SAFE Horses
SAFE News and Updates
Alumni Update: Nadia
Nadia celebrated her 3rd anniversary with her new family back in October! Here are some photos her adopters recently shared with us.
Veronica is Learning the Ropes
What a change Veronica has made in the last few months! She has gone from not wanting to be touched to greeting us at the fence with a nicker and inquisitive eyes. Over the summer Dylan has spent time with this sweet mare to be able to gain her trust to groom and begin haltering her. SAFE volunteer Candi was able to spend quite a bit of time getting her accustomed to being brushed and having her…
Caramel is Coming out of Her Shell
Caramel was one of the Fall City 40 horses, but she is really becoming her own beautiful self. She is very independent and is slowly learning to trust people. She has put on weight, her coat is shiny and full, and that mane of hers is beautiful too! Caramel is still fairly timid. Over the summer we have been able to help her build her trust and confidence. She will now allow us to rub her…
Back in the Saddle with Sienna
Sienna, like all the SAFE horses, had some time off this summer due to bad air quality caused by forest fires. But when the smoke had cleared and we started working horses again, Sienna presented with a left front lameness. It appeared to be an abscess but after it was treated, she was sound at the walk, but slightly off still at the trot. Our farrier agreed it looked like she had some stone…
Piper Works on Steering
One of the ways to make sure Piper is following the rider’s feel and not just the reins is to take the reins away! This young mare is growing up nicely. She is 15h now and still growing and filling out. She still has lots still to learn and change as she develops but the foundation is being set to make her a great riding partner.
Beauty Under Saddle?
Beauty’s been enjoying the past year, settling into her life at SAFE. Her friend Jane has helped her become so much happier and relaxed around people. It is clear that Beauty has a riding history and she’s sound, so we thought we would see if she could be a riding horse again! We tested out all of the rope work and saddle prep that we would do for a totally green horse and Beauty was completely…
Alder is Adopted!
A wonderful family picked up Alder back in November. Halle, who is 16 years old, is the PERFECT energy match for this young adventurous boy. They are going to have a blast together and hopefully we’ll see him at a few WASET shows in the future. The family is wonderful and are dedicated to giving their horses a great life. So happy for Alder to have made such progress at SAFE, becoming a great…
SAFE Standards: Gelding Policy
It pays to be flexible when dealing with horses. But there is one thing that SAFE is not flexible about: our gelding policy. All colts and stallions coming into SAFE are gelded as soon as they are able to safely undergo the procedure. Among horse rescues, this policy is nothing out of the ordinary. Most reputable rescues do the same thing. People in rescue understand that rescues are needed in…
George’s Second Ride (Video)
George from Casey A. on Vimeo.
December Volunteer of the Month: Lisa Schildt
Congratulations and a huge thank you to our December Volunteer of the Month, Lisa Schildt!! Lisa does SO MUCH here at SAFE, and has a lot of talent and ability to share with us. She’s found a lot of ways to help, both in the barn and behind the scenes in the office. Lisa always seems to be going the extra mile, and we are so thrilled that she’s part of SAFE!! How and when did you first get…
Flynn’s First Day Out
Last week was a great one for Flynn! We got the results of his histology test from Pilchuck Report and they found zero cancer cells! We were all concerned that the mass in his eye might be malignant, but the vets have concluded that it was likely a large ulcer caused by a past injury. This is great news because now we don’t have to worry about a future re-occurrence. Flynn’s healing has gone so…
Alumni Update: Atticus
Here are a few photos we received from Atticus’ adopter. What a sweet boy!
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Barb
Here’s a clinic report from Sarah V who worked with Barb, one of the Fall City 40 horses: I’d never worked with Barb before Thursday of the clinic, but was really excited to have the chance. I was onsite in Fall City in July of 2019 when we were trying to separate some of the mares and foals from the 9 studs they were sharing a pasture with. The unhandled herd spooked and started racing around…
Joel Conner Clinic Update: Sienna
Thank you to Sue C. for this clinic report about her work with Sienna:I had the opportunity to work with Sienna at the November 2020 Joel Conner clinic. It was a great chance for me to take a step back, review, and work on my feel. Sienna knows the moves, is happy to do as asked if I ask correctly, and tries to fill in when I don’t. That said I can see the difference in her…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Anderson
Here’s a report from Scott B who worked with Anderson in the November clinic: I got to ride Anderson last weekend at the clinic. He has clearly been well trained and is super talented. I really enjoyed the weekend as my first time getting to work with Anderson. The Good: He is easy to handle “in hand.” He ties very easily and stands well while being groomed. Super easy with his feet being…
Zoe is Adopted!
We are so excited for this spunky mare to find her new family! Zoe not only has an amazing human family, but also a new herd mate, a mare named CanD. CanD was rehomed through SAFE’s Community Outreach Program, and the timing ended up being perfect because Zoe needed a companion in her new home. Eric has been working with Zoe regularly and rides her while the kids ride along on CanD. Zoe goes…
Alumni Update: Bubbles
Bella (formerly Bubbles) is doing really well living with her best friend, Thunder, in North Carolina. She has a new found love of trail riding and will have her forever home with Mary who adores her.
Successful Surgery for Flynn
Errol Flynn returned home to SAFE yesterday afternoon after a successful surgery to remove his eye and the tumors that were growing there. Pilchuck Vet Hospital reports that they got a good look at the tissue surrounding the mass, and were able to remove it cleanly. They also said he “jumped right up” from the anesthesia. All good news! Back home, he seems comfortable and very receptive to being…
Banner is Adopted!
Banner is thrilled to be home with his adopter Casey! He has a new best friend named Rowdy and he seems to have settled in well. Casey is a small animal vet and is very happy to have both horses living out their senior years together on her home property! “Banner has settled in well to the new routine,” Casey tells us. “He’s such a cute, grumpy old man. He pins his ears initially to almost…
Jasper’s Journey Ahead
This one is a little bit of a heartbreaker. Jasper has entered the horsemanship program at SAFE and it is clear from his reactions that people have not been kind to him in the past. Jasper’s difficulty with changing eyes and his tense, upright posture show how troubled he is about human interaction. We’ve made some progress, but it seems like this will be a long road to undo that damage that was…
A Boone for us all!
Boone has quickly become a volunteer favorite! This sweet little guy seems to be very adaptable to different situations and loves scratches and attention, especially if you have a snack for him! We have started doing a bit of groundwork with Boone and he has taken to it very quickly. This is one smart mini. He seems to enjoy having a job and has a lot of try and interest. Boone was turned out…
Nova, the Stunner
Nova is growing into a stunning young horse! She’s got legs for days and looks a lot like her mom. Nova is definitely lower on the filly totem pole than Pippi or Rae, but this little herd is all best of friends! When Jill joined the filly paddock, Nova was the only horse that welcomed her in, so Jill was attached to Nova at the hip for a while. Now though, if you look over toward the fillies,…
Piper’s a Riding Horse!
Piper is a riding horse! While she’s still technically in training and on hold, Piper is proving herself to be quite a capable riding partner. In the beginning of her training, Piper was a little dull and didn’t move forward very easily. She has since overcome a lot of these tendencies and has become more sensitive and forward. One of the reasons we have not wanted to work and ride her too much…
Pippi is Growing Up
Pippi is growing up right before our eyes! In the last clinic, Pippi got her first real taste of groundwork. It’s clear that she is quite herd bound and since she’s been surrounded by people her whole life, has little respect for human personal space. During the clinic, Joel called this a “city horse” issue: growing up with so many people loving on her, she not afraid of anyone and thus had no…
Lacey Starts Fresh
Lacey Lacey Lacey…what a difficult pony you can be! Lacey participated in the recent Joel Conner clinic and gave the small, social-distanced audience quite a show, bucking and squealing away at the rope. It looks like it’s going to be a long journey for Lacey to overcome her ticklishness at the rope and things touching her hind area. While we’ve been riding Lacey for years, she always had this…
Merry is a Riding Horse!
After 30 days of professional training and working in SAFE’s horsemanship program, Merry is now a riding horse! She is still very green and can have a bit of an attitude at times, but she’s progressing quickly through training and is ready for an advanced rider who is experienced with green horses. We’ll be introducing Merry to some other horses in the coming weeks, so we’ll be able to see how…
Artie Shaw Crescendos to New Heights
Little mister Artie sure is becoming a gentle little gelding! While he still has quite a ways to go in his training, the amount of improvement that Artie has shown is incredible. It wasn’t that long ago that Artie was the wild stallion kept in the round pen because he couldn’t be led out. Now he comes into a stall for the night! The same horse that couldn’t handle a rope going over his ears is…
Introducing Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn is a POA pony in his mid-20s who was surrendered to Animal Control by his owner who could no longer care for him. Flynn’s right eye is badly infected, and vascular mass is growing over his cornea. Unfortunately, this has gone untreated for the past year. Dr. Renner from Rainland Farm Equine did an assessment of Flynn just after his arrival. He examined Flynn’s eye and assessed his…
Sienna’s Stone Bruise
Recently, Sienna showed up lame at the walk. Assuming she had an abscess, we soaked her foot and kept it wrapped in an Epsom salt poultice. When she seemed to stop favoring that foot at the walk, it appeared that she was still off on her front left at the trot. With advice from our farrier, we determined it was a stone bruise and continued wrapping in an Epsom salt poultice and duct tape boot…
Darling Teddi is Feeling Better
Sweet, smart Teddi seems to be doing well, despite some complications from her previous surgery. Over the summer, it seemed that her lameness was much worse and noticeable at the walk even. Since then, Teddi has been on “stall rest” in her small paddock and seems to be improving! She doesn’t appear to limping at the walk anymore and loves coming into her cozy stall for the night. We’re hopeful…
