Introducing Lancelot
Lancelot, along with his 6 other cohorts, were living in squalor in the area outside of Gig Harbor when we picked them up this past May. Lance’s paddock was a mud pit surrounded by broken and bent panels. His only source of water was from a dirty trough, and the ribs…
Alumni Update: Ben
Here’s an update from Ben’s adopter, Lisa G: Uncle Ben, the ever-melty when kids are around. My niece is a horsewoman in the making and helped me muck stalls, feed, and groom! She led both my horses all around the field and Ben was just soooo gentle with her (much…
Training Update: Artie Changing Eyes
Much like watching a plant grow, it is difficult sometimes to see the change in something unless you can clearly see from where you began. Sure, you know it’s different, but how different can be hard to quantify without a comparison. We first met Artie as a untouched…
Training Update: Riding Veronica
Veronica has a mane nearly as long as she is tall, with a forelock that practically tickles her nostrils. On hot days, she loves to splash in her water trough, both front feet fully in and pawing, giving herself a two-for-one pedicure and face wash. She loves a good…
Pen Click Training
Trypanophobia is the fear of needles — and while I’ve yet to meet anyone who is fond of getting poked, some have more of an issue with it than others. The same goes for horses. Some hardly blink. Be it IM or IV, you’d be hard pressed to get a reaction out of our more…
Tanis Continues to Soften
The year is moving right along, and so is Tanis, as she continues to build confidence in herself and trust in people. This time last year, only a couple people could catch this mare; fast forward to this moment, and she loves face pets, has found more comfort and…
Alumni Update: Pyrrha and Valentine
A recent photo of Valentine, on the left, and Pyrrha (Zelda), on the right, on a sunny day after being bathed.
Poppy’s Cool Trick
No, you didn’t miss a chapter: Poppy wears a saddle now. More on that story and process later. But in the meantime, please enjoy this fun little “trick” she learned during the course of her training. This is one smart cookie of a mare. Believe it or not, this was…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.
