A New Chapter for Renee
For the past few weeks, we’d noticed a bit of a hitch in Renee’s step. At first it was thought to be a hoof abscess in her left front foot, so we wrapped it and treated it as such. But when the abscess resolved and she was still lame on that leg, it was clear that something else was going on and she needed a lameness evaluation. Dr. Lewis came out to the farm to perform the exam, and we weren’t …
Back in the Saddle with Cameo
Terry worked with Cameo in this month’s Joel Conner Clinic. Here’s her report on the progress that she and Kaya have made with this mare: Cameo was a star pupil at our horsemanship clinic this past weekend. Kaya has been working with her for the past few weeks, conditioning and strengthening her for riding by working in hand over trot poles and through groundwork. We have ridden her a bit too…
Sienna’s First Ride!
We have been getting wonderful reports back from Nick Donohue on Sienna’s progress. She settled in nicely to his training barn and Nick said that while she was a bit reactive and touchy at first, she is progressing well. Nick worked on getting her more comfortable with the saddle and more “turned loose” to both the act of being saddled and carrying it around without a rider. This is an important…
Sunshine!
It’s hard to believe that just over a month ago it was 13 degrees at Safe Harbor Stables, and this week the thermostat is hitting 80! The horses are enjoying it tremendously and taking every chance they can to sun bathe. The downside to this beautiful weather is that horses still wearing their winter coats can dehydrate quickly when it’s hot outside. We’ve been keeping a close eye on ours to…
The First Phase of the Moon
There’s no time like the present to get started training the new horses! We were told that Moon had some training and riding in her past when she was younger but it’s been a while. We always like to begin our new horses with groundwork sessions to help them learn the basics they will need to be handled. The first groundwork sessions help establish safe distance from handlers, moving forward and…
Health and Clinic Update: Amelia
Miss Amelia is doing very well at SAFE. She has a great friend for turnout in Tabitha, and her overall happiness seems to have increased. We have been working her a few times a week on the trail obstacles at Safe Harbor. Her behavior continues to improve but she still seems uneasy when tied up and groomed. If we don’t tie her, she seems a bit happier. It’s possible she had a bad experience while…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Lacey
What a remarkable job Kaya is doing with this little feisty pony! The growth in Kaya’s horsemanship and dedication to Lacey this winter was inspiring. All the hard work shows in how well they did in the clinic this past weekend. Kaya’s enthusiasm and commitment to the horsemanship has made her a wonderful addition to our rider program. Lacey had a great learning clinic and the changes were very…
Clinic Update: Nashville
Nashville has earned the reputation of being very amiable to new riders and able to be put into a clinic or taken on a trail ride by someone she’s just met. For this past Joel Conner clinic, we were able to let volunteer rider Scott get on her the day before the clinic and easily fit into the class without trouble. LOVE this mare’s willing attitude and it was a treat that she enjoyed working…
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…
