SAFE has been fortunate to have the help of some kind, capable young people this past school year who chose to spend their time working as interns at the barn. Thanks to a partnership with The Big Picture School in Bellevue, SAFE benefitted from the enthusiastic support of two students this school year, Julien D. and Jenna W. These two outstanding young people brought the best of themselves to the barn and pitched in wherever we needed them. SAFE benefitted from one other generous young person, Emily D., who came to us by way of personal introduction and she made herself useful early on. All three of these interns have helped out in ways big and small and we want to thank them for their efforts.
Jenna’s internship focused on herd health, and she shadowed our Herd Health Manager, Melinda Couvillion. Jenna was able to treat some wounds for us and she observed other treatments and procedures. Melinda noted that Jenna was eager to learn and brought a positive influence to the barn. Melinda commented, “Jenna is an asset to SAFE and we enjoy having her. She is a team player and always willing to pitch in wherever we need her.” In addition to helping Melinda with Herd Health, Jenna worked with our facilities crew to maintain a safe environment for the horses and volunteers at the farm. Additionally, Jenna was never shy about helping chore shift volunteers when they were short-handed, cleaning stalls and moving horses without needing to be asked. Jenna was a self-starter and followed protocols once directed. Jenna’s smile was infectious and we are so grateful she chose to do her internship with us. Thanks, Jenna.
Julien leading a work party for Big Picture School June 2018
Julien’s internship focused on barn management. Julien worked closely with our Barn Manager, Lori McMaster. This was not Julien’s first year with SAFE, and his familiarity with our program, protocols, and his relationships with other volunteers made him particularly valuable to SAFE. Julien’s enthusiasm for SAFE was evident in everything he did. Julien was not only an intern, but a SAFE Ambassador, happy to spread the word about our programs to the wider horse community, of which he is a part. According to Lori, “Julien is great with the horses. They respond well to him. He is charismatic, kind, generous, and a team player.” Everyone around the barn noted Julien’s willingness to help out wherever we needed him, from facilities to chores, events here at the barn and out in the world. Julien will be a senior at The Big Picture School next year. Thanks, Julien, for all of your hard work!
Emily’s area of focus was as a groom and junior handler. Emily’s calm, quiet ways made her a natural with the horses. She shadowed out Operations Director, Terry Phelps, helping walk, groom, and tack up horses to streamline Terry’s training hours. Emily has also helped with hand-walking horses needing rehabilitation, freeing up staff to attend to other horse needs. One particularly helpful thing Emily has done is to spend some quality time with some of our companion horses making them feel special. She spent time grooming and braiding Moon and Amelia, giving them some TLC when other staff did not have extra time to spend. Emily has also jumped in on short chore shifts and generally helped out wherever needed. Terry noted, “she makes my days run smoother.” Thanks, Emily, for all you do.
Emily holding miniature horse, Shasta at an event.
