Alumni Update: Echo and Nyx
Echo’s adopter, Brittany, shared some photos and a report on an adventure she had with Nyx and his adopter, Lindsay. Nyx and Echo had fun with summer shenanigans!! Echo survived going through two bee swarms and didn’t dump my daughter Addison despite them galloping…
Halter Starting Lancelot
Maybe it had been different at one point, but the Lancelot that arrived at SAFE was not able to be haltered. He was curious, but unwilling to be approached, and very reluctant to be touched. The first step for horses like Lance, those who need to be halter-started (or…
Training Update: Frosting Moving the Hind
There are, according to Buck Brannaman whose style of horsemanship we follow most closely, multiple ways of moving the hind. 5, specifically. One of them, and in my opinion one of the most mystical, involves bending the horse using the rein only and simply… waiting…
Introducing Ciara
Before she came to SAFE, Ciara was living alongside her filly, Inula, in a mud pit of a paddock. She was yet another of the Gig Harbor horses to arrive here back in May, and yet another who was afflicted by the same poor coat, long hooves, and lack of clean living…
Introducing Harissa
Some stories, by their very nature, take a bit longer to tell than others. Harissa’s story will be one of these, especially when framed alongside the others she came in with, who are steadily trucking along in their training, checking off boxes and working towards…
Introducing Inula
Inula was the youngest of the Gig Harbor horses, and despite not being a literal baby, she still had a youthful element about her that we made note of from our first meeting. A subsequent dental put her in her 4th year this year, but when you compare her to a horse…
Introducing Mirana
Mirana, along with Meadow, was one of the matriarchs of the Gig Harbor horses we picked up this past May. She was part of the largest herd on the property, a group of four mares living in a scrubby paddock. They, like the others on the property, were lacking in clean…
Jax is Adopted!
Yet another happy ending for a member of the Graham 27, as we said our goodbyes to Jax last month as he made the journey to his new home. From the beginning he proved himself as one of the most easily adoptable of the bunch (not that a horse’s singular value is in…
Dorothy Health Update
Dorothy came to SAFE from Pierce County Animal Control after being seized from a neglectful situation. PCAC does a tremendous job of vetting and rehabbing the horses that come into their care before they even come to SAFE, but Dorothy came to us still in need of a…
Alumni Update: Rae
Christina and Rae attended the March Joel Conner Horsemanship Clinic at SAFE. Here is an update from Christina. What a whirlwind of a week! Rae and I are still processing all the great things we learned at the Joel Conner Clinic at SAFE last week, but it was all SO…
Alumni Update: Billy
We recently checked in on Billy and as you can see from the photos, he is doing well and is a happy, curious little guy.
Alumni Update: Angel & Renee
Best friends Angel and Renee continue to enjoy retirement together. Renee is the boss mare in their herd of pasture mates. These two have found a comfortable, peaceful home with Carla.
Alumni Update: Sebastian (Sparky)
Sebastian, now known as Sparky, is having a happy retirement in the herd at Carla’s. Sadly, Alumni Camille, Sparky’s best SAFE buddy, passed on in September 2023. But he enjoys the friendship with SAFE Alums Angel and Renee who are also part of Carla’s herd.
Esme’s Abscess
Pop Quiz: your horse, who was sound as a music note yesterday, walks out of her stall with a major head bob the next morning. Do you: A. PANIC! Something serious must be wrong, and the vet needs to come out immediately! B. Treat it like an abscess — soak the foot in…
















