Theo’s First Saddling
Theo wore a saddle for the first time at the end of February. It seems like just a handful of days before that, Theo was having his first groundwork sessions… and that’s because he was. The forward progress of this sweet guy has been swift and easy, making him somewhat of an anomaly amongst the horses we normally work with. But…
Aries Seeks New Home
We are helping to get the word out regarding the rehoming of one of our alumni: Aries. Aries was adopted back in 2021, but due to family circumstances, is currently looking for a new home. Aries had been a riding horse before she came to SAFE, and though she’d had some time off when she arrived, we helped tune her up and get back in the swing of things. Since her adoption, she has been…
Alumni Update: Cassidy
Cassidy continues living her life to the fullest with her adopter Brianna
Transformations
Gradual change can be difficult to see, especially when what you have in front of you is almost impossibly different than what once was. Below is a quick before and after of a few SAFE horses, and their nearly unbelievable transformations over the years at SAFE. Veronica came to SAFE in 2019 as part of the Fall City 40. Back then, she was essentially feral, thin as a rail and with her long…
Thanks for the Work Party, Bishop Blanchet!
Though it may technically still be winter, property maintenance is a year-round job! Last Friday was our inaugural work party of 2024, where we partnered with Bishop Blanchet High School for their first annual Staff & Faculty Day of Service. We had 14 members of their faculty and staff join us to tackle some projects in preparation for the spring. Thanks to these folks, we were able to…
Alumni Update: Gabby & Caramel (Cara)
Alumni volunteer Candi K. recently went out to visit alumni Gabby and Cara and provided this lovely update: “Imagine yourself on 20 acres surrounded by the beauty of the Northwest and views as far the eye can see with a picture-perfect red barn and matching farmhouse tucked at the end of the long drive. You will be envisioning the “Forever Home” of Cara and Gabby and their herd mates Tess and…
Covering Ground(work) with Lance
Wearing a saddle for the first time is not an overnight process. For a horse like Lance, who came to SAFE last May as an unhalterable stallion, that process might be a little longer. But with no timelines in place, Lance is being given all the preparation he needs for that first time cinching up. There is never such a thing as over-prepared in horsemanship, and never any downside to spending…
Blanche’s First Saddling
Blanche has been an ‘easy’ horse from day one. The fact that she allowed us to halter and lead her with some quality right out of the gate put her in a higher percentile than the majority of our intakes. But because we didn’t know a lot about Blanche’s past, we had no expectations as to what it would be like once we started to work with her. Preparing Blanche for saddling went about as smoothly…
Champagne is Adopted!
We are breaking out the bubbly, because little Champagne has been adopted! Champagne arrived at SAFE as a very nervous little stallion who was averse to being caught or handled. During his time at SAFE, we spent daily time with him, working to teach him that people weren’t really so bad or scary, and that a pet or a brush could be a positive thing. He was gelded at SAFE, vaccinated, dewormed,…
March Volunteer of the Month: Amelia Savage
Congratulations to Amelia Savage, our March Volunteer of the Month! Since 2019, Amelia has dedicated her time and compassion to SAFE, and she has taken on a very special role within our Safe at Home: Community Assistance program, specifically the Serenity Fund (Humane Euthanasia). Amelia extends her support to families across Washington State during the challenging decision of bidding farewell…
American Trucks Positive Payload Program
We love our truck. It is every much a working member of our barn as the living, breathing individuals who give their time for the horses. It has picked many a horse up from deplorable conditions and helped transport them to their new lives. It has shepherded many others from SAFE to their new families, a true happy ending maker. It helps us with property maintenance, hauling loads of gravel and…
Volunteer Education: Horse Health
This past Saturday, our volunteers braved the cold to attend a Horse Health class, taught by former SAFE staff member Melinda Couvillion. It was a terrific presentation, and the volunteers who attended learned some very interesting facts about horses (did you know horses can’t throw up?) They even got to watch video of a horse be prepped for surgery at Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital. Sienna, as…
Alumni Update: Nashville
Here’s a March 1st update from Anna, Nashville’s adopter. Well, I haven’t updated on Nashville lately so here she is, sneaking past me and making a mess in the hay while I clean stalls. Guess I’ll clean that up next:) She has been on stall rest for a couple of weeks so I let her have some fun for a bit. We are on the count down with 7 days left and a healthy hoof is under that boot. After this…
Lacey in the Sunshine
Have you seen a cute red mare recently? Even if the answer is ‘yes,’ it’s never a bad time to see another. When the sun is out at SAFE, Lacey never misses an opportunity to find the most optimal spot for a sunbathe. When the light hits her just right, she looks like a little sun herself.
Jupiter’s Soundness Evaluation
Jupiter’s great red spot, as it were, is a slight hitch in his step that we first noticed when restarting him under saddle. In our efforts to better represent our riding horses as we move them into the ‘adoptable’ category, we had our vets out to evaluate Jupiter’s movement to give us a better idea of what he has going on, soundness-wise. The long and short of it is, an initial assessment…
Artie Shaw, Friend to Many
If SAFE had class superlatives, Artie would definitely win ‘friends with everyone.’ He is the horse that most other horses (at least if they’re geldings) first meet, and for good reason. Artie’s mellow demeanor around other horses helps introduce even the most unseasoned herd members to the idea of drama-free interaction. A lot of ex-studs come to Artie, all with varying degrees of politeness,…
Theo’s First Groundwork Session
We speak a lot about time here at SAFE — specifically as it relates to giving a horse the hours, weeks, months, years they needs to gain. Gain weight, gain confidence, gain the skills and tools they need to be successful going forward in life, be it as a companion or as a riding horse. This time varies between individuals, but it is tremendously reduced when the horse does not have a lot of…
Rest in Peace, Scotty
It is never easy to announce the passing of one of our horses, and harder still when the passing is so unexpected. Scotty left this earth last week, following a sudden and painful colic. This was his third colic in five months, in addition to the ulcers we had been trying to help him combat. Clearly, Scotty’s GI system was not a happy one, but last week’s battle was the last it will ever have to…
Introducing “Safe at Home” Community Assistance
For the past 19 years, SAFE has helped hundreds of horses and their owners through our Community Outreach Program. This safety net program was created to provide short-term assistance to horse owners struggling to care for their animals, with the ultimate goal of keeping these horses out of the rescue pipeline. Over the years, we’ve paid for hay & grain, veterinary care, gelding surgeries,…
Alumni Update: Mason
Mason is looking great and loves his home with adopter Lori M. Mason is great at groundwork and knows what to do, so he has a job as a groundwork trainer for new volunteers at Lori’s barn.
Frosting’s Trick
What better way to jumpstart your weekend than to watch Frosting exhibit her new trick? No smoke and mirrors — just a smart little mare who learned she could get scratches in exchange for curling her lip, and with that knowledge, is ready to do so on command. You really have to ask yourself, who actually trained who here?
Inula, Teacher and Student
Inula’s ringbone will keep her from being a riding horse, but it doesn’t mean that she can’t develop and hone her skills on the ground. While she is still young and relatively new to everything, Inula has been a fast learner. Our first impressions of Inula, when she was still sloughing off an unhealthy and smelly coat from her previous home, getting halter started under a warm May sun, were that…
Groundwork with Blanche
Blanche has begun her foray into our training program, where she is proving to be a quick study. Based on how she is for the handling we’ve done so far (tremendously reasonable and very sweet), it maybe shouldn’t have come as such a surprise that she would be similarly minded when we began our groundwork. For each new stimulus, she was responsive but not hugely reactive (her initial reaction was…
Reseeding, Thanks to Nature’s Seed
Will you be reseeding your pastures this spring? SAFE will, thanks to a generous donation from Nature’s Seed, who are providing us with many bags of their Pacific Northwest Horse Forage Seed! Visit Nature’s Seed’s page for lots of tips for successful reseeding! https://www.facebook.com/NaturesSeed A huge thanks to Nature’s Seed! Our horses will be thinking of you this summer!!
An Update on Roy
After playing in the arena with Mirana this weekend, the next day, Roy was more sore on his feet than he has been in a while. He has been out of glue-on shoes since early January, and has been mostly sound since then (a few off steps here and there, but nothing compared to how he was pre-shoes). Since his first foray into glue-ons, he has grown a lot of sole depth, and our farrier did express…
Field Trip to Bridle Trails
Winter Washington weather (say that five times fast) does not often conjure visions of sunshine and blue skies. But every so often, the metaphorical stars align to grace us with a January or February day that feels more akin to early summer. Such was the luck we had for our first off-property excursion of 2024, a trip down the road to Bridle Trails state park. We loaded eight horses into…
Declan is Adopted!
The word ‘failure’ does not typically have positive connotations, but when placed in conjunction with the word ‘foster,’ it takes on a whole new meaning. When Sue called to let us know she was a failure (a foster failure, that is) we could not have been more overjoyed. Last October, Declan moved to Sue’s place to be a buddy to her gelding, Cal, and live beside the sheep that she raises. Sue had…
Bijou Seeks a Valentine
This Valentine’s Day, Bijou is looking for love! And by love, we mean the forever home she deserves. We sat down with Bijou to talk about who she is with the hopes of finding her the perfect match! SAFE: Hi Bijou! We were hoping you could tell us about yourself. Bijou: Well, my backstory is rather dramatic. I was found abandoned on the Arlington Tree Farm along with my (since adopted!) buddy,…
Jupiter in the Outdoor Arena
Jupiter falls under the somewhat rare category of horse we get in at SAFE, which is ‘previously ridden, relatively uncomplicated.’ Don’t get us wrong, there are ways in which Jupiter needs assistance both on the ground and under saddle, and there certainly exists a timeline in which he was not given as much support and therefore did not come along so quickly or so nicely, but Jupiter and SAFE…
Q1 Report Card: Artie
Notes: Artie tends towards the dull side, but has a lot of try. He will work hard knowing a break is coming. Poll shyness — can be reactive to things in that area, especially if they are sudden. Has come a LONG way with this. Can be reactive to flag by his poll or in his blind spots — new environmental factors can bother him (see can bag) If you prove your leadership skills to him, that…
