Scarlett: Health Update
Scarlett has continued to be a good girl for her handwalking rehab. She shows signs of being very stiff in her hocks. We are continuing to monitor her through her rehab and look for ways to make her more comfortable. We recently had a new set of shoes put on Scarlett and Marla Karabinos made some wonderful changes that are already helping her feel better. Because her hocks were sore, Marla had…
New Maggie Photos!
Stella is one FUN ride!
Stella has been a doll to work with in training at Safe Harbor this past moth. I have been her primary rider but recently I asked volunteer rider Casey to ride her a few times a week. Stella was absolutely great for her new rider. This was a really important test to see that her disposition and work ethic doesn’t change with a different rider. Even though our aids maybe slightly different,…
Banjo Update
Banjo is doing well at NWESC. He was a bit sucked up in his flanks on Friday and they think it was from de-worming. He’s been given some Probiotics and Banamine to help. He is also on a little bute to help with his hoof pain. He is soaking in apple cider vinegar each day and getting the triple antibiotic/ athletes foot cream injected into the deep sulcus of his frogs. He is not eating well and…
Lola keeps on going strong!
We have been steadily adding riding time to Lola’s workouts and she is doing great. She has been easy to start up again with no big issues and acts like she didn’t miss a day of work. We continue to stay on the rail or do big circles so we don’t over stress any recovering tissues. She has been very sweet and willing to work. She just needs a little reminder to go forward in the beginning of the…
Finding the Feel: Jewel
We are all very excited that for her senior community service project, volunteer Claire Crist chose SAFE! Here is a little about her first project with Jewel. You can follow her progress online at: http://learning.safehorses.org “My name is Claire Crist. I’ve been volunteering at a local horse rescue called Save A Forgotten Equine (SAFE) since January 2015. SAFE is a truly remarkable…
Ben & Oscar — An Unexpected Friendship
A few weeks ago, we had a wonderful group from Microsoft come to SAFE for a Day of Caring. All the horses had to be out of the barns since the group was pressure washing and replacing gravel and mats in the stalls. So we were a little short of places to put all the horses while the work was going on. I decided to see if Ben and Oscar might be able to co-habitate in the arena together for the…
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…
