SAFE Horses
SAFE News and Updates
Alumni Update: Bucky B Lucky
Lorenzo, formally known as Bucky B Lucky and his adopter Ruth, are still actively competing often. Here are some recent photos of playing, training and competing! Such a handsome fella!
We Love Our Minis
Written by our volunteer, Debbie Meyer, aka “Best Buddy to Shasta & Sunny” Traditionally, February has been known as the month of love. As a result, no better time for an update on SAFE’s lovable ambassadors and permanent residents, Shasta and Sunny D. As some of you may not know (or remember), Shasta and Sunny arrived at SAFE in 2011 after being seized by Animal Control when another mini on…
Terrific Teddi
Recently, Teddi reminded us what an amazing herd member she can be! Since Minnie and Coco had to have their vaccines done to help them protect against strangles, we were instructed to keep them separated for one-week post-vaccine from other horses. Since it is winter, we don’t have any open paddocks, Teddi had to go back in the “filly field” with a few old friends, Rae, and a few new friends,…
Cameron Enjoys Long Walks
We have a few volunteers who come once a week to give our gentleman Cameron a walk around the property. Here is what Meghan Nicolson had to say: “Walking with Cameron is a highlight of my week! When we first started walking together he just wanted to go, with his long/fast strides; but it didn’t take long before Cameron learned to slow down to my pace. He is very aware of everyone/everything at…
Alumni Update: Lucy
Check out these photos of Lucy! She has been finding her way in the herd and apparently found a new friend that she is mothering a bit.
Sienna is our Special Project
Here is what Terry had to say about Sienna: What an absolute gift Joel Conner is to SAFE and horses like Sienna. His resolve, knowledge and compassion for her success is unmatched. Joel made Sienna a “special project” in this past November’s horsemanship clinic. He worked her with purpose and dedication to fill in her insecurities while carrying a rider. This mare has a huge heart with a ton of…
Playful Pepper
This little rascal must have decided to play a little too rough with the big girls and got a nasty laceration on her cannon bone of her hind left leg. Luckily it is very far from her heart and time is all that is needed to heal. It was covered with long winter coat and was discovered a bit too long after the injury to be sutured, so we were left to just clean it up, clip the hair away and keep a…
Alumni Update: Dottie
Dottie is living the good life with her entire family! As you can see, she has plenty of friends to keep her entertained and happy!
Nyx’s Balance
Terry had this to say about Nyx: I have started to ride Nyx a few times a week. He is making some great changes and does well with a good groundwork session at the beginning of the week and then comfortably ridden. One observation is how crooked he was moving even on the ground. Helping him “stand up” and move straight on a unified circle was almost impossible when we started working him. We had…
2024 Joel Conner Clinics
We have scheduled dates for our 2024 Joel Conner Horsemanship clinics. These clinics are an incredible opportunity to learn about the horsemanship that SAFE uses to prepare our horses for success in their future homes. 2024 Joel Conner Horsemanship Clinic Dates March 22–24, 2024 May 3–5, 2024 August 16–18, 2024 October 25–27, 2024 Schedule (subject to change) Groundwork Class: 9:00AM to 12:00PM…
Jacob is Learning
Terry had this to say about Jacob: Jacob is a good gelding with a fair amount of try. His biggest issues stem from years prior to SAFE when he learned to evade any pressure put on him. Like any young horse he has at times tested the leadership of his handlers. Most likely, as a young horse, he found that he could intimidate or pressure people to move out of his way. He had a bit of a wake-up…
Coco’s First Snow!
As most of you remember, we had quite a bit of snow over the holidays. Being that Coco is new to life and born in April, it was the first time this little lady experienced the magic of a winter wonderland. Luckily our Barn Staff captured the moment to share with all of us. Check out the short video of Coco, Minnie and a brief appearance by Teddi, who cares more about the food than the white…
Nova and Jill Are Besties
Nova and Jill are enjoying each other’s company this winter. We have changed up the mare herd dynamics a bit and added a few of the older mares to a herd. Jill and Barb just wouldn’t “play nice” so some adjustments were made. Nova and Jill are the best of buds and it is pretty cute given their size difference to see them side by side in everything they do. Winter is moving along and in March we…
Alumni Update: Miah
Miah is now living with her new adopter of one year, Tamara! She had been riding trails until being placed on stall rest, much to Miah’s dismay! But, now has been able to walk around in her gravel paddock with her companion Mr. Apple, a very cute Appy Pony!
February Volunteer of the Month: Jessica Sprague
Congratulations to February Volunteer of the Month, Jessica Sprague! Jessica started volunteering right at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. Since then she has been a reliable, hardworking team member who stepped up to become Shift Lead last October. Since then she has trained several new volunteers and supported her team through the ups and downs of occasionally being shorthanded…
Veronica and the Tarp
One of our volunteer riders, Candi, had this to say about working with Veronica: “The barn is on fire! Let’s go!” It really isn’t on fire but, that was my mantra with Veronica for the last several months as we worked through some recurring haltering issues while she was turned out in her paddock. Even though she has spent well over a year of being haltered every once in a while she gets a bee in…
Echo is adopted!
Echo is adopted! She headed to her home right before Christmas. What a Christmas present! Echo, who is now Princess Zelda, and has a horse best friend Oz along with a young family to play with. The property is beautiful and she has a life full of fun adventures ahead. Before becoming a Princess and arriving at SAFE, she was living in a bad situation of neglect. Sadly, the other horse she was…
Wednesdays With Freya
One of our volunteers, Bob, had this to tell us about his Wednesdays spent with Freya: “As a relatively new volunteer at SAFE, I’ve really appreciated my ‘horse time’ and all that I’ve been learning. One of my favorite teachers in the last few months has been our mare Freya. Following Sue Coulter’s grooming class for volunteers, I started getting together with Freya on Wednesday afternoons…
Update on Otto
This little cutie is feeling much better after packing on a few more pounds! He has proven to be fairly even mannered and willing to try what is asked of him. Pretty much ground ties like a champ for grooming sessions unless its food time and then all the attention is getting to his yummy hay! He was a bit of a stinker to pick up his hooves but that is getting better with constancy. He had a…
Topper is Adopted!
Topper has found a wonderful new family! Not only does he get a four legged best friend, but two adorable young kids to love on him. Jo and Marcus were looking for a companion for their retiring 23 year old show mare, Cisco. The two horses met in 2 feet of snow! The family made a nice trail in the paddock and the two horses followed each other around hitting it off perfectly! Topper is a 26 year…
SAFE is Now Accredited by GFAS
We have some exciting news to share! SAFE is now an Accredited member of the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries! There are just 209 GFAS organizations worldwide, and SAFE is one of them. Obtaining this status has been a goal of ours for years. SAFE achieved Verified status in 2018, and that in itself was an achievement. But the requirements for Accredited status are VAST, to say the least,…
Press Release: Save a Forgotten Equine (SAFE) in Redmond, Washington is Now Accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries
Save a Forgotten Equine (SAFE) in Redmond, Washington is Now Accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries January 24, 2022 (Redmond, WA) — The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS), the only globally recognized organization providing standards for identifying legitimate animal sanctuaries, awarded Accredited status to Save a Forgotten Equine as of January 12, 2022.…
Montana’s Progress
We have made some progress with gentling Montana to the halter. He is still very shy about the first touch and had learned from his previous life that he can keep his head just out of reach from the halter by holding it far to the other side. He will allow us to walk up and pet his shoulders and at time his head. To continue to make progress and change the behavior, we easily can throw and rope…
Mac In Search of a Perfect Home
Terry had this to say our big Mac: “I think a lot about what Mac’s perfect home would be. It is hard to find because the person handling has to have good horse sense. They need to understand good timing for pressure and release. Too much pressure without a timely release and he would easily scramble backwards and sit down or flip backwards. Our great horsemanship volunteer and friend, Lexee, has…
Lacey Loves Freya
Lacey has taken a real liking to her fence line buddy, Freya. It was very cute when we first turned Freya out with the mare herd next to Lacey, the two of them spent a ton of time talking to each other through the fence. Then for days Freya would be found next to Lacey along the fence line just hanging out. The two mares are also stalled next to each other in the barn. When the better weather…
New Horses: Cramer and Otto
Cramer and Otto arrived last month, like many horses at SAFE, in rough shape. They were part of a 3 horse seizue by Snohomish Animal Control. Our herd count was pretty high at the time, so our friends at SAIN (Skagit Animals in Need) took the third horse. Cramer is a huge guy, who is believed to have been used as a bucking horse in rodeos and is unhandled at 15 years old. The staff got right to…
George Wants Out
SAFE staff have the always eventful task of walking George during his stall rest. While he is often quiet in his stall, outside of his stall can get more challenging. It is hard to help such a young, playful boy keep all his feet on the ground and not jumping around during his rehab walks. Luckily, we are nearing the end of the stall confinement this month, and will start turning him out in a…
Playful Frosting
Frosting’s foster mom, Casey, wrote an update on Frosting and here’s what she had to say about her: “Frosting is a great companion on the farm! Right now, we’re just giving her time to grow up and learn the basics. She is pretty fearless and has no trouble with blanketing, mane and tail spray, hosing, grooming, leading, etc. Even when Frosting’s paddock mate is away for a ride, Frosting remains…
Saddling Esme
Esme did well at our colt starting workshop in November. She was able to be saddled every day and became more and more comfortable with carrying the saddle. As with Jacob and Edward, we are going to spend the winter months getting her more comfortable and better prepared for the first rides. No use in causing trouble that isn’t there with a ride done too early in haste to get it done. A set-back…
Cam, My Man
A Horse of Many Names … Cameron, Cam, Cam My Man … these are all the names by which he is lovingly referred. As you may recall from an earlier update, Cameron has been participating in the SAFE Handwalking Program since last October. The program was developed to accommodate the need for the SAFE horses to stay active, especially those recovering from some mishap or those companion horses who do…
