Alumni Update: Annie
We recently received an update from Annie’s adopter! Annie has entered into the world of Competitive Mounted Orienteering (CMO), which is best described as a mounted treasure hunt. Riders utilize compasses and maps while riding out on a specific course, hunting for hidden objective stations. Over the past season for CMO, Annie placed mostly 2nd and 3rd, really proving herself as a reliable trail…
Alumni Update: Cosmo
We recently received an update from Cosmo’s adopter. Cosmo, now known as Theo, is living his best retired life alongside his gelding friend. We also asked his adopter a handful of questions about this handsome boy, and here’s what she had to say: What is your horse’s favorite treat? He loves food…so pretty much anything! What is your horse’s most winning characteristic? He’s super sweet and…
Alumni Update: Jewel
We recently received an update from Jewel’s adopter, who tells us that Jewel is quite the character and that she is very well loved! We had the pleasure of seeing Jewel at our September Joel Conner horsemanship clinic, which is always a treat. We also asked Jewel’s adopter a handful of questions about Jewel, and here’s what she had to say: What is your horse’s favorite treat? She loves all kinds…
Nyx’s Origins
Nyx’s freeze brand, a hallmark of all BLM horses, is not just pure ornamentation. It actually acts as a unique identifier, and grants a bit of a window into his background. It tells us that he was born in 2006, and that he came from a herd in Oregon. Further investigation tells us that he is from the Beatys Butte herd management area, a dry, desert landscape around 65 miles east of Lakeview,…
Meet Montana and Darla
Say hello to our two newest arrivals, Darla and Montana! Darla is about 10 years old, and Montana is a 5 year old gelding. Both were surrendered to SAFE by their owner, an elderly man who suffered a stroke and could no longer care for them. His family was able to successfully rehome his other horses, but Darla and Montana are both untrained and were at a greater risk of falling into bad…
Caramel is Adopted!
Caramel is adopted! We have tears of joy with the news that Caramel’s foster mom, Trisha, said Caramel has a permanent home with her family! What an amazing gift this is for SAFE and Caramel. We know she will be forever loved, cared for and accepted for the smart, sensitive mare she is and will always be treated with love and respect. Cara and her Fall City 40 sister, Hazel, have truly found…
Lucca is Adopted!
Lucca is adopted by our very own Jane Millar! Jane has been a huge part of SAFE for many, many years and we could not be more over the moon that she found Lucca. As the Volunteer Manager for over 3 years, most long-term volunteers remember her as the first face of SAFE. Jane transitioned from a pretty big part time volunteer job to wanting to have more free time, try a few different roles at…
Pippi and Aries are Adopted!
Do you recognize the names Jane and Eric? They adopted Breve and Checkers back in July and now they’ve come back for two more horses, Aries and Pippi! That’s right, Jane and Eric now have their own tiny SAFE herd of four! Our very own Pippi, who was born to a rescue mare, Asha, at SAFE left for her new home just short of two weeks from her third birthday. When they decided to adopt Pippi they…
Alumni Update: Nadia
Leah, age 12, is still riding Nadia in 4H. Last year was mostly pleasure riding since all events were cancelled, but this year they’ve been getting back into competition. She rides Nadia both English and Western for Saddle Seat, Hunt Seat, Dressage, Stock Seat, Bareback, and Western Gaming (which is Nadia’s favorite). They’ve been doing qualifier events, and are signed up for the Thurston…
Pearl and Abby are Adopted!
Pearl and Abby are adopted together! We found them a loving family with Diana and Adam. The two get to live out their days as best friends with two humans who adore them. Their gorgeous property is up north in Everson Washington. When Kaya, our Barn and Facilities Manager, dropped the two off, she was so excited to see their beautiful home in person. She jokingly told Diana we would be bringing…
Artie is Adopted!
Artie is adopted and he lives with a SAFE Alumni pony, Ruckus! Jacquie was looking for a companion to live with Ruckus and turned to SAFE searching for a horse buddy. As the Volunteer Manager, I like to ask volunteers if they have a favorite horse at SAFE. Of course, many reply with “I like them all! BUT if I had to choose, it would be…” There is usually a horse or two that stands out to each…
Quincy is Adopted!
Quincy is adopted! Annemarie turned to SAFE looking for a friend for her horses, Nick and Ernie. On a sunny day in August they headed to Quincy’s new home. Annemarie said he arrived without breaking a sweat and unloaded like he’s been doing it his whole life. Quincy came to SAFE as part of a 7 pony seizure from Animal Control. The ponies had been living unhandled, hungry, with overgrown hooves,…
Veronica is Saddled
Over the past several months, Veronica has made great progress in her ground work with volunteer Candi. She is a sensitive mare who is eager to learn and please. These changes allowed for another milestone as she experienced her first saddling with Joel Conner in the October clinic/colt starting. Joel has years of experience working with challenging horses like Veronica. Even with preparation on…
October Volunteer of the Month: Melita Shpul
Congratulations to Melita Shpul on Volunteer of the Month! Melita started volunteering on the Thursday PM shift in January 2020. Not long after, she also started helping us with our fecal samples, checking for eggs and sand so we can properly treat our horses. You can often find Melita, before her shift, sitting at the microscope in the the bathroom looking closely at horse manure. We are lucky…
Merry Update
Merry’s diagnosis of left hind lameness with a sensitive proximal suspensory ligament means that SAFE must evaluate the course of action that offers her the best solution. Treatment of this chronic problem is most likely limited to a surgical procedure called a fasciotomy. This involves cutting the fibrous band of tissue wrapped around the suspensory ligament, which allows it to expand and…
A Summer of Progress for Veronica
Veronica has progressed well in her training. Although she is still a bit shy, she is doing much better about getting caught and haltered, and she will now come up to the fence to be petted and told how pretty she is. Veronica stands patiently while tied and is well-behaved for bathing and being fly sprayed. Earlier in the summer, she started with walking around with a lightly cinched saddle to…
Barb is a Riding Horse!
Kaya has been working with Barb since she arrived at SAFE. Here is what Kaya had to say about her: “Barb is turning out to be an all star riding horse! This sweet, charismatic, opinionated, intellegent pony keeps surprising me every ride. Barb was one of the most difficult groundwork horses I had ever worked with, but she has really turned that all around. She is now riding well on a loose rein,…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: George
In September, George and Terry participated in the riding section of the Joel Conner clinic at SAFE. This was George’s first riding clinic, with 3 hours of riding per day over 3 days, and with eight or nine other horses in the arena with him, which can be very distracting, especially for a young horse. George did very well with it all, and demonstrated a good work ethic with a good expression,…
Rae Riding Videos
No More Pointy Horses!
A wise horse named Honeycutt once said “A horse is a thing that is round, not a thing that is flat and pointy. How can someone look at a horse that is flat and pointy and think it is an okay horse? A pointy horse is probably sad and very, very hungry.” Edward, Cameron, and Daisy are pointy, and we’re asking you to join our campaign to make them round again! Because no horse should ever be…
The Return of Aubrey
Aubrey spent two years at SAFE before being adopted as a companion horse in 2018. Sadly, Aubrey’s adopter experienced a medical issue and could no longer care for Aubrey or her elderly gelding, Ro. Upset and unsure what to do, the adopter called SAFE for help. We talked about both horses, the time needed for her to recover and the difficulties caring for them as she herself was aging. Ro had…
Haltering Esme
Meet our new intake at SAFE, Esme. She is a 6 year old Yakima Reservation mare, who has not had a lot of past experience being lead. Esme is very friendly and interested in people, just a bit frightened by the halter. This is our third day working with her and things are going very well. We have been able to brush her, give her a lice dusting and she did great for a blood draw for the…
Meet Daisy
SAFE has been called on to help several owner surrendered neglected horses in the last few weeks. Because of the large number of adoption, we’ve had the space available to say yes to these requests, which is fortunate because these are all horses in desperate need of help. Our latest intake is a 25 year old mare named Daisy. Daisy came from a sad situation with an owner who struggled for many…
Edward, Esme, and Jacob Update
Life has changed in a big way for Edward, Esme, and Jacob since coming to SAFE two weeks ago. They’re now enjoying time together in the pasture located behind their Quarantine paddocks each day. They seem to be getting accustomed to the activity of SAFE, and they have no complaints whatsoever about the continuous supply of yummy hay they’re getting each and every day. Edward seems to be feeling…
Our Man Cam
Cameron continues to thrive here at SAFE, and seems pretty happy and content to be part of our herd. We’re happy to report that his all-mash diet of Haystack and senior grain seems to be working: he’s polishing off every meal and licking the bowl; and best of all, he’s producing good poop right on schedule. Because of our concern about Cameron’s colon function, we’ve asked our volunteers to…
Arigato Gentling Work (Photos)
September Volunteer of the Month: Gizela Berreth
Announcing Gizela Berreth as the September Volunteer of the Month! SAFE is lucky to have Gizela’s cheerful and positive attitude. She is always ready to help with anything we need, even inclement weather, she does it with a smile. Gizela is currently on the Sunday PM team, along with her daughter, and also does Night Check on Monday nights. Get to know a little more about Gizela below. How and…
Introducing Edward, Esme, and Jacob
When we got the call that three horses living on the Washington coast were in trouble, we thought they seemed a bit familiar… Edward, Esme, and Jacob are Yakima Reservation horses, which is means they came from the same place as the older horses in the Fall City 40 group. Their storyline, fortunately, was quite a bit different than that of the Fall City 40 horses, but they still ended up in a…
Breve and Checkers are Adopted!
Checkers and Breve might be mother and daughter, but the two ponies didn’t arrive at SAFE at the same time. Their previous owner hid four more ponies on their property after Animal Control came to seize the initial group. A few weeks later, AC discovered there were more ponies and eventually the whole herd ended up at SAFE. Breve arrived at SAFE first, along with Sundae and Razin. Checkers came…
