Nashville’s Lameness Exam
Nashville has always seemed to have some degree of mild hind limb lameness/weakness, but she has been able to handle light riding without issue. Dr. Lewis of Rainland Farm Equine Clinic was recently out at the farm and did a brief lameness exam on her. Dr. Lewis concluded that Nashville is “serviceably sound for a home with light trail riding and arena work.” This is consistent with what we’ve known from prior exams so there were no surprises on this visit. She suggested that she not be asked…
read moreApril Volunteers of the Month: Mary Jones and Suzette Mendoza
April VOM Suzette Mendoza and Mary Jones No joke, no April fooling, these gals do a ton behind the scenes to help keep SAFE programs running. With an organization like SAFE there a million little details to attend to, no one volunteer or staff person has time to make all of these things happen, which is why we rely on the talents of so many. This month we are celebrating some volunteers whose names and faces you might not know because they do their work from home, or at times when the barn is…
read moreJoel Conner Clinic Report: Stella
Casey had a few things to share with us about her rides on Stella in last weekend’s Horsemanship clinic. The pair continue to look amazing and Stella has matured into a beautiful mare that stands out in any crowd. Casey has done a lovely job bringing her along and continues to put more of a shine on this special girl! Here is what Casey had to say: Stella had another great clinic! As usual, she was unconcerned by the horses around her and stayed tuned in to my feel. We worked on circles using…
read moreA New Chapter for Renee
For the past few weeks, we’d noticed a bit of a hitch in Renee’s step. At first it was thought to be a hoof abscess in her left front foot, so we wrapped it and treated it as such. But when the abscess resolved and she was still lame on that leg, it was clear that something else was going on and she needed a lameness evaluation. Dr. Lewis came out to the farm to perform the exam, and we weren’t too far into it before we already had a diagnosis. It was determined that Renee has a pretty…
read moreBack in the Saddle with Cameo
Terry worked with Cameo in this month’s Joel Conner Clinic. Here’s her report on the progress that she and Kaya have made with this mare: Cameo was a star pupil at our horsemanship clinic this past weekend. Kaya has been working with her for the past few weeks, conditioning and strengthening her for riding by working in hand over trot poles and through groundwork. We have ridden her a bit too but had not been constant through the winter. Joel helped Cameo and I work through some of her braces…
read moreSienna’s First Ride!
We have been getting wonderful reports back from Nick Donohue on Sienna’s progress. She settled in nicely to his training barn and Nick said that while she was a bit reactive and touchy at first, she is progressing well. Nick worked on getting her more comfortable with the saddle and more “turned loose” to both the act of being saddled and carrying it around without a rider. This is an important piece to helping make this first ride a success. Thank you Nick for the wonderful video update and…
read moreSunshine!
It’s hard to believe that just over a month ago it was 13 degrees at Safe Harbor Stables, and this week the thermostat is hitting 80! The horses are enjoying it tremendously and taking every chance they can to sun bathe. The downside to this beautiful weather is that horses still wearing their winter coats can dehydrate quickly when it’s hot outside. We’ve been keeping a close eye on ours to make sure they aren’t getting overheated. Provide access to fresh, clean water for your horses at all…
read moreThe First Phase of the Moon
There’s no time like the present to get started training the new horses! We were told that Moon had some training and riding in her past when she was younger but it’s been a while. We always like to begin our new horses with groundwork sessions to help them learn the basics they will need to be handled. The first groundwork sessions help establish safe distance from handlers, moving forward and away from pressure, and not overreacting to outside stimuli. This work also helps the horses…
read moreHealth and Clinic Update: Amelia
Miss Amelia is doing very well at SAFE. She has a great friend for turnout in Tabitha, and her overall happiness seems to have increased. We have been working her a few times a week on the trail obstacles at Safe Harbor. Her behavior continues to improve but she still seems uneasy when tied up and groomed. If we don’t tie her, she seems a bit happier. It’s possible she had a bad experience while tied at some point in her past. Last week we took her out and hand walked her on the trails. She…
read moreJoel Conner Clinic Report: Lacey
What a remarkable job Kaya is doing with this little feisty pony! The growth in Kaya’s horsemanship and dedication to Lacey this winter was inspiring. All the hard work shows in how well they did in the clinic this past weekend. Kaya’s enthusiasm and commitment to the horsemanship has made her a wonderful addition to our rider program. Lacey had a great learning clinic and the changes were very evident in her behavior and attitude. Here is what Kaya had to say about working with Lacey: This…
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