Sparky’s New Friends
Since Sparky arrived last May, we’ve tried pairing him with a few friends for company. At first it was Ruckus, a pony, but he was adopted shortly after we paired them up. Then we tried our minis, Sunny and Shasta, but they had their routines and little home and…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Bandit
Kirsten AL worked with Bandit at the November Joel Conner clinic, and had the following to say about her time spent with this nice old gal: “Lessons learned … Ms. Bandit Bay can be both a student and a teacher. In haltering and working with this 25-year-old…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Brandy
Sue C worked with Brandy during the last Joel Conner clinic, and had the following to say about her time spent with this special mare: “This weekend I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Brandy during the groundwork portion of the Joel Conner clinic.…
Alumni Update: Justin
Justin is doing very well! He spends his days in a pasture with his young friend, Linus, and comes inside to a comfy stall at night. His adopter enjoys seeing Justin’s personality continue to shine through the longer she has him.
Barb, in Summary
Here are some things about Barb, otherwise known as: Barbie, when she is behaving like the doll – Barbra, with a stern intonation, i.e., when she’s exercising her right to be impatient – Bobblehead, when she’s silly (which is quite often, being newly four and all) –…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Darla
Kaya M, who has been working with Darla for a while now, brought this lovely white mare into the riding portion of Joel Conner’s clinic recently. Here is what she had to say about their time spent together in the arena: “I literally can’t say enough good things about…
Time with Tanis
Meghan N has been working with Tanis over the last several months, participating in two Joel Conner clinics alongside her, and has the following to say about this sweet mare: “Tanis is a big hearted mare with a whole lotta try! She has been busy since coming to SAFE…
Goodbye, dear Cameron
We lost our dear Cameron today. We noticed he was not walking steadily, and was unweighting his left hind and dropping his right hind pastern. He had bounding pulses in both hind legs and his heart rate was at 70 bpm. When Dr Renner arrived, it had increased to 80s…
Getting to know Scotty
When we intake a horse who we know for a fact has had a riding background, we are equal parts hesitant and hopeful. There is a chance that what the horse has been taught will make for a relatively easy re-start — the mere fact they have been saddled before eliminates…
Independent Inula
A few months back, we split up the Gig Harbor horses around the property — integrating them into herds, or otherwise facilitating a change of scenery from the paddock they’d been quarantining and living in up until that point. Mother and daughter, Ciara and Inula,…
Ciara’s Saddling Journey
Ciara came to us as part of a larger seizure in Gig Harbor, alongside a tableau of horses who, aside from their lack of proper care and handling, were, as is the nature of all living creatures, of varied personalities. The ‘easiest’ of the bunch were Ciara’s daughter…
Say Hello to Jupiter
Animal Control seized Jupiter back in December of 2022, but his case was ongoing for so long that we were prevented from talking about him until very recently. He, much like the others who were a part of his seizure, was placed in a foster situation where SAFE…
Goodbye, Tanis
Tanis, beloved SAFE horse, was laid to rest last week under a warm blue sky following a sudden and painful colic. As is the case with colics, they can escalate quickly from seemingly mild into devastating rather quickly. We first noticed something was amiss around…
Arrow Goes to Foster
As winter approaches, more horses find themselves in precarious situations. Older horses and hard keepers become more difficult to maintain away from pasture, and we tend to get an uptick in calls from Animal Control hoping to place horses with us along with owners…
