SAFE Horses
SAFE News and Updates
Shy Boy Quincy
Quincy’s current challenge is finding trust in people. Three months ago, Quincy didn’t like to be touched, but with patient work, his eyes have softened and now he even leans into being petted. He has received farrier care twice and was great for the farrier. We have moved Quincy’s paddock to the other side of the property. Our herd of fillies gets turned out to graze next right next to him.…
Love at First Sight
Ajax has found the perfect home! Nancy and Gary came to SAFE looking for a companion horse for their mare, Cheyenne. Her buddy had just passed away and left her very depressed. Nancy and Gary were quickly smitten with Ajax. Ajax came to us in April in rough shape with a body score of 3 and an old eye injury. He had been passed around home to home with no one caring except a family friend who was…
2021 Q2 Impact Statement
New Horses Intake Date: April 5, 2021 Aries (Owner Surrender) Lucca (Owner Surrender) Intake Date: April 8, 2021 Ajax (Owner Surrender) Intake Date: April 21, 2021 Coco (Born at SAFE) Intake Date: May 5, 2021 Domino (Owner Surrender) Placed Horses Razin Ajax Billy Fancy
July Volunteer of the Month: Renee Wass
Congratulations to our July Volunteer of the Month! I am lucky to have had the pleasure of working with Renee back when I used to work Mondays. It always lit up my day seeing her arrive at SAFE. Her positive attitude is infectious and she has a great sense of humor. Renee has always been willing to come in early to help with feeding or fill in as a Shift Lead on another team someone quit and I…
Training Update: Jasper
Sue had the opportunity to work with Jasper in the last Joel Connor Clinic in June. Here’s what she had to say: “I was fortunate to spend one day of the June 2021 Joel Conner clinic working with Jasper. I had been working with him on my own for several weeks, but was excited to have some guidance to see what I was doing right and wrong. Jasper came to SAFE extremely wary and without confidence.…
Training Update: Aries
Sue had the pleasure of riding Aries in our last Joel Connor Clinic in June. Here’s what she had to say: “I was given the unexpected opportunity to work with Aries for two days of the June 2021 Joel Conner clinic. This was my first chance to work with her, and also my first opportunity to ride a SAFE horse in the clinic. Aries is a sweet mare who wants to please. She braces on her shoulders, so…
Our Dear Abby
On a rainy Friday in June, our newest addition to the herd, Abby, arrived at SAFE. Abby is a sweet, easy going mare with wispy mane and kind eyes. Sadly, her owner passed away in a car accident and Pierce County Animal Control took her in when no other family members came to claim her. We originally thought this Quarter Horse type mare was in her 20s, but a dental appointment with our vet last…
Domo Arigato
Arigato, Ari for short, arrived on a busy Wednesday last week with matted hair, muddy and in desperate need of a hoof trim. Ari is a 4 year old, BLM Mustang from a herd in Salt River, Wyoming. Her previous owners got her from the Adoption Incentive Program in September 2020, but were never able to handle or gentle her. Ari lived at their home, standing in mud without proper care until her feet…
Two Months Old!
And she is such a big girl now! Coco spends all day outside in the pasture with her mama, and she is not at all afraid to take off by herself, running as fast as her legs can carry her! She’s brave and independent, but Sundae is always nearby when she needs reassurance, or a snack. Here are some informal photos of our little rugrat for you to enjoy!
A Lesson From Luke
Luke was an old draft cross gelding, living alone in a field in Snohomish. I say he was living alone because he really was: his owner had gone into assisted living, and there was no one left to care for him. The remaining members of his owner’s family lived about three hours away, and they knew nothing about horses. So they called SAFE and we drove out to meet Luke. He was a sad old guy with no…
Fancy is Adopted!
We are beyond thrilled, ecstatic, delighted, and overjoyed to announce that our long time volunteer Casey has adopted Fancy! This is a dream adoption come true! Casey started volunteering at SAFE back in 2012: cleaning stalls, leading a chore crew, and helping work horses. She was here before Terry! Not only has Casey been a huge part of helping our horses prepare for adoption, coming 4–5 times…
Pepper Has Been Saddled!
Pepper has achieved a training milestone: she wore a saddle for the first time! We’ll be spending plenty of time getting her comfortable with the saddle before we introduce a rider, but so far, so good! Because of an atrophied muscle in Pepper’s right hip and a somewhat crooked limb, Pepper will not be a vigorous riding horse but is expected to be suited as an easy-going riding horse. Pepper’s…
Mac Is Out Of The Barn
Mac just got the okay from the vet to come off of stall rest and move around some more! After 9 weeks, he has graduated from living in a stall 24/7 to getting a little sunshine in one of our rehab paddocks. Just like a lot of horses, Mac is a social guy and is happy to be outside of the barn surrounded by more friends as he goes about his day. He even got to stretch his legs with a brand new…
Foster for Frosting
Little Frosting is away at foster and is living her best life. When Casey, one of our volunteer riders, decided to adopt Fancy, she wanted to have a friend for Fancy and also continue to be part of the horsemanship program at SAFE, even though she recently moved farther away. So Casey decided to always foster a horse from SAFE and Frosting is the first lucky girl. Casey’s property is perfect for…
Our Growing Nova
Nova has started wearing a saddle! So far, it has only been a half dozen times because she is very sensitive and has a hard time with things above her head. She can be a bit over-reactive, so we are taking it slowly and giving her time. We are helping her even out by getting balance in her feet to feel more confident and secure. This will result in more confidence with a saddle and eventually…
The Limelight Pet Project: George, Barb and Jill
George, Barb and Jill were recently featured by the Limelight Pet Project! Limelight’s mission is to shine a light on harder to adopt pets and tell the stories of the people helping them. These three horses were all started under saddle recently and are very young. They will all need to go to homes with very advanced riders who have experience with green horses. We know there are homes out there…
Boy George
Our curious boy, George was recently featured by the Limelight Pet Project, along with two other mares, Barb and Jill, who came from the Fall City 40. The Limelight Pet Project helps shine the light on pets who are harder to adopt. Check out their video below. George is still young and has just been started under saddle so we are looking for an adopter who is a pretty experienced rider. His…
Volunteer of the Month: Nikki Skillern
Congratulations and a HUGE thank you to our June Volunteer of the Month, Nikki Skillern! Nikki has been part of SAFE since March 2020. She started at the beginning of the pandemic and we are thrilled she stuck it out. The Saturday PM team is lucky to have her as a Co Shift Lead and she arrives early to be a Barn Assist and help the staff with feeding horses and turn in. If that wasn’t enough she…
A home for Razin
We all felt the hope that the new year would bring us once 2020 was in the rear-view mirror. Of course, that took more time than most of us would have liked, but for a few horses at SAFE, 2021 was a start to a new, positive life. Razin and two other mares arrived at SAFE just five days after the start of the year. They had been living unhandled and severely neglected, suffering from overgrown…
Alumni Update: Ruckus
We recently checked in with Ruckus’ adopter, Jacquie. She said he sure is a smart boy. They’ve been working with a driving apparatus and are hoping to add a cart in the future.
Assessing Artie
Artie’s start to life was different than most horses, even compared to most horses that arrive at SAFE. He was a stallion before his arrival and spent his time in a fairly small space having to protect his little herd of mares and foals. He was most likely constantly defending himself from other stallions. It is no wonder that Artie struggles with having things come from behind him and above his…
Training Update on Lucca
Lucca has been at SAFE for about six weeks. Aries, the horse she arrived with, and her came to SAFE without medical issues, so we were able to start training immediately after their 14 day quarantine. Terry, our Operations Director, recently starting riding Lucca and here is what she had to say about her. “Lucca’s biggest hurdles are learning go through the transitions, walk trot and canter, and…
Training Update on Aries
Aries has been at SAFE for about six weeks. Lucca, the horse she arrived with, and her came to SAFE without medical issues, so we were able to start training immediately after their 14 day quarantine. Terry, our Operations Director, recently starting riding Aries and here is what she had to say about her. “Aries has a bit of trouble. She gets tight and braces when the energy is raised. Her feet…
Meet Domino!
Domino arrived last Thursday and unloaded from the trailer like a champ. He checked out his surroundings as Terry led him across the property to our quarantine paddock. These paddocks are purposely away from the rest of the herd, but it seemed lonely to be so far away from any other horses. Luckily, our staff had set up his paddock so we could give him a friend. They would still have enough…
Anderson Picks His Person
When Terry met Ari, she knew immediately that she had found Anderson’s person. Right after she met with Ari, Anderson’s soon to be adopter, she told a small group of us in the barn and we all squealed with excitement. For those of us who know Anderson know that he doesn’t always have “nice” ears, even though he is a sweet boy. Upon meeting Ari for the first time, his ears were forward the whole…
A Beauty-ful Life
Our Beauty has been adopted! When she arrived at SAFE in late 2019, under the gloom of November skies, it was immediately clear that Beauty had also seen brighter days. Her chestnut coat was rough and patchy from malnourishment, and her teeth were in poor condition, so much so that it was decided she would have to be fed an all-grain diet to reduce her risk of choking. However, it quickly became…
Our Patient Mac
Mac has been on stall rest for 5 weeks now. He has become so patient with the bandage changes that he doesn’t need any sedation. The vet has changed his bandage about 8 or more times and now the staff can change the wrap every 3 days and the vet will come check it every 10 days. The wound looks good, but we are watching for more granulation in the center. The outside of the wound has a nice…
Valentine and Tilt are adopted!
Tilt and Valentine are adopted together! We are happy when we find a home for one horse, but when we get to send off two together, destined to be BFF, that makes us ecstatic! Tilt (now Korra) and Valentine (now Callie) headed to their home with Sophia last month and the two both rolled 10 times when they were first arrived. We think that is a great horse stamp of approval! The property…
What’s up with Ajax
We recently had the vet out to take a look at Ajax. His blood was checked for possible Cushings and luckily it came back negative. He also had a dental and at this point it is still inconclusive whether his eye is causing him pain or discomfort. Our vet took photos and will be discussing options. There is concern, because of his age, that eye removal may be difficult for him to handle. Ajax is a…
Little Lacey
Lexee, one of our SAFE volunteers worked with Lacey in the March Joel Connor Clinic and here is what she had to say about it. “Ms. Lacey has taught me so much the last 6 months. I’ve been given an awesome opportunity to work with one of the most challenging horses I have ever met and learn not only a bunch about her and this horsemanship, but also about myself. She tests you without any bounds…
