Esme in May
“Little Ese-may-may has really matured over the last few months. She’s developed a more settled and relaxed disposition and has been very well-behaved. We had some soundness concerns with her right front, but with good shoes and some rest, she’s now looking…
Getting to Know Frida
We’re taking it slow with our mama-to-be! Our goal is to build trust and support her in bringing her foal safely into the world. We’ve already made incredible progress from those first interactions with this sensitive, protective mare. When we first met Frida and…
A Very Special Trinket
What a delightful young mare Trinket has become over the past few months under SAFE’s care. Our little ugly duckling is beginning a beautiful transformation and will one day mature into a lovely palomino mare. It’s been refreshing to see how quickly she’s changed—and…
May Volunteer of the Month: Elaine Rose
Congratulations to our May Volunteer of the Month, Elaine Rose! Elaine has been a cherished member of the SAFE community for nearly three and a half years, bringing warmth, dedication, and a generous spirit to everything she does. As a vital part of our Friday AM…
Jacob, King of Foster
At SAFE, Jacob had been training hard for the companion lifestyle, and we thought it was time for him to field test his skills at foster. As we suspected, he took right to it. It’s not always easy to find the best spots to nap or graze, but Jacob excels in this realm.…
Uncle Artie
Artie Shaw is worth his weight in gold. Actually, given that he’s not very large, let’s double that — triple, even, and that still might not be enough. While he has come quite a long ways under saddle and is going well as a solid little riding horse, you could argue…
Alumni Update: Whisky and Shortbread
On a recent visit to see Whisky and Shortbread volunteers noted that they look like cute little puffballs with their winter coats. Shedding has begun and Sherry brushes out loads of hair every day. They share the property with several domestic rabbits that were left…
Ready to get to Work, Mateo
In true SAFE fashion, Mateo’s gelding turned into quite the adventure! This well-endowed boy had close to the largest testicles Dr. Lewis has ever removed for us. Because of their impressive size, Mateo experienced some swelling of the fascial scrotal tissue —…
Arionna’s First Rides
This big, beautiful mare had her first rides this week, and did very well! She’d had several months of preparation, and all that groundwork set her up for success. Because she leans more on the ‘duller’ side of things, the focus for her rides was free forward…
Alumni Update: Blanche (Joule)
We recently received an update from Blanche’s (Joule’s) adopter, Elissa: Joule’s first year with us has been an absolute joy. She settled right in with our older gelding, her youth complementing his wisdom nicely. Both horses are friendly with our four little goats as…
Alumni Update: Pearl
Pearl continues to do well with Diana and likes her boarding stable. Diana has lots of support from other horse owners and Pearl loves having a herd. The Pinto in the photos is Bear, her best bud. Pearl seems relaxed, happy, and healthy. Diana and Adam just had their…
A Lovely Wednesday
Wednesday, named for Wednesday Addams, is a bit less goth-looking than her namesake, and much less taciturn as far as her disposition goes. We recently visited with Wednesday (and Venturo, of course) and had the chance to take some glamour shots of this striking lady.…
Remembering Thelma
Last week, we said goodbye to a piece of SAFE: we let our old barn cat Thelma go. Though many of our volunteers never even saw her, they heard her croaky meow echoing down from her apartment in the loft, or seen a pair of little eyes tracking them on their journeys to…
The Importance of Circles — Joel Conner
Joel Conner is back at SAFE this weekend for another three day clinic. Joel Conner is a remarkable horseman and teacher whose dedication to classic vaquero horsemanship is unparalleled. Following the traditions of Ray Hunt, Tom and Bill Dorrance, and Buck Brannaman,…















