Growing Paloma
To make a Paloma cocktail, you combine tequila, grapefruit, and lime. Our little Paloma’s ingredients would look a bit different: a good deal of curiosity mixed with a generous pour of joy de vivre, topped with a strong sense of self, and garnished with a dash of…
Brownie — Getting a Change
A well-timed release. A horse’s natural capacity and ability for change. These are some ingredients in the formula for some pretty amazing — and sometimes quite speedy — transformations. Brownie provides us with a very clear example of this. His first…
Honoring Officer Brian Boman: 2025 Heart of the Horse Award Recipient
At SAFE, we are fortunate to work alongside individuals whose compassion, dedication, and bravery truly change lives—both human and animal. Among these remarkable individuals is Officer Brian Boman, one of our most cherished partners and the recipient of this year’s…
Alumni Update: Nyx
Nyx is enjoying life with his adopter Lindsay and his Haflinger buddy named Squish. He and Squish get along very well.
Arionna’s First Saddling
Behind her white eyelashes, Arionna’s eyes have a soft, thoughtful quality. For the past several months, she has been put through her groundwork paces, and recently hit a big milesone: wearing a saddle for the first time. Arionna tends towards the ‘sticky’ side, and…
Volunteer Appreciation Party 2025
We can’t say enough good things about our volunteers! At our recent volunteer appreciation party, we recognized the countless hours served, the literal ‘tons’ of hay and water dished out to sweet, hungry horse bellies, and the over 1,000 lbs (!!!) of cleaned per day…
Alumni Update: Nyx
Lindsay provided an update on August 19th: Just dropping in to say hi from me and Nyx! We just got home from a fun time at sheep springs horse camp. Nyx has a rough time with flies in the summer (and this summer has been a doozy for flies around our neck of the…
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…
Tulip is Adopted!
Happy news — Tulip has been adopted! There is so much to love about Tulip, from her kind and easy-going demeanor to her copper-penny coat, and her to-be adopter felt the same way. She came out to meet Tulip several times, and spent lots of time learning about her. We…
August Joel Conner Clinic Report: Esme
Cameron B worked alongside in the groundwork portion of the August Joel Conner clinic, and had the following to say about their time together: “Esme and I came together for our first clinic as a pair this August, and the experience offered both challenges and exciting…
September Volunteer of the Month: Cameron Boldin
Congratulations to our September Volunteer of the Month, Cameron Boldin! Cameron joined the SAFE community in August 2024 bringing with him a wildly varied volunteer history! Prior to SAFE, he volunteered as a horticulturist assistant at the Point Defiance Zoo from…
August Joel Conner Clinic Report: Mahina
Dye “the last unicorn” black, and you have Mahina, with her long elegant legs and big doe eyes. I (Lily) had the opportunity to bring Mahina into the groundwork portion of the August Joel Conner clinic, and over the course of our three days together became even more…
Mateo’s First Saddling
From stallion to gelding, from unsaddled to saddled, this year has brought big changes for Mateo. This handsome fella has made big strides (no pun intended) when it comes to being able to act appropriately around other horses, which has made spending time with him in…
SAFE Has Big News to Share!
The property SAFE currently operates from has been leased by us for about the last 9 years. It’s been a great home, but there are a lot of risks involved in leasing, especially for a nonprofit caring for horses. Stability is vital. Which is why we are so proud to…
