SAFE Horses
SAFE News and Updates
Anakin Update — March 14, 2016
Another month has flown by and the skelatal horse we met back in December is becoming more and more of a memory. Anakin has now put on nearly 200 pounds since his rescue, and he is starting to glow with renewed health and vitality. He’s enjoying more and more turnout time, which now includes limited pasture time out on grass! In true Anakin style, our boy celebrated this milestone with a lovely…
Chance Site Visit Photos
From Slaughter Trailer to Dressage Champion: 5 Reasons to Adopt a Rescue Horse
Published March 2015 by Double D Trailers’ Blog Bonnie Hammond is the executive director and co-founder of a very special organization called Save a Forgotten Equine (SAFE) in Woodinville, WA. SAFE’s mission is “To rescue, rehabilitate, and retrain horses facing neglect or abuse and provide them with the best opportunity for a permanent home and a lifetime of safety.” This is an extremely…
Rocky: New Photos and Heath Update
We had a nice visit last week with SAFE horse Rocky at his foster home. Jessica Farren was able to come along and took some beautiful photos of Rocky. He has really come a long way from the frightened and pained horse that SAFE took in over a year and half ago. His foster family, Kellie and Peter Larson, have taken wonderful care of him and keep a watchful eye on his pain levels. His Cushings is…
February Volunteer of the Month: Melinda Merryman
Every volunteer that helps at SAFE does important work. Without our volunteers SAFE would not be able to accomplish as much as it does. All of them are incredible people but sometimes our volunteers go above and beyond what is asked. Melinda is one of the above and beyond volunteers. She began volunteering on a PM feed shift. We quickly realized our luck when we found out she was a vet tech AND…
Aubrey: Health Update
Dr. McCracken came to examine Aubrey and check her soundness to see if she could be a light riding horse. After palpating the front leg she determined that the bow tendon is very old, so there is no point in ultrasounding it. Dr. McCracken confirmed that Aubrey has Fibrotic Myopathy in left hind but also noted another possible underlining lameness issues. Both her hocks and fetlocks tested…
Adoption Announcement: Maggie!
For SAFE horse Maggie, the road to her forever home has been a long one. This mustang pony mare was gathered out of a Nevada BLM roundup in 1995, so by our estimation she’s about 22 years old. We know very little about her life before coming to SAFE but there’s pretty clear evidence that she was not always treated well. She was seized by animal control due to neglect, but we’ve seen signs of…
New shoes for Phoenix!
We had new shoes made for Phoenix and he is LOVING them! He is sound and moving great in them. David Barron and Gavin Cooper from Olympic Forge started trimming and shoeing horses for SAFE at the beginning of 2016. Phoenix has been struggling to find the right pair of shoes to help with his navicular syndrome. The shoes that Gavin made him seem to be making a big difference so far! Here’s more…
Training update: Khianna
Here is an update from Khianna’s volunteer trainer and rider Jolene. We are very proud of her progress: Khianna is slowly transforming into a calm and confident horse. A couple weeks ago, I had the opportunity to use a tarp to assess Khianna’s progress. I expected a nervous, jumpy horse to react to the crunchy sound and be terrified of its size and appearance. I started by putting it on the…
Rover Update!
Rov is a joy to our family and appreciated every day. All of the horses on the property love him and look after him like a little foal. And, my daughters have a ball with him even though they’re now too big to ride him.
Freedom at last!
Yesterday was another big day for Anakin! Following his eye doctor appointment and a sponge bath, he got to go out into his run for the first time ever! His exercise has been strictly controlled in order to keep him from burning too many calories, but the racehorse in Anakin has been itching to get out. Dr Mollat gave us the go-ahead today to let him outside during the day, provided he stays…
An Appointment with the Opthomologist
While Anakin’s weight has steadily been improving since his rescue in early December, his left eye has become more and more cloudy. The pressure in the eye has been monitored by his veterinarians, and it was recommended that we have him examined by an equine eye specialist. Yesterday’s appointment confirmed what we had feared: it’s glaucoma. It’s hard to know what caused it: it could be the…
Introducing Lisa Garr, Weekend Barn Manager at Safe Harbor
As SAFE grows, we continually find ourselves wanting to do more for the horses in our care. Compared to even just three years ago, the amount of daily activity and labor at Safe Harbor has easily doubled. Every day we have volunteers cleaning stalls, throwing hay, and bagging grain…turning horses out and bringing them back in…grooming, blanketing, and wrapping legs…soaking hooves and…
Aubrey Intake
Aubrey was surrendered to SAFE by her owner who was unable to provide care for her. She’s had it pretty rough for a while now, and has rain rot over most of her back and hooves that are in bad need of a trim. She also had a badly bowed tendon on her left foreleg which was hot to the touch and swollen. And she appears to have fibrotic myopathy in her left hind leg, a mechanical lameness that…
Seattle Times: After donations, sick horse Anakin making steps towards recovery
After donations, sick horse Anakin making steps towards recovery Originally published February 2, 2016 By Jessica Lee, Seattle Times staff reporter Click here to view story on Seattle Times website The story of Thoroughbred Anakin, found neglected in Western Washington in December, spread across the country last month, striking a chord with horse lovers who now can take credit for his recovery.…
Phoenix: Health update
To help understand Phoenix’s navicular diagnosis, we asked Dr. Devine from Pilchuck to write up a brief explanation of the diagnosis and treatment options. We are currently managing him with shoe that have a lift in the heels and he seems happy and is looking good. To Whom it May Concern: I first saw Phoenix in August 2015 for a lameness in the left front limb. The horse was a grade 2/5 lame in…
KOMO‑4: Anakin’s remarkable progress: ‘He’s really come a long way’
Anakin’s remarkable progress: ‘He’s really come a long way’ BY STEVE MCCARRON Aired MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1ST 2016 Click here to view the news story on the KOMO‑4 website! WOODINVILLE, Wash. — A local horse that was near the brink of death in mid-December is making remarkable progress. 20-year-old Anakin was incredibly weak and thin when he was rescued from a small farm in Lewis County late last…
January Volunteer of the Month: Nicole Brandenburg
People contribute to SAFE in lots of different ways. Some help at the barn, others work on fundraising or special events, others by donating, and some special individuals volunteer as members of SAFE’s Operations Council. Nicole is one of those and her position is not an easy one. Nicole is SAFE’s Intake Coordinator. She’s the first point of contact when people reach out to SAFE about a horse in…
Delilah at Half Trak Farm
River at Half Trak Farm
Home from the Hospital!
We welcomed Anakin to Safe Harbor Stables on Wednesday, a long awaited homecoming for everyone at SAFE. After four weeks at Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital, Anakin was released from their excellent care into ours. Finally strong enough to stand up without the aid of the hoist and sling, Anakin bid farewell to all his friends at Pilchuck and stepped into the trailer for the short journey home to…
Health Update: Phoenix
We are again working with our farrier to find the best shoe package to help Phoenix’s soundness. Last summer, Dr. Devine from Pilchuck did a big work up on our golden child which included x‑rays. The conclusion was that the root of his lameness is navicular syndrome. Navicular is somewhat manageable with shoes but the condition can also require injections or anti-inflammatory drugs. Currently we…
Health Update: Emmy
Emmy’s rehab after surgery went according to plan — or so we thought —until around the 6 week mark. We noticed her take a few bad steps in turnout and that raised a few red flags that something might be wrong. Dr. DeWard examined her and noted swelling in the stifle and sensitivity on palpation of the sesamoid ligament, where she had previously had some issues. He recommended performing a nerve…
Professor Anakin Gives Back
We are preparing for Anakin’s release from the hospital on Wednesday, getting his feed delivered, getting his stall ready, and preparing for transport. In the meantime, we were delighted to find out that Anakin is already giving back to the horse community! We received the following email and photos from 4‑H Equine Leader Amy Wuerch: I am writing to share that our new equine 4‑H club, 4‑Happy…
Getting to know Bean
New horses always take time settling into their new lives as SAFE horses. In the first few weeks they’re here, we get to know their personalities, what they like, what they don’t like. We start to dream of what kind of home will be the perfect match. Bean had been a pleasure to work around, right from the start. She is kind, gentle, and very sweet. She has large thoughtful eyes and has quickly…
The call we’ve been waiting for…
Anakin Update: Jan 13 2016
Anakin has now been at Pilchuck for three weeks. We continue to see improvements in his condition. He’s steadily gaining about a pound a day, topping the scales at about 865 lbs now. (For reference, a horse his size should weigh between 1100 and 1200 lbs.) His calorie count is slowly being increased, and this week, he’s being started on Purina Equine Senior Active, a low carb, high fat…
Cameo: Making Progress, Getting Stronger
Cameo continues to make good progress in her rehab from last July’s injury. Volunteers have been walking and trotting her in hand for the past several months. Cameo is a pretty good girl for her exercise sessions but she is easily spooked if there is too much noise or commotion near the arena, so her handlers have to stay on their toes. We are now able to saddle her up for short walks with a…
Getting to know Jessel
Well color me impressed! Jessel had her first health check up with Dr. McCracken and she was a superstar. She was a little shocked by the first vaccine but it only got better with the others. We will be giving her more boosters in a few weeks but at least she won’t need a dental exam until closer to when she is started under saddle. She has gained a good amount of weight and is very playful and…
Getting to know Tess
We are happy to have three sweet new mares in our care: Tess, Bean, and Jessel. They were rescued from a very tough situation of neglect and starvation, and it’s going to take some time and TLC before they are ready for adoption. At the moment, we are letting them setting in to their new lives at SAFE. They are at a stage in their re-feeding program where they can have as much hay as they want,…
