SAFE Horses
SAFE News and Updates
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…
Rowan: Week 1 Photos
We are hoping to chronicle Rowan’s transformation from BCS score of 1 to a beautiful healthy mare! Here are the photos from her first week at SAFE.
Butterscotch: Intake Photos and Assesment
Butterscotch has been with SAFE for just over a week. She is settling in, eating well and has been very gentle to handle. Below are her initial medical assessments and week one photos. Butterscotch is approximately 28–32 years old, a grade mare. She is 15.2hh and weighs 1005 pounds. She has melanomas on several areas of her body, which is not surprising for an older grey horse with dark skin.…
Positive News about Rowan
ROWAN UPDATE: Our little friend seems brighter and more comfortable in her ICU stall here at SAFE. She delighted her 6am feeder with a happy whinny this morning, which seems like a really positive sign. Her bloodwork came back yesterday with nothing alarming to indicate, which is a huge relief because we worry about organ failure in horses this emaciated. She’s being fed every four hours, which…
Rowan Arrives at SAFE
Rowan is a mare who is approximately 12 years old, all black except for a big star and a snip. She is extremely emaciated (BCS 1), so to prevent refeeding syndrome, she is being given a pound of alfalfa every four hours round the clock. This morning, she greeted her 2am feeder with nickers, and seemed rather surprised and pleased that she was being treated so well. The amount of hay Rowan is…
Fancy’s First Clinic
Fancy is growing into a beautiful young mare with tons of potential and promise. She is will continue working with SAFE to establish the foundational riding work before being made available for adoption. These early months of riding are key to laying the groundwork to insure a future without trouble. Casey has done a masterful job guiding this mare through the process and she’s created one…
Skittles, rest in peace
We received this tragic news from Skittles’ adopter Susanne M. My sweet Skittles left us sometime last night. She does not appear to have colicked or have been distressed; she looked like she just lay down to sleep. I pray she didn’t suffer or know any fear. Skittles had such a big personality. She greeted everyone who came into the barn and took an interest in everything that went on. Sometimes…
Fancy Miss Fancy
Casey has good things to share about Fancy: Fancy has been coming along really nicely, and she did amazingly well in her first clinic setting in September. Though she did get a bit bothered when the energy picked up around her, I was able to keep her out of trouble. Moving her hind quarters is soft, and she’s really developed fluidity when she comes across in the front. She is a very forward…
Stella’s Busy Summer
Stella’s regular rider Casey had this to report: Stella had a busy and productive summer! We had the great fortune to ride with Buck Brannaman in Ellensburg, Nick Donahue in Arlington, and Joel Conner at SAFE. Stella did well in all settings, and, of course, we learned a lot. The last month has been a real period of growth for the two of us, and I’ve made some significant changes to the way I…
Stella Update and New Videos
Casey has done an exceptional job helping this sensitive mare direct her energy in positive ways. Just watching her, you can’t fully appreciation the amount of skill and tactful execution it takes to support this talented mare. We jokingly referred to Stella as a little sports car when she was started. But honestly it’s not a bad metaphor. If you’re used to driving a big ol’ honking truck and…
Spotlight on Lacey
SAFE was honored to be invited by Pet Connection Magazine and Dirtie Dog Photography on an exciting new television project called the Limelight Project. Their goal is to bringing more exposure to rescue organizations to help adoptable horses find families while increasing awareness about the work of the rescues interviewed. SAFE chose Lacey to spotlight for the interview. Here is the wonderful…
A Gentle Wind
Horses are remarkably resilient animals. Time after time, we’ve seen horses who are able to recover from terrible neglect, pulled back from the brink of death to transform back into the strong, healthy creatures they were always meant to be. These horses inspire us and give us the strength we need to keep going when things seem hopeless. And then there are horses who need more from us. The ones…
Sienna, Making Progress
Sienna has made some excellent improvements since we took a little extra time with her groundwork training. Our friend Joel Conner felt that Sienna started out training holding so much trouble inside of her that once she started to free up her feet, her residual anxiety started to come to the surface. This may explain why she did so well in the first months of training and then became so…
Anderson aka Mr. Personality
Anderson continues to do well working with Kaya. Here is a little update she wrote about him: Anderson is so much fun! As I work with him more, his adorable and ridiculous personality is really showing itself. He loves a good face scratch and playing with the water from the hose. Even though he sometimes has a nasty expression when asked to transition upward between gaits, it really does seem…
Filling Holes with Cameo
Cameo has been doing very well in her horsemanship training this summer. We realized that there were still some holes in her training, especially issues with her blind spots, and began concentrating on these areas. Cameo was not fond of having ropes touch her hind quarters or wrap around her hind legs. This blind spot can be a scary place for horses and it can be difficult for some horses to…
