SAFE Horses
SAFE News and Updates
Amelia: Joel Conner Clinic Report
SAFE volunteer Jennifer A got to work with Amelia on the ground at the most recent Joel Conner clinic. Here’s what she had to say about the experience: I was so excited for the opportunity to work with Amelia at the Joel Connor groundwork clinic. It was my first time as a participant. I knew Amelia had a tendency to crowd and push during turnout and was hoping to work on moving her out during…
Remy’s Return From Training
After months of chiropractic adjustments and careful rehabbing, Remy seemed as recovered as he could be from his back issues and went back to training with Nick Donohue. Nick brought him along slowly and mindfully, being sure to pay close attention to the situations that brought out the trouble in him in the past. We were hopeful that we had gotten to the source of his pain and fixed it. But it…
Adorable Miss Mara
Mara is arguably one of SAFE’s cutest current residents. Although she is still reserved, she has begun to come out of her shell and let us get to know her a little better. At first she didn’t want to admit it, but she eventually caved and allowed us to see how much she loves neck scratches from people. She’s itchy under that long Cushing’s hair coat so she gets regular currying, and she has an…
Getting to Know Farley
Farley has settled in well here at Safe Harbor Stables. We have gotten to know and love his gentle personality and sweet nickers. Although he is shy, he does seem to enjoy the company of people and will seek out attention from his caretakers. He and Butter are quite the pair and can be seen grooming each other in turnout much of the time. Farley’s biggest challenge since arrival has been getting…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Fancy
Casey had this to say about Fancy’s performance in both the Buck Brannaman clinic in October and the November Joel Conner clinic: Fancy has had a busy and productive couple of months. In October, we rode with Buck Brannaman in Spanaway, which was a great experience. This was really the first time I had ridden Fancy off property. She did get troubled by the life of the other horses moving around…
Butterscotch: Joel Conner Clinic Update
Lori helped Butterscotch get introduced to horsemanship in our recent Horsemanship clinic. Here is what she had to say about working with this smart senior mare: Butter came to SAFE about a month ago. She’s a sweet girl but didn’t understand much about horsemanship. I took Butter into the Friday and Saturday classes of the Joel Conner clinic. In Friday’s class, we worked on the unified circle,…
Butter’s New Look
Bathing Butter has been something that we’ve wanted to tackle due to her perpetually grimy, shaggy haircoat. The hope was that a bath with a medicated shampoo would help her be less itchy. None of the oral supplements and antihistamines that she’s been on have seemed to help the matter, and our next option would be oral steroids. Due to her Cushing’s disease we want to reserve the steroids as a…
Amelia’s Trip to the Hospital
Sweet Amelia has battled GI issues since before she arrived at SAFE. But so far, we had only seen her have one colic episode, and it was a minor one. But just before Halloween we found her down in her turnout, not wanting to get up. She hadn’t finished her most recent meal, which is very unlike her. She was given a dose of oral banamine, which did nothing to make her feel better. When it was…
Understanding PPID (Equine Cushing’s Disease)
We’ve taken in several “shaggy” senior horses lately. Honeycutt, Butter, and Mara all came to us looking suspicious for pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID), and all of them tested positive. Last year, our cute pony, Sage, also got the diagnosis. PPID, also known as Equine Cushing’s disease, is a common disease among horses over the age of 15. Equine veterinarians have begun moving away…
Luna Finishing Training
Here are some highlights from Luna’s training with Donohue Horsemanship in Banks, Oregon at the end of 2019. SAFE is thankful for all their hard work in helping us offer such well trained horses to the public. What a great foundation this young mare has received! https://youtu.be/CmBymcZJBYg
Jewel 2019 Site Visit Photos
Sinatra at Home with Phoenix and Denton
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Anderson
Anderson lent his vast experience as a groundwork and riding horse to several clinic participants this weekend. First up was volunteer Sarah V, who did the groundwork sessions with him and had this to say about it: This was my second groundwork clinic with Joel and only my second time working with Anderson, but I learned a ton! It was a great chance for me to continue teasing out how much of my…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Cassidy
Here’s an update on Cassidy from Casey: After Terry rode Cassidy in the morning, I did some additional groundwork that would support continued growth under saddle. The first thing I worked on was bridling. Cassidy would try to avoid the bit by wringing her neck and sending the bit in the air (yikes!), lifting her head, or lowering her head. This is something that we see at SAFE quite a bit when…
Alumni Update: Aubrey
Here are some photos we received from Aubrey’s adopter. She’s doing just great in her new home with her best buddy, Ro, who is 26 this year!
Amelia: Clinic Update
Sarah V worked with Amelia in the September clinic. Here is what she had to say about getting to know this sweet mare: Amelia and I had only worked together once before the clinic and I’m still new to this style of horsemanship, but she was a lovely mare to work with and incredibly patient with my learning. During the two groundwork sessions, we focused primarily on feeling out how much of my…
Tasara 11/4/2019
Moon 11/3/2019
November Volunteers of the Month: Hillary Dixon and Warren Nolder
Hillary Dixon, past shift lead, current groom, and Bingo caller extraordinaire! How and when did you first get involved with horses? Do you have one now you want to tell us about? My first time I was involved with horses was when I was four years old and had my first pony ride at the Woodland Park Zoo. It was all down hill from there. I signed up for the 4H club at the Woodland Park Zoo on my…
A Setback for Teddi
At Teddi’s most recent post-surgery recheck appointment this month, we were excited to see the results of her rehab process so far. But that excitement turned to disappointment when we saw that she is more lame at the trot now than she was at her previous appointment. That disappointment grew even more when we saw the radiographs on the screen. At some point in the 60 days between rechecks, it…
A New Plan for Valor
We recently had radiographs done of Valor’s right hind pastern, the one that showed a potential issue on the bone scan last month. Our main concern was that there might be a bone chip in there, so clean X‑rays were a relief. With this knowledge, we formulated a new plan. With Dr. Fleck’s guidance we have opted to take a conservative route to start. Since Valor’s foot soreness was a clear problem…
Zoe’s Lameness Exam
Zoe had a lameness exam with Dr. Fleck a few weeks ago. She was positive in flexion tests on the left hind upper limb and had a referred lameness (a gait abnormality that appears as lameness but is a result of pain in another limb) in the right front. It’s likely a mild case of hock arthritis, which isn’t surprising based on the prior injuries she came to us with on that leg. It’s mild enough…
Mina Getting Started!!
Mina did a fantastic job settling into work under saddle with Donohue Horsemanship in Banks, Oregon. She was an uncomplicated start with a lot of try and acceptance. She has a great future ahead of her and we are happy to accept applications for her adoption. She has an easy-going frame of mind and will easily go in many riding disciplines. She is great for the vet and farrier, and trailers…
This is Not Over
Just over a week ago, we took in a timid, lonely, emaciated mare with no name. A day later, she had a new outlook on life: she had a new name, a comfy bed, high quality food, veterinary care, and people who loved her, who were more than ready to be part of the amazing transformation she would undergo. On Tuesday night, just a week after arriving at SAFE, our nightcheck volunteer discovered Rowan…
Mina: Training Update
Mina has been a star for her first rides in training with Nick Donohue. She was a bit lazy to begin with but once she found her zoom zoom, she has been an uncomplicated and a happy mare. With her big body and sweet nature, this girl will get along with many types of riders. She is still green and needs more rides but is ready to start looking for the right home. She would do well in just about…
Luna: Training Update
Luna has done very well in training with Nick Donohue. She didn’t have too much trouble with saddling but required a bit of groundwork before riding. Once she accepted the new tack and a rider, things progressed nicely. She has three nice gaits and is maturing to be a steady partner. At times, she will become distracted by something outside of the arena but she quickly comes back to the rider…
Congratulations, Hillary!
A long long time ago, when Hillary H was 14 years old, her mom adopted a horse named Rhythm from a rescue called SAFE. Hillary is now 21, and Rhythm’s adoption has been officially transferred to her. Here’s what Hillary had to say about this: “Roughly 10 years ago Rhythm became my life. My mother adopted him to be my partner in crime when I was just 14 years old. I’m so proud to say that we have…
Farley: Intake Photos and Assesment
New horse Farley arrived from animal control custody on 10/8. He’s a 25-year-old breeding stock paint gelding who stands 15.2hh and currently weighs about 1000 pounds. He’s now at a BCS of about 3.5 but still needs to gain 100 pounds or so. He has thrush in all four feet that we are treating. Farley had a dental and vaccines with animal control prior to his arrival. Their vet found that he his…
Mara: Intake Photos and Assessments
New horse Mara arrived at SAFE from Animal Control on 10/8. She is a 30-something year old Shetland pony who currently weighs about 450# and stands 10.2hh. She needs to gain about 50 pounds. Mara got a dental, bloodwork, and vaccines through animal control prior to her arrival at SAFE. Her ACTH was 483 which confirms her diagnosis of PPID (Cushing’s Disease) and we have started her on half a tab…
Wind: Intake Photos and Assessment
Wind is falling deep into the hearts of all of us at SAFE. She is inquisitive, friendly and always comes to say hello when we come to her window or paddock. Dr. Fleck came out to assess her last week and told us we can switch from Bute to Tramadol/Bute so it will be easier on her system. We have started with a low dose of tramadol and will see if that’s enough to keep her comfortable. Here are…
