SAFE Horses
SAFE News and Updates
Clinic Update: Justin
Joel was kind enough to make Justin one of his projects for the clinic. He rode him every day and helped us understand a bit more of what Justin needs to work out his braces. I had the chance to work with him the days following the clinic and all I can say is WOW he feels like a different horse! With Joel’s help Justin is well on his way to meeting potential adopters and showing them his sweet…
Joel Conner Clinic Update: Kat
Blair did an amazing job with Kat in our Spring Joel Conner clinic. It was great to see this mare out with all the other horses looking pretty darn good in her senior years. We are glad she is back at SAFE and getting a chance to find a suitable forever home with someone who will enjoy her for whatever she has to offer. Here is what Blair had to say about her time with Kat: “Terry paired me with…
Joel Conner Clinic Update: Renee
Catherine took Renee into our spring Joel Conner Horsemanship Groundwork Clinic. Here is what she had to say about her experience: I was able to work with Renee over the weekend. On Friday we had troubles with paying attention. Renee was more interested with getting back to Angel. Working on a lot of backing and circles. At the end of the first day we were able to focus on me. She was a little…
New Horses at SAFE
Slim, Moon, and Cassidy were surrendered to SAFE after the sudden and unexpected death of their owner. Their owner’s passing coincided with an unusually large amount of snowfall in this area, so friends and neighbors pulled together to take care of the horses until they could be transported to SAFE. The three horses have not received proper care for a while, and Slim, a 17 year old…
March Volunteers of the Month: Heather Newton and Kimi Wagoner
Heather Newton: Upbeat, fun, and patient Shift Lead. “Heather is extremely upbeat, hard working and adds so much fun to our crew. She loves all of the horses. You see it in how she looks forward to taking them out, talking to them and taking time with each of them. Love having her as a co-lead!”–Leigh M. Heather Newton is a busy mom of three small children and yet finds time to co-lead an AM…
A Happier Outlook on Life for Pogo
It has now been a few weeks since Pogo’s castration. Before the procedure, the testosterone in his system gave him a very large personality in a tiny package. Sassy would have been a huge understatement, and he seemed to be in a constant state of angst. Thanks to his small size he was still relatively easy to handle, but his go-to reaction to people was to lash out and bite. Fast forward to…
Sage has been adopted!
Sage came to SAFE a shaggy, slightly pushy pony, but through good handling and Horsemanship groundwork at SAFE she blossomed into a polite equine citizen, and in January 2019, she was adopted by Raven Rock Ranch as a therapy horse. Keeping with Raven Rock Ranch’s custom, Sage has been rechristened with an R name, “Robin,” which is as cute as can be! Originally offered as a companion pony, her…
Pyrrha has been adopted!
Pyrrha’s past life is a mystery: she was perhaps a ranch horse, a 4H mount, or a western movie star fallen on hard times. Whatever her past may be, we know one thing for certain: her future is very bright! She has found a home with Sandra and her family to be a much-needed companion to a gentleman gelding named West. Sandra called SAFE looking for a foster buddy for her lonely gelding.…
Herd Health Recap 2018
If there’s one thing we’re really proud of here at SAFE, it’s our Herd Health program. Most of the horses we take in didn’t received proper vet care or nutrition in their previous lives, so there is a lot we need to do to return them to good health. When a horse first arrives, we start the process of getting to know them with a vet examination that provides a first glimpse into the state of…
Amira has been adopted!
From the beginning, Amira’s winning personality shone through her starvation coat. She just needed a little TLC and conditioning to be ready to place in a wonderful home! Adopter Laura fell in love with Amira at first sight! It was easy to do with this sweet mustang mare. The new friends meet a few times at SAFE to get to know each other and a plan was formulated to continue her training and…
What’s new with Lacey?
A sweet update from Kaya on working with Lacey, post-snow storm: With snow falling off the roof of the arena, Lacey and I have been focusing exclusively on groundwork for the past few days. This is totally fine with me as we have a lot to work on! Today we went into the indoor arena (a place we very rarely go) and encountered some scary obstacles! At first, the arena itself wasn’t too scary, but…
Photo Update: Marta
SAFE Survives the Snowpocalypse!
The past two weeks have been a challenge to say the least, but after four snowstorms and more than two feet of snow, we’re happy to say we’re still here! The twenty-two horses currently at Safe Harbor Stables, who range in age from 3 months old to almost 30, came through the storm in perfect health and comfort. All their meals were delivered on time, they all enjoyed daily…
Remy Health Update
After a few weeks of assessing Remy’s behavior under saddle, he has stopped making improvement. He isn’t regressing anymore, but it’s clear to trainer Nick Donohue that something isn’t right. Nick has stopped riding him now and we have been discussing the next steps to take. Dr. Salewski of Hindsight Veterinary Care has been out to see Remy for chiropractic work twice now. He is still finding an…
Training Update: Tabitha
Tabitha came to SAFE in April of 2018 from a situation of extreme neglect. She currently in excellent health and SAFE has gotten her up to date on all vaccines, dental and farrier work. She has been a very easy to handle for our volunteers, vets, and farriers. Tabitha loads and trailers very well, she has no vices, and has gentle ground manners. SAFE was unsure about her training background so…
Big Girl is Ready to Ride!!
https://youtu.be/ZCDmnEwOJSs Kaya has been diligently working through the groundwork steps to get Sienna prepared for a rider. Here is what she had to say about this experience: “Sienna is, without a doubt, one of the smartest horses I have ever worked with. Having just been working with her for a little over a month, I’ve gotten to see some awesome changes, but watching videos and hearing…
Training Update and New Video: Justin
Justin has been a joy to work with these last few months at SAFE. He has steadily improved with each ride and is more and more comfortable with a rider. We are working on loosening him up and helping him work without getting tight or braced. He’s had the most difficulty shaping up to the left but even that has had some big changes. Volunteer Alessia has been helping us create new videos of the…
Health Update: Remy
Reports on Remy’s recovery from his sore back have been good but unfortunately not great. He’s greatly improved with time off and with a trial of Bute and then Equioxx but he’s still not at 100%. Nick said that he would start the week off ok but the day after every ride, Remy would seem less and less willing to work. He continued to be well behaved and a gentle fellow to work around. With the…
Training Update: Amira
Amira came to SAFE in November 2018. She was a little underweight and had not seen a vet or farrier in some time. She had a very bad case of thrush and a few spots of rain rot. After a few weeks of medical treatment, she was up to date with her farrier, vaccines, and dental care and ready to start work. We took things slowly, building muscle and strengthening her in preparation for riding. We…
Events Recap 2018
It costs a great deal of money to run an organization like SAFE, and some people might be surprised to know that we receive no funding whatsoever from government at any level. We rely on public donations to pay the bills and keep the lights on. Fundraising can take many forms, and here at SAFE, we have several revenue streams to keep cash flowing. One of these is special events. SAFE has two…
February Volunteers of the Month: Lori Page and Kaya Mead
Lori Page: Reliable, Kind, Friday PM Volunteer! February is about love, and we LOVE our volunteers. We love that our volunteers love each other, and we really LOVE that our volunteers love the horses. Lori Page is someone who falls into all of those categories, she loves SAFE, she loves her fellow volunteers and she LOVES the horses. Her very first memories are of horses when she was 5 or 6…
Introducing Pogo
We have a new horse to introduce…a little horse…his name is Pogo and today he is a pony stallion, but that will change this Friday when Dr Fleck arrives to transform him into a happy gelding. Pogo was surrendered to SAFE by his owners who were not able to keep him or successfully rehome him as a stallion. SAFE had originally arranged for Pogo to be gelded at home, but the vet was concerned…
Board of Directors Recap 2018
The 2018 SAFE Board of Directors is an exceptional group of people who volunteer their skills, time, and expertise to making SAFE a strong and vital nonprofit organization. Our Board of Directors is entrusted with three key responsibilities for SAFE: advocacy, fundraising, and strategic governance. Over the past four years, the many individuals who served on the SAFE Board were instrumental in…
Freedom Based Training with Angel
My name is Mona Sterling and I’m a volunteer at SAFE. One of the things I do is work with SAFE’s companion horses. Some of these horses are forever companion horses due to age or illness and others will move into being riding horses. My work is not about perfecting groundwork (though I do insist on good manners when I am grooming or leading them) but is about instilling confidence and trust in…
2018 Volunteer of the Year: Candace Carlson
When it comes to helping SAFE succeed, there are a lot of different ways that volunteers can make a difference. Most of our wonderful volunteers start out by devoting one morning or afternoon a week to their favorite horse rescue, and their dedication to our horses ensures that everyone is well fed and well cared for. For some people, that weekly “horse fix” is enough, but for others, it’s the…
Checking in With Dottie and Piper
Dottie and Piper had their routine visit from our trimmer, Daphne, last week. Piper is growing up fast! She tries to pull all the typical baby tricks in the book while she’s getting her hooves trimmed, just to see if we’re serious that she really does need to stand still and get her toes done like a big girl. After about 10 minutes of conversation about it, Daphne had Piper calm and willing to…
Welcome Back, Marta
At the end of December, Marta had a dental with Dr. Fray of Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital. Marta has been dropping weight lately, and an oral exam revealed why. Once she was sedated, Dr. Fray found the beginning signs of Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EOTRH). EOTRH is a painful dental disease that can occur in older horses. The disease is progressive and has no cure…
Volunteer Recap 2018
Most nonprofits rely on the strength of their volunteer program to succeed, and SAFE is no exception. We’ve been building a volunteer program for the past 10 years, and it’s something we’re super proud of. But the work never stops, and there’s never a lack of things to do around the farm or in the office, so it’s not often we can slow down and take a look at what we’ve got. Fortunately, we keep…
Adoptions Recap 2018
There are so many things we want for our horses…good health, comfort, confidence…the very best care…friendships, positive experiences, carrots. But most of all, what we want to give them is a home where they can live their lives in safety and comfort. Adoption is the ultimate goal for every horse who comes to SAFE, and we work hard to prepare them to make the most of the opportunities they will…
Outreach Recap 2018
2018 was another big year for SAFE’s Community Outreach Program. The Outreach Program enables us to extend services to horse owners who need short term assistance to get through tough times. Whether it’s hay, vet care, gelding surgery, or even just advice, our Community Outreach volunteers work to find a solution that allows horses to stay with their owners and stay out of rescue. The Outreach…
