Anakin Update
Our boy continues to fight the good fight at Cedarbrook Vet Hospital where he is being cared for round-the-clock. His feed has been increased so that he now has soaked hay in front of him nearly 24 hours a day, which makes him VERY happy! He does have some swelling in his legs and abdomen that has us a bit worried…blood tests done last week show a decrease in his protein levels since his…
Horse Collaborative: Anakin and the Anatomy of a Horse Rescue
Anakin and the Anatomy of a Horse Rescue From the racetrack, to the research lab, to death’s doorstep by Bonnie Hammond Published Dec 16, 2015 Link to the story online at HorseCollaborative.com Link to the story on Horse Collaborative’s Facebook Page For us, Anakin’s story began early Monday morning with an email asking for our help. It was from a woman in Winlock, Washington who wanted to know…
Training update: Nala
Nala continues to do well under saddle. She is moving up to more trot and is looking sound! The volunteer riders are dedicated to her rehab work and they are enjoying getting to ride her. She is still bare foot and as long as that looks good we are going to see if how she does without shoes. So far she is looking strong and healthy! Keep up the good work baby girl!
Scarlett is doing great!
After some time off we are back to riding Scarlett. She has been such an amazing girl through everything. We had her flex tested a few weeks ago and got the all clear to start riding her again. She picked it back up like she hadn’t missed a beat. What an ANGEL! We are actively looking for her forever home. Her ideal adopters would be someone who is looking to love this mare into her senior…
KOMO‑4: Snohomish horse near brink of death is now on road to recovery
Snohomish horse near brink of death is now on road to recovery By KOMO News Staff Aired on Dec 12, 2015 Click this link to view the video on the KOMO Website SNOHOMISH, Wash. — A local horse that’s near the brink of death is now on the long road to recovery in Snohomish. It’s pretty tough to look at Anakin, a 20-year-old Thoroughbred gelding. He’s painfully thin. His hips and all of his ribs…
Behind the Scenes Photos from Anakin’s News Story
KOMO-TV reporter Steve McCarron and cameraperson Robin visited Anakin at Cedarbrook Vet Care today to film for the story that appeared on the evening news. Here are some behind the scenes photos of the shoot! click to enlarge and view as slideshow
Anakin’s Amazing Story
For us, Anakin’s story began early Monday morning, with an email asking for our help. It was from a woman in Winlock WA who wanted to know if SAFE had room to take in an emaciated Thoroughbred gelding. He had been rescued a few days earlier by her young boarder, and it had become clear to her that he was going to need much more than either of them would be able to provide or afford. While SAFE’s…
November Volunteer of the Month: Tiffany Lindan!
Congratulations and thank you to our November volunteer of the Month, Tiffany! Tiffany has been volunteering with SAFE for almost 2 years. She started as a special events volunteer but quickly became much much more. Tiffany has been directly involved in coordinating events for SAFE. She has organized Open Houses at the barn, Fill the Trailer, procurement committee for Heart of the Horse, helped…
Khianna: Training Update
Volunteer Rider Erika fills us in on her work with Khianna this past month: “Recently, I started working with Khianna, a sweet, beautiful mare. Though she is a bit wary of new things, and still thinks the flag might eat her, our time working together has helped her feel more secure. It still takes five to ten minutes for her to feel comfortable, but once she’s calm, she connects very well.…
Finn Gets a Photo Shoot
This fall Finn got a visit from one of his favorite volunteer friends Jessica. She took some beautiful photos of him and his foster mom Carrie. What a pretty boy he is! Thank you Jessica for visiting him and taking these pretty photos! You can see how much Carrie loves this boy!
A photography session with Marta and Shay
Recently, Jessica, a volunteer and foster committee member, spent the morning with Marta, Shay and their foster mom Eileen Carol. Eileen also volunteers as SAFE’s Foster Coordinator. I asked Jessica to tell me a little bit about her recent visit. Here are the kind words she had to say about the girls: “My visit with Marta and Shay was great. What beautiful mares! They are such great…
Photos of Banjo at SHS
Here are a few photos of Banjo while he was at Safe Harbor Stables for training and preparing to go out to foster:
Nala’s rehab…time for a saddle!
Nala has been great about both her stall rest and being hand walked. After reviewing her progress with Dr. Devine at Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital, we decided it was time to start the next phase of Nala’s rehab plan. We began riding her for 20 minutes at the walk. The added weight will increase the load on her hooves and help with the strengthening process. We will increase her walking by five…
October Volunteer of the Month: Marco!!
Let’s all celebrate our Volunteer of the Month for October, Marco S! Marco is another volunteer who doesn’t hold down a chore or feeding shift, but plays an important role as a member of the Safe Harbor facilities team. Marco has been helping make improvements at the barn for over 2 years! There are so many upgrades at SHS that are his doing. Marco has installed new lights both inside the barn…
Stella: Training Update
Just for a little fun, I decided to work Stella in a Dressage saddle this week. She did very well and was comfortable to sit the trot and canter in the English tack. She is learning to keep a nice rhythm and cadence in her gaits. When she gets troubled, it takes just a little re-balancing work to bring her into a soft gait. Throughout her time under saddle, Stella has kept a positive and…
Photo shoot with Dottie Belle!
Volunteer Jessica Farren recently visited Miss Dottie Belle at the Pacific Moon Equestrian Center. She took absolutely gorgeous photos! The fall colors are a stunning backdrop for this beautiful mare. Dottie has thrived under Karen Moore’s care. We are so blessed to have Karen’s support and care of our sweet Dottie. While she has been at Pacific Moon, Dottie has been living in a big pasture…
Marta Update
Ms. Marta continues being her fancy “prancy” self. Every morning, she puts on a show, arching her neck, snorting and trotting with her fabulous self-carriage. She likes to remind us that her sire was the famous Probat and that many of her family members are National Champions. Unfortunately, Marta’s heritage does not protect her from bug bites. This fall has been tougher than usual with its…
Shay Update
Shay has struggled with periodic bouts of lameness over the years. Recently, it went on long enough that we called out Dr. Fleck, from the Rainland Farm Equine Clinic, for an evaluation. He reviewed earlier x‑rays of Shay’s rotated coffin bone and thought she just might need a set of front shoes. He felt that this would stop her from walking on dropped soles, a problem which was causing her…
Health Update: Banjo
While at Cedarbrook, Banjo is getting a special treatment on the Theraplate. This type of therapy helps increase circulation and promotes healing of hooves. Lisa, Cedarbrook’s office manager, reported: “Banjo had his first Theraplate session today and he did well. He was a little wary at first, walking on and off multiple times, but finally decided it might be okay to stand there for a while.”…
Lola is going Fabulously!
It is so exciting to be riding Lola again! This spunky little mare is doing great and she’s an absolute riot to ride. She is ready for her forever home and to be with someone who is looking for fun. We have been working on light aid transitions and some walk-canter departs. This girl is athletic and smart; if Lola sticks around much longer, I’ll have to start teaching her flying changes! …
Our Resident Comedian Ben
Some pictures are worth a thousand words, and some, like these, a whole bucket of laughs. Ben is a big goofball with as many expressions as that of a great stand-up comedian. We love hanging out with this big guy as his antics always put a smile on everyone’s face. Jolene, a volunteer rider, enjoys working with Ben and understands his personality well. Jessica, another volunteer, snapped some…
Finding the Feel: Update from Jewel’s blog
Claire Crist, a volunteer at SAFE, is doing her senior project by helping horses get trained and adopted at SAFE. Her blog, Finding the Feel, documents her work with SAFE horse Jewel. Read more at http://learning.safehorses.org. Here are some videos from our ride on Saturday. Jewel’s canter under saddle is improving so much, and she is really getting the hang of turns on the haunches. She’s…
Health Update: Banjo
Recently, I visited with Banjo, who is still under Dr. Hannah Muller’s care at NWESC. He is doing well and will hopefully be ready to be released shortly. Daphne Jones just completed Banjo’s second trimming and she reported that his deep fungus shows signs of improvement. Still, we think it will take quite some time for a full recovery. Generally, he’s been cooperative about receiving his…
KPLU Public Radio: One Woman’s Drive to Save Neglected and Abused Horses
One Woman’s Drive To Save Neglected And Abused Horses by Jennifer Wing Broadcast on Oct 15, 2015 Radio Interview and Full Story at http://www.kplu.org/post/one-womans-drive-save-neglected-and-abused-horses Anyone who is remotely interested in buying a horse should talk to Bonnie Hammond first. “Caring for horses is expensive,” says Hammond. Hammond is the Executive Director of SAFE, otherwise…
Banjo Vet and Farrier Update
Banjo had his dental done Tuesday evening. It took a lot of work and he had one tooth that had to be removed. It was infected deep into the socket. He is on bute for a few days to help with the pain. Hopefully this will help him start eating a bit better. Banjo got his feet done over the course of a few days, with Daphne alternating fronts one day and hinds the next. Here are photos of his…
Cameo: Health Update
It has been 3 months since Cameo’s torn hamstring injury. She has been doing well for her rehab and time off. She was allowed out of her stall rest and put into a stall with a run. We have steadily increased her hand walks to 30 minutes. She also has been quiet enough to take some walks out to the grass and enjoy some time outside. As long as she doesn’t get walked too far away from the other…
Jewel’s new shoes
Jewel has doing well in her training and riding work with shoes on for the last 6 weeks. Our farrier Marla Karabinos was out yesterday to put a new set on. We discovered that she has a pretty significant bruise along the outside of her right front foot under the shoe. This is her high angled “club” foot and was the reason she got shoes on when we found that the hoof was causing her discomfort.…
2015 Q3 Impact Statement
New Horses Intake Date: July 11, 2015 Scarlett (returned to SAFE) Intake Date: July 27, 2015 Hickory (Snohomish County Animal Control) Mesquite (Snohomish County Animal Control) Intake Date: September 1, 2015 Maggie (returned to SAFE) Intake Date: September 11, 2015 Craspedia (owner surrender) Intake Date: September 18, 2015 Banjo (owner surrender via City of Snohomish AC) Placed Horses Einstein…
September Volunteer of the Month — Chris Trimmer!
Chris Trimmer has been a SAFE volunteer for about a year now. He doesn’t do a weekly chore shift but is still an integral part of the barn. Chris is our guy with a truck. He will and does haul, transfer, carry, move just about anything that SAFE asks him to. Chris is our go-to guy for transporting horses. His meticulous attention to detail and love of horses assures us that they are in good…
Karma: Health Update
We got some exciting news from Dr. Fleck on Karma’s recheck ultrasound. The check ligament is laying down new tissue and healing well! Part of the rehab for this injury will be to begin to “load the leg” by slowly increasing Karma’s work. We’ll begin by adding 5 minutes of trot to her 30 minutes of walk over the next 10 days. Then we’ll add 5 more minutes of trot each week until we reach 25…
