SAFE Horses
SAFE News and Updates
2016 Q3 Impact Statement
New Horses Intake Date: July 21, 2016 Gracie (owner surrender) Intake Date: August 5, 2016 Mason (owner surrender) Intake Date: September 19, 2016 King (Pierce County Animal Control) Stormy (Pierce County Animal Control) Placed Horses Khianna Anakin Scarlett Euthanized Horses Rocky (medical reasons)
Consulting Ben on the Day of Caring
Day of Caring 2016 — Thank you, Allytics!
Thanks to United Way of King County, September 23rd, 2016 witnessed excellent changes at Save a Forgotten Equine (SAFE) in Woodinville. As part of the nonprofit’s annual Day of Caring event, 50 volunteers from the Redmond-based company Allytics ventured out of their office for a day of team building hard work at SAFE’s farm on Hollywood Hill in Woodinville. Under gray and drizzly skies, the…
Mason
Our new buddy Mason came to us with trouble in his eyes and scars all over his body. He radiated tension and fear. Our initial evaluation was that he might never be able to be safely ridden. Barn manager Lori M took this horse under her wing and has already spent many hours with him, working him on the ground and helping him gain confidence. The transformation in this horse is already profound.
Foster Update: Finn & Banjo
Here’s a wonderful update about Banjo and Finn from their foster mom Carrie! Here’s a Finn & Joey (aka Banjo) update! Finn’s just as cuddly as ever. His feet have been doing well this summer and is spending most of his time out of his Soft Ride boots, though he’s very tender when barefoot on gravel for 2–3 weeks after his trim. We’ve been going on walks on the Tolt Pipeline trail, with the…
Video: Stella handwalking
Ben at the Joel Conner Clinic, September 9–11, 2016
(as reported by his regular rider, Lisa Garr) In September, Ben and I once again worked under the tutelage of Joel Conner at a SAFE-hosted clinic. This weekend showed a completely new horse in our big ol’ redheaded fellow. Now able to handle pressure from the bit without panicking, we worked on soft feel, isolating front-quarters and hindquarters, and transitioning down off of two reins…
September Volunteer of the Month: Dave Wesche
SAFE’s history is full of inspiring horse stories and the horses inspire volunteers in different ways. What is not always apparent is how volunteers inspire other volunteers. Our September Volunteer of the month, Dave Wesche, has found inspiration and community here at SAFE. He writes about what brought him to us and what keeps him coming back in a genuinely touching way: “I primarily grew up in…
New Intake: Stormy
Stormy is a 22 year old Appaloosa mare who was seized from her owner by Pierce Co Animal Control. Stormy, another horse, and several dogs were discovered living tied to trees and starving, on a wooded property where their owner was squatting. The horses were seized and held in Animal Control custody for nearly 7 months while their owner unsuccessfully petitioned the court for their return.…
New Intake: King
King is a 9 year old Tennessee Walking Horse cross gelding who was seized from his owner by Pierce Co Animal Control. King, another horse, and several dogs were discovered living tied to trees and starving, on a wooded property where their owner was squatting. The horses were seized and held in Animal Control custody for nearly 7 months while their owner petitioned the court for their return.…
A Beautiful Heart
Here’s an update from a new volunteer to SAFE that has us beaming. Diana lives in Bellingham, so volunteering at Safe Harbor is difficult, but she’s making a difference by spending quality time with Dottie. She wrote this morning to tell us how her friendship with this lovely mare is blooming, and we couldn’t be happier for either of them! This is why we are so fond of our companion horses and…
What’s up, Anakin?
An update on Anakin from his new home! Thank you, Barb!!! You will be pleased to know that our lovely Chestnut boy has taken up yoga (stealing a page from Kai’s playbook), he’s doing downward dog before turnout 🙂 He’s also decided to challenge Kai from across the fence. The past couple of mornings have been really funny, with Anakin rearing up a bit, tossing his head and pawing at the ground.…
Saddling Session at the Joel Conner Clinic
Sunday morning, three young redheads were saddled up and worked in the roundpen at the start of the clinic. This included Jessel (who met the saddle for the first time at yesterday’s clinic), Sophie, and Lacey. Here are photos from this session:
Adoption Announcement: Khianna!
Stanalee came to meet the SAFE horses in hopes to find a companion for her mare Haley. While she thought they were all lovely, she saw Khianna and it was love at first sight. Stanalee told us she could see many of them joining her family but Khianna needed her the most. Being part of the SAFE program for 5 years, we are all ecstatic that we can finally say Khianna has found her forever home!…
Introducing the saddle to Jessel
Jessel is still too young to be started (she turns 3 in April) but it’s not too soon to introduce her to the saddle and get her accustomed to carrying it on her back. Joel Conner worked with Jessel during the morning Groundwork session at the clinic, and then saddled her up for the very first time. She looks pretty good in Western gear, doesn’t she?
New Intake — Mason
Mason is a 15 year old Thoroughbred gelding who has come to SAFE because his owners could no longer care for him. He’s a nice fellow who is very friendly and willing, but whether he can be safely ridden is yet to be determined. As we start to piece together his past, we are discovering that life has not been easy for Mason. We know he’s been ridden in the past, because unfortunately he has spur…
Foster Update: Aubrey & Marta
Cute check in with the ladies, Aubrey and Marta…as you can tell they are loving the good life! Both of these lovely ladies are ready for their forever homes. Email adopt@safehorses.org for more information. Here is a short note from Eileen, their foster mom and SAFE’s President: “The ladies lead a life of leisure. They had their pedicures done yesterday while nibbling on dinner. Today they…
Adoption Photos: Phoenix
Here are a few of the beautiful adoption photos of Phoenix, Lauren and Bryan. Thank you Jessica Farren for getting these special shots of Phoenix and his new family!
Hi Ho Stevie!
Stevie and Ben have a whale of a time together in turnout. Geldings love to pretend that they are fierce stallions battling it out on the wild plains. Well, Stevie does, anyway. From Ben’s expression, he might be wishing he was back with Oscar, who was a bit less rambunctious than Stevie is! Thanks to SAFE volunteer Caren M — who also sponsors Stevie with a monthly donation — for catching this…
Dreams Do Come True: Phoenix’s Adoption!
We are delighted to announce the adoption of our big beautiful boy Phoenix. He has had a long journey and is truly a survivor! Maybe he just needed time to grow up or maybe was waiting for Lauren to find him. No matter what, this is a love story worth reading. For us to successfully place horses into forever homes, a lot of careful consideration and time goes into matching the right horse and…
Whisper Site Visit Photos
Anakin Update!
Here’s a lovely update on Anakin in his new home! I thought while I had a moment I’d catch you up on how Anakin is doing. He’s not squealing as much, that’s for sure! Kai and Einstein stop for a sniff and a greeting every morning before they’re turned out, Kai gives a little air kick with his hind that only I can see (he’s letting me know that he’s still my number one). Even Strider stops by in…
A New Beginning for Bean
From time to time, a family comes into SAFE looking for a horse and we don’t have a match. It is hard thing to say no to a great family but finding the right horse is very important. When Michelle first came in looking for a horse for her family, unfortunately this was the case. Michelle grew up with horses but it had been a few years since she had been around them so I suggested the family…
Saying Goodbye to Rocky
It is with a heavy heart that we share that we said goodbye to Rocky last week. Since he was rescued in 2014, we’ve worked closely with our vet and farrier to manage his pain. Rocky had both chronic laminitis and Cushings Syndrome, and for the last two years, he’s received daily doses of Bute and Tramadol to cope with the pain and Prascend to keep his Cushings under control. The change of season…
August Volunteer of the Month: Kris Hoglan
You might think filling the grain bags to feed our horses is a small or trivial task, but the horses would tell you otherwise. They LOVE their grain, it is the highlight of their day. The horses love grain, and we love Kris Hoglan for making it possible. Kris is one of our dedicated baggie making crew. She comes every week to sort and measure the myriad of supplements we feed to keep our SAFE…
Video: Lacey the water pony
Anakin is doing well!
Here are a couple photos of Anakin enjoying his new home! A lovely snooze in the grass: Saying hello to his new “bro” Kai:
The Good Kind of Goodbye
Because SAFE adoptions come with a 30 day money back guarantee, we usually hold off announcing them until after that period is up. Today a SAFE horse left for his adoptive home…and because of the horse…and the home…we are going to go ahead and share this news now. We said a smiling and tearful goodbye to our dear friend Anakin today as he loaded into our trailer and headed south to his new…
Gracie, free lunging at trot and canter
The Passing of the Pants
If you’ve had a chance to cheer jockey Joey Steiner to victory at Emerald Downs this season, you might have noticed a familiar logo and name on his white racing pants…SAFEHORSES.ORG. Joey and his wife, artist Dagmar Galleithner Steiner, have been supporting the SAFE horses for many years in many ways. They are regular visitors to Safe Harbor Stables, bringing their infant son Jonah to say…