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…
Edward Making Strides
Edward is a silly monkey! He is both a joy and a troublemaker all wrapped up in a handsome package. We’re approaching 60 days of nebulizing treatments for Edward. He manages these exceptionally well, given how green and untrained he was just a few months ago. We have slowly decreased the amount of medication and now do treatments a few times a week. If all goes well, he will be able to…
Domino Likes His Buddies
What a sweet boy Domino is! He has been a gentleman for everything we have asked of him at SAFE. His only troubled spot is that he is very herd bound to his paddock friends, and calls continuously to them until they return to be with him in the paddock. Even if he is calling out for his buddy, Domino remains mindful of the people around him and does not become ill-mannered. He and Mac…
Darling Daisy
Daisy has been doing well with the transition into winter and continues on her daily 10 pounds of senior feed and free choice alfalfa. Her weight is excellent and she seems to enjoy the other horses near her pen. As we move into spring it will be nice to get her out on our grass pastures and introduce her to some friends. She is a very social girl and we think she will enjoy the companionship of…
Darla on the Mend
Poor, sweet Darla has been suffering from a bad hoof abscess over the holidays at SAFE. Despite starting treatment (soaking and Epson salt poultices), her pain level became more severe. We called our veterinarian, Dr. Renner, for a visit. X‑rays showed a significant hematoma had formed in her front left hoof, putting a significant amount of pressure on her coffin bone. We don’t know what caused…
Brandy + Bandit = Brandit for Short
We’ve spent quite some time getting to know these two mares since their arrival at SAFE in October, 2021. We’ve observed that both have a “been there, done that” wisdom about them. They seem like two old ladies chuckling to themselves about days gone by and all the mischief they had gotten into together. Brandi is definitely the herd leader and Bandit is completely happy to follow her lead. They…
Goodbye Arigato
Some of these are just harder to talk about than others. I’m so sorry to let you all know we had to let Arigato go. She was diagnosed with severe degeneration of her right hind coffin joint and navicular bone resulting in ongoing lameness issues. She was euthanized due to a grave prognosis for life without significant pain. The disease was likely the result of a previous infection before she…
January Volunteer of the Month: Jill Marcell
Congratulations to Jill Marcell! Since starting on a PM shift in August 2019, Jill has been a kind, reliable team member, working hard to take care of our horses. Even recovering from a surgery couldn’t keep her away from SAFE. Within a few weeks she picked up a shift prepping the horse’s grain baggies until she can return to her original team on Wednesdays. We are very lucky to have Jill…
2021 Q4 Impact Statement
New Horses Intake Date: Oct 1, 2021 Topper (Owner Surrender) Brandy (Owner Surrender) Bandit (Owner Surrender) Intake Date: Dec 5, 2021 Cramer (Animal Control) Otto (Animal Control) Placed Horses Jasper Echo Topper Euthanized Horses Merry Aubrey Arigato
