SAFE Horses
SAFE News and Updates
Artie and Ruckus Return
Due to sudden life changes, Artie and Ruckus’ owner needed SAFE’s assistance in rehoming them. We commit a lifetime of safety to each and every horse who passes through our care and we picked them up this week. Artie had many fans before leaving SAFE last summer, so many of the volunteers will be happy to see him peeking out his former shelter window, where he enjoyed flipping his hay bag out to…
Otto Under Saddle
This month was the first time Otto saw a saddle (or rather, the first time he wore one – technically he’d probably seen one before then). First saddlings are always interesting. We do our best to prepare the horse before we cinch them up for the first time. Touching them all over with the flag, placing saddle pads on their backs, throwing the rope around their middles, all exercises to help…
Rest in Peace: SAFE Alumni Farley
The SAFE family is saddened to report that SAFE alumni Farley, passed away yesterday. He had been struggling to get to his feet after napping in the sunshine and when assisted, wasn’t able to stand. Dr. Schroeder from Northwest Equine was able to come out and with his buddy and SAFE Alumni Pyrrha (Zelda), by his side, Farley was able to pass peacefully. Zelda said her goodbyes and seems to be…
Three’s Company Forever
Teddi, Minnie and Coco are adopted together! When the volunteers and staff heard the murmurings of a possibility that Auntie Teddi and her two littles might get adopted together, smiles and glee spread through the barn. The three friends have been adopted together to their new home in Kitsap County where they get to enjoy the good life in each other’s company. Their new family simply adores…
Alumni Update: Razin (Now Logan)
Razin, now Logan, recently had a dental check-up which revealed that he is actually younger than we thought! Wouldn’t we all want that kind of news?! It was determined that he appears to be closer to 2 years old than 5. He has been doing regular ground work with his adopter Heather, which he really enjoys. But, in his free time, enjoys granola bars, iced oatmeal cookies and greeting his peeps…
Riding Horse Edward
This past week, Eddie had his first few rides — uneventful, just the way we like them. It took him a bit of time to give to the bend Joel was asking him for, but with the patience and great releases of a well-practiced teacher, he got there. He was also uncertain about what Joel’s leg meant when asking for hindquarters, but again, figured it out soon enough under Joel’s tutelage. Times like…
GiveBIG is May 3–4th!
Today kicks off GiveBIG!! This year, SAFE invites you to help your favorite Western Washington horse rescue raise needed funds to help unforgettable horses. Donate here. Our theme for GiveBIG 2022 is “Let’s Not Forget.” Horses don’t end up at rescues because they’re bad or broken…they end up here because they’ve been forgotten. Once upon a time, these horses were someone’s partner…someone’s…
May Volunteer of the Month: Caitlin Soden
Congratulations to our May Volunteer of the Month, Caitlin! Caitlin works a full time job and still manages to muster up the energy to spend her weekends volunteering. She even shows up early to help with feeding! The Sunday PM team is very lucky to have her at the helm. How and when did you first get involved with horses? Before I started volunteering at SAFE in 2019, I had SEEN one horse in my…
Esme Loves to be Groomed
One of our horsemanship volunteers, Sue, had this to say about Esme. “Esme has come a long way from the wary mare who was hard to catch, and careful who came close. She spent some time in the rehab paddock next to Pepper, and was always very curious when I groomed Pepper. What is happening over there? Should it be happening to me? After a few days she would actively go to the fence line to…
Otto’s Origins
Otto arrived at SAFE the very definition of a ragamuffin, with a scruffy, mud-caked winter coat draped atop his thin frame. We looked forward to seeing what health would do for Otto. It brought out his personality, for starters. Even when on the mend from his tooth extraction, Otto remained a rambunctious and playful gelding. It also revealed some mysteries about his past. During a vet visit,…
Alumni Update: Atticus
Atticus’s adopter Bernice says that he is doing very well at the age of 32. Despite his age and mild arthritis in his hind, he still acts like a young 22-year-old. He is currently shedding out as seen on his face, getting ready for some summer fun!
Trail Horse Nyx
Nyx’s had his first trail ride with volunteer rider Lexee N! Here’s what she had to say about their experience: On this Sunny Thursday (4/7/22) Nyx and 4 other SAFE horses went on a trail ride/walk. Nyx has gone on a couple of trail walks before but today was his first time with a rider and he did so well! He was mellow yet alert. Every time the path had an opening he would always turn his head…
Working With Domino
Sara H, who has spent some time with Domino recently, had the following to say about their time together: I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Domino for three days during the last Joel Conner Clinic in November 2021. It was clear this distinguished gentleman has a few habits, particularly being heavy on the front end while backing up and wanting to cuddle up close with his handler. With…
Darla Gets to Work
Kaya has the following to say about her time spent recently with Darla: After struggling with her hoof injury for the last several months, Darla is sound and ready to get back to work! It seems she has used the time off to think about what she was working on before the injury. She’s less touchy about her hind end than when we first got her and quicker to relax and let down. Darla’s past has…
Veronica Melts Candi
A sweet note and reminder how special horses are in our lives. Candi recently had this to say about her relationship with Veronica: “It has been two weeks since I have been able to be with Veronica. Today she ran to me when she saw me at the gate of her turn out. Being with her made all of the crazy, chaotic, emotional days of the past two weeks drift away.”
Tilt and Valentine Looking for a New Home
Tilt and Valentine are looking for a new home in a hurry! They are SAFE alumni and their adopter regretfully must rehome them, hopefully together. Please share if you know someone looking for two very sweet pasture pals! Tilt is a bay 5‑year-old 14hh Yakima Reservation mare from the Fall City 40 herd that SAFE took in January of 2020. Tilt’s special for lots of reasons, but the reason for her…
Update: Daisy at Foster
From Daisy’s loving foster mom Shellie: “Daisy is doing wonderfully! She had a hoof trim on April 1, which went very well, not sore afterward, no boots needed! She’s shedding like a mad-woman with a beautiful caramel coat now starting to peak out on her shoulders. Working on leading her and Laurence together inside the paddocks to prepare for getting them out to the pastures (what a couple of…
Welcome, Bliss!
Introducing SAFE’s newest addition: Bliss! Bliss came to us from Port Orchard after a member of her owner’s family dispersed a group of 20 horses from his property in Sequim. There was a question as to whether or not Bliss was pregnant (she is not), and though he’d had horses in the past, her owner was not feeling capable of being able to take adequate care of her. She is a truly lovely mare,…
Milestones for Jacob
People may not realize all the little things our horses need to learn before they can be considered ready for adoption. Some come in with little to no domestic life skills while others have troubles due to frustration and misunderstanding that humans created. These are things that the general horse owner may take for granted. These are simple things horses need to be willing to do for just day…
Darla, ex-Unicorn
Oh Darla! Our little accident prone darling. When making a round after their morning chore shift, two of our eagle-eyed volunteers spotted Darla’s pretty white head with an alarming stroke of red on it. Upon further inspection, it was revealed that miss Darla had opened up a little gash on her forehead – not tremendously large, around 3 inches, but deep enough that a call to our vet was…
Cramer’s Progress
Cramer’s trouble is that he was improperly halter started in the past or never was taught to come with the handler. He was likely pulled on in an attempt to lead. Evidence of this is in his confusion and “stuck feet” especially when outside energy is raised. You can manage fairly well around him when it is all his idea, but when we add any element that he is unsure about, his initial reaction is…
Mouthy Man Cam
Careful observation is always a good thing! A few folks grooming and walking Cameron have noticed him doing some funny things with his face. He would push his lips at the gate with his blanket on it and even at their hand when they were near his face. He would also lay all his head weight in their hands. Being the careful observers that they are, this was reported to the staff for further…
Meet Gabby!
Seventeen years ago, we named this rescue Save a Forgotten Equine, and in all that time, we have only rescued equines of the Equus Caballus variety. Recently however, we took in our very first longear — a lovely bay molly mule named Gabby. Gabby is very shy, having had no real handling up to the age of four, but she is slowly slowly learning to trust…thanks to our good friend Trisha who has…
Wonderful Pepper
Here are some things we love about Pepper: Her playfulness — she and current herdmate Veronica spend the afternoon chasing each other around the paddock, bucking and biting and having a grand ole time in the way horses do. The way she gives herself a water bucket facial each night in her stall. There must be a method to her messy eating madness, but we certainly haven’t unraveled it yet. After…
George, all healed up
Though the rehab process can be a slow one, having a horse come out the other side of it good as new is time very well spent. George was very ready to get back into the swing of things – one thing that stall rest does for a horse, a young horse especially, is imbue them with some extra energy. For a boy of only four, George coped with limited movement tremendously well, but once he got the…
2022 Q1 Impact Statement
New Horses Intake Date: Feb 25, 2022 Tiva (Owner Surrender) Intake Date: Mar 8, 2022 Nico (Owner Surrender) Tanis (Owner Surrender) Intake Date: Mar 15, 2022 Gabby (Owner Surrender) Placed Horses Sundae Teddi Minnie Coco Euthanized Horses Nico
Training Update: Tanis
Tanis has turned out to be a sweetheart of a horse! We were a little worried when we got her that she may be pushy or even possibly aggressive since she seemed very treat focused, but so far she hasn’t tried to bite at all and seems content to receive pets and scratches on her terms. I spent quite a while working on the serious dreadlocks in her mane and Tanis was practically asleep by the time…
April Volunteer of the Month: Bob May
We are terribly lucky to have Bob as part of the SAFE volunteer family. He started out volunteering on the Friday PM shift and quickly became involved attending clinics, helping with our events and eventually adding a day on the Facilities Team and recently, Barn Assist. Bob is always up for helping with whatever needs to be done and he makes SAFE a better place because of him. Learn a little…
A Walk in the Park
Spring is just around the corner, and although some days, when the ground is frosty and the rain won’t stop, it certainly doesn’t feel that way, there are days (becoming less rare) when it feels almost something like June. Here at SAFE, we take full advantage of days like this, as well as easy access to the park trails next door – a match made in heaven. On a few of these days, we saddled up…
More Work with Tiva
In the video below, Tiva continues to learn to free her movement through changing eyes, and get used to people being on all sides of her, including in her blind spots. We work on helping her relax as she moves around the round pen, letting her know that she doesn’t need to trot off all the time, and that walking is an option for her. Putting a hand up by her face and mimicking petting is getting…
