Things We’re Thankful For
It’s the time of year when we like to look upon our blessings and be thankful, and the SAFE family has so much to be thankful for. Many of our blessings walk on four feet, and some are bigger than others, but none are bigger than Strider, who gives us 18 hands of handsome horse to be thankful for. We are thankful that Strider survived the horrific barn fire that took the lives of four other…
Rocky Update
An update on Rocky, our champion fighter! After intake, Rocky was transported immediately to Cedarbrook Veterinary to begin his rehabilitation. Hoof care specialist Daphne Jones (The Bare Horse) was called in to begin the process of addressing his severely neglected feet. After a few days in the hospital, there was concern about Rocky’s lack of appetite. He was simply not interested in eating.…
Emmy training update
We sent Emmy into training with Larry Plagerman two weeks ago, and got a great update. She’s been going WTC under saddle for a week now. The only issue she’s had is picking up the left lead. She is very right canter dominant and just needs to learn to function on the left lead. She is getting better and Larry doesn’t think it’s a physical issue, just a preference. She is softer now in the…
Lucky’s Low Bulk Diet
The past few months have included some health challenges for our dear friend Lucky. He had a mild colic episode, requiring the vet to come out and administer Banamine and fluids. He responded well, but about a week later he had another colic episode. When the third episode in a month struck, we knew we needed to get to the bottom of the problem. Working with Dr. Megan McCracken from Rainland…
Sapphire in training!
Phoenix in Rehab: Happy Update!
We had Dr. Krauter out last week to check on his progress with his front left suspensory rehab. She flexed him and he trotted clean!! His rehab has been progressing over the past 3 months, and he’s up to 10 minutes of trot per session. With this “all-clear” flexing, we can now add another 5 minutes of trot every week until he’s back to a full normal work load. This is very good news so we’d love…
Skye under saddle
And picking up her lovely feet to go over poles — at speed. Good girl, Skye!
Ginger Update!
Look, it’s Ginger!! Her adopter Monica N shared this cute photo on Facebook, saying “Since you all haven’t seen her in a bit, here is Miss Ginger after her first body clip! I fall more head over heels for her everyday! Thank you!!!” Thank YOU Monica, we are so happy that our girl has such a wonderful adoptive home!!
if you don’t like the weather in Seattle…
…wait 10 minutes and something different will come along. Luckily the SAFE horses are friends in rain or shine!
A visit with Sapphire
SAFE Volunteer Manager Heather shared these photos of Sapphire on the SAFE Tumblr page. I asked her to fill us in on how our girl is faring at her foster home. “I take lesson there on Saturdays,” Heather explained, “and I get to spend time with Sapphire. She spent the summer taking it easy. We all know how much Sapphire loves relaxing and grazing. She also gets to enjoy the company of SAFE…
Trotting with Owen
One week under saddle and Owen is making astounding progress with trainer Matt Olson. Check out this video, taken at the end of Owen’s lesson last Thursday. Did you notice how willingly Owen walked over the “bridge” from the trails course? How about that reinback? All this in a halter, no less. He has such a lovely willingness about him, he really wants to please. Formal training has really…
October Training Report
Phoenix had a hard month concentrating under saddle. He continues to look sound on the front but does come out of his stall pretty stiff both in the front and hind. He had quite a few naughty days this month mostly due to work, noise, and activity at the barn that made him anxious. He’s up to 10 min of trot per workout now and should be adding 5 more minutes per week after that. He has also been…
Finn Update
We’ve had a setback with Finn’s soundness this month. He has had some slight stiffness and isn’t looking as comfortable as he had been. When farrier Jake came to put on his new shoes last week, we noticed a bruise next to his frog on the right front. There was no indication of a rock or anything lodged under the pad. One thought was that the pads with built in frogs may be putting too much…
First ride for Karma, and more great news!
I have to say this little grey mare has my heart right now! She is making great strides in her rehabilitation and there is a lot of hope for the sweet side of this mare breaking through. She was very cautious when she first came to Safe Harbor and we made sure to take things very slow and at a calm easy pace. At about week 3 of liberty and ground work, she’s really made the transition to trust…
Stella the Brave and Beautiful
Stella is growing up nicely and has become much more consistent for other people to handle. She is easy to catch in turnout and happy to get groomed. She is still a little shy about letting people handle her feet but that’s continually improving too. She is a very brave filly! When she is unsure, she thoughtfully looks at new things with interest and quickly relaxes when she realizes that the…
Owen’s Week
Last week was a momentous one for Mr Curly Horse, and we could not be more proud of the amazing progress this horse has made. Monday’s accomplishment was a successful first standing hoof trim. Matt’s been working with Owen on picking up his feet since he took over his training, and he’s done really well with it. But the last time Owen saw farrier Joe Marceau was the day of his gelding surgery,…
How I roll
Hay from the Bin
Phoenix thinks hay from the bin tastes better then hay in a bag or on the ground!
October Volunteer of the Month: Leslie DiMaio
Let’s all congratulate Leslie D as SAFE’s October Volunteer of the Month! Leslie was recruited to SAFE through another volunteer (thank you Erika!!) and we are so lucky to have her. She has a weekly chore shift and will pick up as many others as she can when other volunteers need time off. She helped out tirelessly through the summer doing both a morning and afternoon shift during a time when we…
Another trail ride adventure for Skye, Skittles, and Lola
We took a big group to the Redmond Watershed today for a trail ride: Skittles, Skye, Lola and Debi’s horse Summer. It was good to go out on a busy trail day so we could see more people, bikes and other horses. All the horses did very well. Skittles was a great leader and happy to stay up front. She crossed bridges and if she was shy about something she took just a little encouragement to go…
A change of plans for Chip
Chip returned from foster care to Safe Harbor about a month ago and we had high hopes about getting him started in our training program. But with the chance to observe him in motion, we’ve seen some signs that a career as a riding horse might not be the best thing for this horse. Chip has some conformational flaws in his hind end that effect his strength, stability, and flexibility.…
The color of fall…
…is best personified by the lovely redhead Miss Skittles. Photos from our Sept 28th “Friend-Raiser” at Safe Harbor.
Karma teaches newcomers about SAFE!
SAFE held a Friend-Raiser last weekend and invited volunteers to bring their friends to learn more about the rescue. Terry and a few of the horses put on a neat demonstration for our guests. Karma was a big part of the festivities, demonstrating what she’s learned about liberty work since coming to SAFE and also helping out by drawing the door prize winner! She’s a good girl! [gallery…
Skittles says “What are you waiting for?!”
Skittles has been with SAFE since January, and she is more than ready for her forever home! She has so much she wants to do, she’s just waiting for the right friend to come along and share some adventures with her! Over the last couple of months, Skittles experienced some bouts of pretty significant diarrhea. We adjusted her diet to see if we could determine what was causing it. The culprit?…
2014 Q3 Impact Statement
New Horses Intake Date: July 3, 2014 Emmy (Pierce County Animal Control) Karma (Pierce County Animal Control) Intake Date: September 1, 2014 Rocky (owner surrender) Chestnut Mare — name withheld (owner surrender) Placed Horses Honeycutt Sinatra Portland Euthanization Chestnut Mare — name withheld (euthanized due to the effects of neglect)
Skye and Lola on the trails!
Ride along with Skye and Lola as they hit the trails at the Redmond Watershed:
Emerald Downs “Where Are They Now?” — Rose City Special
Misty’s Stifle Treatment Update
Earlier this year, Misty’s foster trainer Kelly Larsen noticed that Misty was showing some stiffness and inconsistency in her work to the left, including difficulty picking up the canter in that direction. We had Dr Ron Colton from Evergreen Equine out to examine her, and he confirmed what Kelly had been seeing: Misty’s work to the left was not of the same quality as to the right. Dr Colton…
Emmy’s Third Ride
Owen Update!
Owen’s been in training with Matt Olson for just over three weeks, and the progress he is making is fantastic. I had the pleasure of watching one of their training sessions yesterday, and I am so impressed with what Matt’s been able to do with him. They are still doing ground work in preparation for starting Owen under saddle — Matt says Owen will tell him when he’s ready — and Owen is proving…
