SAFE Horses
SAFE News and Updates
Phoenix shines in training!
Volunteer rider Jolene Duncan has been spending some quality time with Phoenix. When we talked about project horses Jolene could concentrate on, I was very happy she was willing to take on training with Phoenix. We both agreed that what this beautiful boy needed was a lot more consistency in his riding and training. With Jolene working him four times a week, her hard work is really paying off.…
Ben: Follow up Bodywork
Dr. Christin Finn came to see Ben on Friday for his third bodywork session. Each time, the work has made changes to how he moves and even the shape of his back. This time it was clear that we needed to push through some very tight back and pelvic muscles. While the adjustments and acupuncture in the past sessions had helped loosen a lot of this area up, Dr. Finn suggested we speed the process up…
Anderson: Training update & Video
Anderson is coming along well in his training and shows every indication of making a great riding horse partner. Here is a video of his first ride with a saddle. You can see he is very cautious about this leather thing on his back but once Darik sits on him he had little problems accepting the saddle. After this video was shot, I held Anderson while Darik trimmed his feet and he was a very good…
Sophie Update
Volunteer trainer Laura McCorkle has been spending some time with Sophie over the last few months. Here is a little about what Laura has to say bout this young mare: “Sophie is a lovely, willowy, long-legged teenager — with all the good and sometimes aggravating qualities that implies! She is athletic and willing to try new things, but like most teenagers, she can be a bit short on attention…
Hickory & Mesquite: Training Update
All reports have been glowing for our new riding horses, Hickory and Mesquite. They are both in training with Joel Conner and are coming along well with the work. As expected, Hickory has been fairly easy with only minimal issues. He is the younger of the two and never really displayed much studdish behavior after being gelded. Hickory will be returning to SAFE with about two months of…
Annabelle is looking for a Foster home!
Sweet Miss Annabelle is healthy and ready to move out of SAFE Harbor to a foster home and help us make room for new intakes. We are looking for a foster who can take in this arabian girl and give her a quiet place to be a companion non-riding horse. She is still extremely herd bound so the ideal home would be somewhere she can see her buddies all of the times. She is a good girl, easy to groom…
Nala: Health Update
Nala has been very well behaved for her rehab, stall rest and hand walking. Three weeks ago we took off her shoes and balanced her feet in a bare foot trim. Farrier Marla Karabinos will be checking her this week to see if she is foot tender and if she will be needing the shoes back on. So far she looks happy in with the changes made. Last Friday Dr. Christen Finn from Equisport Medicine, came…
Phoenix Beauty Shots
Playful Brigdit!
Rest in Peace: Craspedia (2007–2015)
It took just a moment to fall in love with him, but it will take a lifetime to forget him. We met Craspedia in a field, a tall handsome fellow with a kind eye who stood calmly and quietly while we said hello to him. His owner had contacted us a few days before, concerned that his new horse was getting thin. It had been two months, he told us, and he did not understand why his horse was not…
New SAFE Intake: Banjo
Banjo was surrendered to SAFE by his owners on the recommendation of City of Snohomish animal control officers, who discovered the gelding had not received basic vet or farrier care for more than five years. The horse had gone unhandled for many years as well, making it tricky, but not impossible to catch him. He was immediately sent to NWESC to be evaluated. Banjo’s hooves were terribly…
Maggie Returns
A few weeks ago, we received the unhappy news from Maggie’s adopters that they needed find a new home for her. This was by no means Maggie’s fault. She had fit in well at their farm, behaved like a perfect lady, and given them her trust. But they felt that their daughter did not bond with Maggie. So they requested our permission to find her a new home. Out of concern for Maggie, we made the…
Rhythm Site Visit Photo
Khianna
Pretty Stella
Mesquite: Making great strides!
Mesquite left early this morning for Vancouver WA where he will join his friend Hickory in training with Joel Conner. You might recall that Joel rode both boys at his clinic at SAFE in mid-August. Now they’re both going to get the start they need to be saddle horses. Before he left, volunteer Lisa G did a bunch of work with Mesquite to get him ready for Joel. She shared this report with us: “I…
Rest in Peace, Rose City Special (1997–2015)
We never truly know how much time we’ll have with the ones we love. We give our hearts to our animals, knowing that chances are good that we’ll end up outliving them and having to face saying goodbye. It’s a risk that most animal lovers are willing to take, grief being the price we pay for love. Most horses that come to SAFE have faced the worst and still survived. Thankfully a lot of them are…
Video: Jewel Under Saddle
Love Bug Ben
Mesquite’s Ground Work Session
click to display in slideshow mode photos by Jessica Farren
August Volunteer of the Month — Jessica Farren!!
Please join us in congratulating Jessica Farren as SAFE Volunteer of the Month for August! Jessica attended an Open House at Safe Harbor Stables and, like many before her, she fell in love with the SAFE horses. She quickly became a weekly barn volunteer: a regular on Monday afternoons plus every other Friday. She is also one of our shift leads and is always willing to help other volunteers.…
A hard day to say goodbye
There’s no real way to properly express what happens when we lose a horse. Today, we said a too-early goodbye to Sapphire due to a colic. Sapphire was discovered down in her stall this morning by her foster caretakers in deep distress. Dr Holohan from Pilchuck was called out, and Sapphire was tubed and medicated in an attempt to relieve her discomfort. Unfortunately her condition continued to…
Hope at home
Stella is home from training!
Stella is home from 45 days of training with Joel Conner. I got the chance to ride her in the clinic when Joel was at SAFE and it was a blast getting to know this spunky mare. She is a very sensitive and smart girl. She handled being in the arena with ten other horses without too much fuss and we really started to get to know each other well. It is wonderful to have her so well trained right…
Einstein Finds a Family!
We are excited to tell everyone that Einstein is on an adoption trial. He has settled into the farm and is getting to know the other family horses…Strider and Skye! Yes you heard me right, Michel contacted SAFE soon after Einstein had been rescued. She has been looking for a light riding companion to add to their farm and thought this bay boy might fit in well with a few other bays! After SAFE…
Health Update: Scarlett
We have really enjoyed getting reacquainted with this pretty little chestnut! Unfortunately, Scarlett came up lame at the end of July, so we had Dr. Devine, from Pilchuck, come out to evaluate her. After flexion tests and nerve blocks, the lameness was localized to the region of her suspensory ligament in the right hind.Ultrasound examination of that area revealed mild tearing at the origin of…
Moonshine Site Visit Photos
Oscar working at SAFE Harbor
We have been working with Oscar on relaxing at the gaits and riding with just seat and leg. He is getting used to the light contact in the reins and that he can go around steady and without worry. He is doing very well and finding his balance! Here is a clip of Oscar working on his left lead walk trot and canter: Here is a clip of Oscar working on his right lead walk, trot and canter:
Health Update: Karma
Karma seen today for 1 month check with Dr Fleck to re-ultrasound her check ligament. The healing has started well and the ultrasound looks good, she is filling in the tear but it is not completely healed yet. Dr Fleck said she can go out in her in and out run if she stays quiet. We will continue to hand walk her at least once a day for 30 mins. We will recheck again in 4 weeks to get the all…
Training Update: Jewel
Volunteer rider Claire has taken on Jewel as her special project. She has been working with her since just before the SAFE show and there have been some great changes since then. Here is an update from Claire about how things are going so far: “Jewel is an absolute delight to work with, especially now that she and I have gotten some valuable help from Joel. I’ve started being more clear and…
