, a gentleness, radiating outward. He has a heart to match the rest of him, big and full. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: he has come such a long way. It’s…
