January 2021 Volunteer of the Month: George Meredith
Our first Volunteer of the Month for the new year is George Meredith, who is a member of the Facilities Team! George can be found at least once a week (often more) at SAFE, repairing and building and making the farm work just as it should. He lends his skills to SAFE and in return, he gets wet and muddy. If you haven’t had the opportunity to get to know him already, here’s a little bit about…
Alumni Update: Gunnar
Look at this tall beautiful boy! Gunnar’s adopter recently shared a few photos with us, including some with his best friend, Bryce.
2020 Q4 Impact Statement
New Horses Intake Date: October 20, 2020 Billy (Owner Surrender) Intake Date: October 28, 2020 Hazel (Owner Surrender) Intake Date: November 6, 2020 Flynn (Animal Control Surrender) Intake Date: November 8, 2020 Earl (Owner Surrender) Intake Date: December 8, 2020 Shortbread & Whisky (Owner Surrender) Placed Horses Zoe Banner Alder Jollie Boone Euthanized Horses Callista Amelia…
Jollie is Adopted!
Miss Jollie joined her new family in November. Her new name is Liberty, “Libby” for short! She did great on her first ferry boat ride to Vashon Island with her adopter, Mike. She is settling in well and getting to know her new family members. We were able to see the two in action during the Joel Conner Clinic, right before she headed to her new home. What a great pair! This is exactly the…
Job openings at SAFE
Come work for our horses! SAFE is currently looking for an amazing person to fill some big boots as our Saturday Barn Staff member. Saturday Barn Staff Saturday Barn Staff member, 8am-5pm, $15/hour. Requirements include a minimum 3 years of horse care experience, confidence when safely handling untrained or challenging horses, and excellent communication skills. In addition to day-to-day horse…
Meet Shortbread and Whisky!
Introducing the newest little members of our herd! Shortbread and Whisky were living in stalls for the last year due to their elderly owners’ failing health. They have been signed over to SAFE and we will be seeking to place them together into a new home. Shortbread is friendly and outgoing; Whisky is a little more shy, but he’s coming around. Thank you to SAFE supporter Olive E for the…
Alumni Update: Nashville
Here are some photos we received from Nashville’s adopter. Look at their beautiful barn! Nashville shares the barn with 2 goats and her horse buddy, Colville, another recently rescued horse.
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…
