SAFE Horses
SAFE News and Updates
Happy Birthday Pippi!
Last night at 10:35pm, we welcomed a new life into the world. Asha gave birth to a lovely and long-legged chestnut Tobiano filly. The delivery was straight forward and uncomplicated, and mom and baby are both doing very well. Here are some photos taken today by Jessica Farren:
Pet Connection: A Harbor in the Storm
August Volunteer of the Month: Samantha McMaster
Arlington resident and high school student Samantha (Sam) McMaster has been named as Save a Forgotten Equine’s August Volunteer of the Month. Sam was selected for this honor because this summer, she’s been volunteering almost every day at our farm. She’s done everything from moving horses, to grooming and bathing horses, to feeding them, to cleaning stalls and pastures, to polishing silver on…
Seven Hours with Mason
The following is an article written by Elsa Sinclair, the San Juan Island native who pioneered Freedom Based Training™ in her movie Taming Wild. Elsa visited Safe Harbor last week to spend some time with Mason. Elsa has been working with several horses to explore the foundations of FBT, to discover how far Equestrian Art can be developed solely using body language. She writes about a few…
Raven Gets to Eat Grass!
To our delight, Raven is getting ever closer to being a “normal” horse. We have been getting her out on fresh grass little by little to see how her digestive system handles it, and she’s doing well on it. She’s off all medication and now the only additive we give her for digestive needs is a probiotic supplement. We continue to watch her closely for colic signs, but so far so good. She also…
Pippi’s First Day Outdoors
Pippi and Asha ventured outside for the first time today. Pippi seemed to love this new adventure, running circles around her mom and exploring the pasture. She’s such a little cutie pie, and so full of life! Photos by Jessica Farren
First Photos of Pippi
photos by Jessica Farren Photography
Asha is getting close!
Last night we were 67.2% sure that Asha would have her foal. Turns out she did not, but now we are 92% sure that tonight is the night! Here’s what Foal Watch 2018 looks like at Safe Harbor Stables, as we prepare for our first foal in TEN YEARS (click slides to advance):
Getting to know Pyrrha
Pyrrha a bit of a mystery. We have had a few conversations around the barn as to what breed she might be but nothing really fits. But no matter what type of horse she is, this mare is strong as a brick house! She’s most likely been around the block and seen many people and horses come and go in her many years. We still are uncertain her age but given her swayed back and body condition, she’s…
Justin Makes Steady Progress
Justin is doing very well in preparation to become a riding horse. We have spent a great deal of time strengthening him and getting him balanced to hold the weight of a rider. He initially had trouble transferring his weight off of his forehand and over his hocks. He would get stuck with his front feet when asked to yield in the front or when backing up. This “vapor lock” would panic him and…
A Showing for Roscoe
A few days ago, we had a potential adopter come out to meet Roscoe. Roxanne is looking for her next equine partner and on the advice of a friend, she decided to check out SAFE. After reviewing her application and talking to her over the phone, it sounded like a few of our horses could be matches for her needs. Being a responsible horse owner, Roxanne knows the importance of not rushing into a…
Anderson Goes to Oregon
Anderson traveled to Oregon this past weekend to the lovely Northwood Stables for a clinic with Joel Conner. It was an opportunity to see how well he would work in a new place, around different horses. I am happy to report that Andy was brilliant! There was absolutely no bad behavior or changes in his temperament being in an unfamiliar place. He did well traveling both down and back, and stayed…
Orion Shines in Training!
We had a call from Nick Donohue today with a great training report on Orion. He told us that he has been able to have a few other riders work Orion and each was very successful. He also said that he used Orion this week as a “support” horse for a troubled horse as they rode them outside together. WOW! Our sweet boy is just roughly 45 days under saddle and is already able to be used to help do a…
Adventures with Anderson
This summer, we had the opportunity to take Anderson for a 3 day camping trip to Cle Elum WA. He was an awesome boy for this new experience and did a fantastic job dealing with everything that was asked of him. We took the horses out every day for up to 5 hours of riding, grazed in a field for lunch and climbed very steep hills, passing hikers and dogs along the way. Probably the most…
Checking in with Star
Our new guy Star is settling in well to the day-to-day routine at Safe Harbor. We have not pushed him too hard, given his age, but we have assessed him for soundness and temperament. For the most part, he is easy to handle and can be safely lead and groomed, bur he does tend to be on the “pushy” side. His behavior makes us think he may have been a late cut stallion, which explains some of his…
Stella is Ready for a Home
Stella has had a busy summer! She is going beautifully in all gaits and has been on a few adventures with Horsemanship Volunteer Casey. This year was the first time Stella competed at the SAFE Benefit Horse Show at Donida Farm. She was an absolute star for everything. She trailered, bathed, and was ridden at the show with absolutely no issues! And she took home several blue ribbons, winning…
Valor is Back on Track
Valor is now being ridden and worked by our experienced Horsemanship volunteer, Casey. She has ridden him a handful of times now and reports that he is sound and moving along well with the work. We would like to give Valor a few more weeks of regular rising before showing him to potential adopters but we are setting up visits with him now to any applicants that are interested. Valor is a gentle…
New Video: Bowie
https://youtu.be/10bKzLt9JrU
Checking in with Angel
Volunteer Kaya M. has been getting to know Angel and is her special friend. Kaya has a very kind, positive attitude that is helping this frightened old mare open up to a new friendship. Here is what Kaya had to say about her interactions with Angel: Angel has been a fun and unique challenge for me so far. I’ve only recently started working with her and she has already taught me so much! I’ve…
Nashville’s First Trail Ride
Nashville has been going really well under saddle, and yesterday she went out for her first ever trail ride! She was a little unsure in the beginning but quickly settled with her friend Roscoe out front and Bowie bringing up the rear. We tried her in the lead and also in the rear of the group and she was content in all three positions. Going uphill was a little hard for her because she is out of…
Handsome Remy!
Remy is settling in to a vastly different life at Safe Harbor Stables. He’s no longer a stallion, so he’s feeling the ebbing of his hormones and starting to look at other horses as potential friends. He’s getting accustomed to being waited on hand and foot by SAFE volunteers, having all his needs taken care of, like regular meals and clean, fresh water. He’s had his hooves trimmed by…
Glory and Fancy, Growing up!
These babies are growing up to be beautiful young mares! The two thin fillies covered in rain rot that we met in March who didn’t want to be approached or touched are gone. Casey and I have been laying the foundation for their first rides later this year. At the last Joel Conner clinic, he helped us saddle them for the first time and left us with lots of homework to keep getting them relaxed and…
Getting to know Amelia
One of our wonderful Horsemanship volunteers, Phoebe, has been taking time to get to know Amelia. She seems like an old soul with a rough past. Her eyes are still lost…not quite ready to relax into the feeling of comfort or peace. But hopefully with all the love and extra attention from Phoebe, we’ll start to see her open up and start trusting people again. here is what Phoebe had to say about…
Mommies to be…
Beautiful mares, full baby bellies and a late summer glow were a perfect setting for photographer Jessica Farren to capture this special time in their lives. All three were wonderful models and our herd health manager Melinda, their midwife, helped set the stage.
Progress for Zoe
Zoe has been doing very well over the last few months. We initially did quite a bit of groundwork, getting her more comfortable with the saddle and eventually a few light rides. She remained tight with the saddle and her very kinked up tail indicated that she needed more time to settle before accepting a rider. The goal when starting our horses is NOT to get on and “ride the buck out of them.”…
Tabitha is back from training
Tabitha has completed 30 days of training to restart her with Benjamin Hannan. She was ground worked at SAFE and Joel Conner put the first 3 rides on her. After seeing that she was a bit troubled with a rider, we felt it was best for her to go to Ben for a solid month of professional training before making her available for adoption. Throughout the month we consistently received good reports on…
Our New Partnership with Roam Consulting LLC
Leadership with Horses is a program of Roam Consulting LLC. They are a professional, credentialed team of coaches, facilitators, and experienced horse people, who get excited about helping their clients think, feel, and act differently to achieve and sustain excellence. They believe horses offer a powerful metaphor for what happens in the business world and love facilitating…
New Photos of Anderson
A Visit with Bridgit
Here are some beautiful photos of Bridgit and her adopter Kristina. Bridgit and her little buddy Oreo are best friends, enjoying a wonderful life together with their family! Thank you, as always, Jessica Farren for sharing your amazing talents with the SAFE horses and alumni. For updates on many of your favorite adopted…
