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…
Finn at SAFE Harbor
Finn was released from Dr Hannah’s care this week, and is now part of the herd at SAFE Harbor Stables. He’s already found one new BFF in Jewel…the two of them are quite smitten with each other. They are a nicely matched pair, about the same size and very similar in color as well. They spent some time hanging out in the arena together today, and there was some definite smooching going on!…
Finn gets his toes fixed!
Farrier Jake Cowden made a special visit to Dr Hannah’s Cedarbrook Veterinary Hospital to visit Finn. Finn came in pretty overdue for a trim, so his feet needed someone pretty immediate attention. He has a crack in his front right cornet band that, as it grows out, creates a crack all the way down to the tip of his toe. This may require him to always keep shoes on his front feet but it remains…
2013 Volunteer of the Year: Heather Evans-Keliher
Volunteers are the heart and soul of SAFE. Day in, day out…the volunteers of SAFE arrive at SAFE Harbor Stables multiple times a day to care for the horses. Feed. Water. Muck. Repeat. Our volunteer program makes it possible for SAFE to help horses in need. Every day, we are grateful for the dedicated volunteers who work hard caring for our herd. Each January, we have the pleasure of selecting…
Meet Finn
We have a new horse to introduce. His name is Finn and he is a 14 year old Quarter Horse gelding. Finn was injured in his pasture when he impaled himself through the muscle of his right shoulder. His owner was unable to afford to have a vet out to see him. She treated his wound herself for a few days but when it began to become infected, she called SAFE for help. Fortunately with the recent…
Exciting New SAFE Logo Wear!
If you were at Heart of the Horse you had the opportunity to preview the new SAFE Logo Wear collection. Now, these items are available for sale to all SAFE supporters. Please head over to our web shop, where you can browse our selection of items, colors, and embroidery colors. You can easily place your order online, and choose to have your items shipped to your home or pick them up at SAFE…
Volunteer Rider Report: Kat and Erica B
Erica is a SAFE volunteer who rides Kat on a regular basis. She had this to say about her work with Kat: I have now been riding Kat since December, and the most notable points for me have been her willingness to work, and her demeanor. Kat hasn’t ever seemed particularly cuddly, but what I have noticed is that she is happy when we’re working. She likes to trot, and it feels like she really wants…
Skye moves to training
Skye will soon be making the move to her next phase of training, when she heads up to Half Trak Farm to start work with Andrea. She’s spent the past three months at Lake Tapps Equestrian Center, where Team Zanotelli was able to use the covered arena to continue her training. In January, Skye was cared for by long time SAFE supporter, Lynn Mazer, and her sister Carol, who gave her the attention…
Skittles Training Report, January 2014
Skittles is very sweet and easy to be around and groom. She has some pushy behaviors when asked to move and yield her front shoulders. She carries her head high and is tight over her back. After her arrival at SAFE, we gave her time to settle in, followed by ground work to help establish leadership, then started riding her last week. There were no problems with tack or grooming. On her first…
Volunteer Rider Report: Kat and Sara E
Sara E is a SAFE volunteer who has been riding Kat on a regular basis. She had this to say about her work with Kat: I first met Kat when I first started volunteering with SAFE and was doing night feeding. Truthfully I wasn’t impressed, she was standoffish and a little food aggressive. She was never out right mean, but was not a cuddle bunny or tried to seek out your company. Over the last year…
Kai – a Master of Socrates
Can’t help but love this big hunk…somewhat distant exterior, but a heart of gold underneath for the right person, and, if you work for it, tons of easily offended dignity. He is the type that really doesn’t like to be laughed at or have his many ideas dismissed or ignored. If he gets emotionally hurt or rattled, he reacts with grumpiness but he doesn’t really care that much about your love or…
Jewel ‑The Patient Little Patient
You can probably imagine my response to the call that Jewel had been injured. At first I was worried that she was hurt, then hearing the treatment plan I was quickly thinking: oh no what are we going to have on our hands?!? I am very pleased to report that she has been a little angel in her stall. She is more of a cuddle bunny than ever before and very very happy to see everyone. You really…
Love Me and Keep Me Safe
Dottie is a loving, gentle horse who would make a great companion. We have some concerns about her overall soundness as a riding horse but we are taking things slow with her to see where we end up. If she can only be pasture-sound, it would be nice to see her go to a home where she will get lots of attention. She just loves interaction and learning things. She’d be a great prospect for…
Lunar New Year Celebration
Sunny D & Shasta were greeters at this year’s Westminster Chapel’s celebration of Lunar New Year. SAFE was asked to be this year’s special animal guests because 2014 is the Year of the Horse. Sunny and Shasta were wonderful greeters to the more than 1,500 people who came to this year’s celebration of Asian culture and arts. Sunny & Shasta got to pose for photos and also meet some of the…
Another Challenge for Jewel
During the major windstorm last weekend, SAFE horse Jewel was injured. We discovered a 2” laceration across the back of her left hind pastern. The cut was deep enough to warrant an emergency vet call, and Dr. Penny came out to take a look (driving around multiple downed trees to reach SAFE Harbor!) Fortunately, there was no tendon involvement. The wound was clipped, cleaned and treated. It was…
Taste the Rainbow!
We have a new horse to introduce to everyone! Her name is Skittles, she is an 18 year old Arab mare who is supposedly trained and able to be ridden Skittles was seized by King County Animal Control several months, and placed at Northwest Equine Stewardship Center for rehabilitation. She came to NWESC underweight, but as you’ll see from the photos below, they did an excellent job of returning her…
Cowgirl Kat!
It’s been a while since we updated you on Kat. We’ve seen a definite improvement in her tendency to trip over her front feet, and we suspect that the addition of vegetable oil to her diet has helped with that. Volunteer Sara E has been working with Kat under saddle and after a great ride last night, Sara had this to say about the little redhead: “Kat’s doing great! I think she likes the western…
Oscar, returned to SAFE
We have an old friend back among the herd at SAFE Harbor…the Arabian gelding El Johar Jamaal, formerly known as Oscar the Grouch, currently known as Oscar the Sweetie Pie. SAFE has elected to allow Oscar’s owner to return him to us to be rehomed, as we strongly feel that taking him back is in the best interest of everyone involved. We are currently reassessing Oscar under saddle, and hope to…
Jewel: Checking in on our little missy
I have continued to work with Miss Jewel on her ground work to establishing respect and good social behaviors. A lot of the work includes leading and positioning along with catch and release game. She is a surprisingly very smart little girl who really enjoys doing a job well. She will lick and chew when she has done it right and of loves getting lots of praise. Jewel reacts well to voice cues…
Portland medical update
We’re happy to say that Portland’s recovery has continued and he’s now officially up to a good weight (4/9 as determined by Dr DeWard) and looking healthy. Now that he’s got plenty of good food to eat and no mean horses beating him up, he’s truly enjoying life again, which is wonderful. We had Portland examined by Dr Bob DeWard and asked him to evaluate Portland as a potential riding horse. SAFE…
