SAFE Horses
SAFE News and Updates
Lola Photos by Lisa Carr Photography
Finn Photos, by Lisa Carr Photography
Skittles is stylish!
Check out Skittles’ cute hairdo…we’re calling it the flip flop! She is so amazingly sweet and LOVES getting hugs. Xoxo!
Somebody to love…
Savannah is such a lovely mare. She’s probably never going to be comfortable enough to be someone’s riding horse — her fibrotic myopathy causes a lot of strain to her back and hips — but she’s got so much to offer someone as a companion and friend. Savannah is a horse who thrives on affection. In fact, we have to be sure that our volunteers give her plenty of attention, because she tends to get…
Silly goose!
Savannah didn’t enjoy yesterday’s hail storm, but rather than come inside to escape it, she chose to stand outside in her paddock and look miserable. Fortunately the hail didn’t last long, and within minutes all was well again, but we just had to laugh a little when we saw her standing outside looking dejected. Silly goose.
Horses do the darndest things…
So Atticus has returned to Safe Harbor — his wonderful foster home had to bid him Adieu when one of their horses came home from training. He’s looking like a million bucks, by the way, he had a great winter hanging out with SAFE alum Deeds. Terry turned him out in the arena the other day for some social time with our other handsome Arab gelding, Oscar, and the two of them had a great time…
New horizons for Misty
Misty has spent more than a year in foster care with Lisa T, a terrific rider and trainer who has donated countless hours working with this mare and continuing her training in a forward and positive direction. During their time together, Lisa and Misty did arena work, trail rides, and even competed at training level dressage at schooling shows. Misty has now moved on to the barn of dressage…
Woodinville Weekly: Student’s Book Helps SAFE Horses
Student’s Book Helps SAFE Horses by Shannon Michael published March 18, 2014 Alex Olson is not your ordinary second grade student. She took a book writing project and turned it into a charitable fundraising opportunity that benefits Save a Forgotten Equine (SAFE), a nonprofit based in Woodinville that rescues neglected and abandoned horses and rehabilitates them. Alex is a student in Ms. Jones’…
Owen Update
Owen continues to make steady progress adjusting to his new life as a SAFE horse. We’re taking things very slow with him to earn his trust. Fortunately Owen is a very good boy, gentle and willing and easy to deal with. It’s lucky for us that his behavior is so mild because until we’re able to get him halter-broken, it’s going to be tough to move forward with our plans to geld him. Thankfully…
Sasha, Rest in Peace
On Friday afternoon, surrounded by friends who were there to comfort and say goodbye, Sasha was humanely euthanized. It is never easy to make the decision to let a horse go, but it is especially difficult when that decision is being made because we fear for the safety of the horse and for the people around her. But having spent the past six months evaluating Sasha, consulting with trainers and…
Finn training update
Finn has been in ground work for the past several weeks, and he’s been very impressive! He’s made a big impression on Laura M who has been coming to Safe Harbor Stables a couple times a week to help Terry with ground work. Laura is very enthusiastic about Mr Finn…she wrote this update after the first time she worked with him: OMG I am COMPLETELY in love. Utterly, ridiculously besotted – the…
Foster/Training Update: Ginger
Ginger is coming along well. She now going fairly solid walk/trot and they are working on the canter. Her canter is still very unbalanced and quick due to lack of strength but it is coming along. She has an especially hard time cantering to the right but she does pick up both leads well. Sometimes steering is optional! Ginger is not spooky or hot but sometimes she can be a little unsure of…
Volunteer update: Moments with Savannah
Sandi N is a volunteer at SAFE Harbor who has been spending some quality time with Savannah, both as a friend and companion, but also helping her with her fibrotic myopathy. Terry asked Sandi to share her thoughts about her interactions with this lovely mare: Meeting Savannah for the first time I was initially struck by her beauty. Her Tobiano coloring and the lacing that edge her geometric…
A picture of Skittles…just because we love her!
Skye Training Update
Skye is currently living up at Half Trak Farm as she begins part 2 of her training journey with Andrea Lucianna. When Skye first arrived at Half Trak, she had a bit difficulty settling in. At first she would not tolerate being in a stall and would pace, refuse to eat, and make a mess of herself. Turning her out didn’t help much either, as she would spend most of her time running and very little…
New Tires for the SAFE Trailer!
We would like to express our appreciation to Les & Jeannette Parrett and their family for the donation they made to SAFE for the purpose of acquiring new tires for our horse trailer. When we purchased the trailer last year, the safety inspection indicated it was in excellent condition except for the tires. Since good tires are critical to the safety of the horses and the driver, we knew we…
Cameo Update from Training
Cameo is continuing to progress in her work with Andrea Lucianna at Half Trak Farm. It’s been a difficult journey for this mare, and she has her good days and not-as-good days, but she is moving forward all the time. It’s important to keep in mind just how far she’s come when looking at her progress. By those standards, she’s absolutely remarkable. She continues to go well under saddle and…
Trailer Training with Phoenix
Getting Phoenix loaded into a trailer for the trip back to SAFE last fall was an experience that many of us shudder to remember. So now that we have the ability to safely secure the SAFE trailer in our outdoor arena, many of the horses are getting trailer training as part of their ground work curriculum. Phoenix is being taught to rethink his strong stance against loading with the help of short,…
Owen’s Story
This is Owen, a 6 year old American Curly stallion who was surrendered to SAFE by his owner. He’s a handsome young horse, healthy and sound, and he seems bright, curious, and smart. He’s also 6 years old and completely unhandled, not even halter broken. He doesn’t even want to be touched. Make a mild attempt to touch him and he moves away. Anything stronger and he will run away, hiking his rear…
Skittles at the Open House
Skittles had the opportunity to let her sweet personality shine during this past weekend’s Open House. She was the official greeter in the main barn, and she was completely charming.
March training notes: Skittles
Skittles is going very well under saddle in both walk and trot. She has shown on two different occasions that she is a very level headed horse by not overreacting to noises or other horses acting up in turnout next to the arena while she was being riden. I wouldn’t say she’s “bomb proof” but that she is making good choices. She is getting very good with the ground work, showing good submission…
March training notes: Oscar
Oscar has been pulled from the Volunteer Rider program for now, due to resistance moving forward and some kicking/bucking at the leg. Saddle fit is an issue—he’s very sensitive to the saddle rocking on his withers. We have been working on his grumpy reaction when rider dismounts. He is going forward better now but he’s still very much behind the leg and his rhythm is all over the place. He is…
March training notes: Finn
Finn is such a nice horse! He’s happy just to have his halter put on and be taken for a walk – he loves interaction and physical contact. Loves to be loved on! We set him loose in the arena, and he had lots of pent-up energy to burn. He ran around and around, kicking and farting, having a good time. Never a laid-back ear or hint of a bad attitude…just joy at moving his body. Where many (even…
March training notes: Sasha
Moving forward with her in strengthening and re-introducing a rider. Her back is very weak so it will take time to build up. First rides were good but Sasha does show stubbornness when it comes to going forward. This could get ugly quickly so I’m taking it slow and with a handler on the lunge to help keep her behavior in line.
SAFE Awarded Training Grant from the ASPCA
We are extremely pleased to announce that SAFE has been awarded a $4,000 Training Grant from the ASPCA Equine Fund for the second year in a row. This grant was given in recognition of SAFE’s commitment to producing good equine citizens who are ready to succeed, through the use of professional training, both offsite and onsite. The APSCA Equine Fund’s Training Grant was created to improve…
Owen intake photos
Rain, sand, and Sasha
This is what happens when you mix rain, sand, and Sasha. I think she knew I was laughing…what else could I do? Love her face!
February Volunteer of the Month: Lisa Tuininga
One of the many ways to volunteer with SAFE is to become a Foster for a SAFE Horse. Our network of foster homes is what allows us to help more horses than we can house at our main facility. When we happen to come across a foster who is also willing and capable to further the training of one of our riding horses, it is cause for celebration. Such is the case of the February Volunteer of the…
Volunteer Update on Sapphire
SAFE Harbor volunteer Heather E has been interacting with Sapphire since her arrival at SAFE, and they’ve developed an interesting relationship. We asked Heather to share her experience with this lovely but troubled horse: Sapphire is one of the most welcoming horses at SHS. She will pop her head out of her window and nicker a warm “Hello” every morning. I like to think it’s because she’s happy…
Dances with Horses — a Visit from Trainer Laura Nurss
Thank you to Eve Tai for this writeup and for the attached videos! A few weeks ago, SAFE hosted Laura Nurss, a horsemanship and liberty work teacher at Horse Haven at Bear Creek. We asked Laura to come to SAFE Harbor to work with Dottie, Sapphire, and Lola to help them feel more settled in their bodies and with the SAFE human community. As much as we love and care for our SAFE horses, it can be…
