Bucky B Lucky was adopted not long after the KCTS special aired. The adoption seemed to be going well, with no reported problems, until one day in 2013 — the day after Heart of the Horse to be specific — we were contacted by a woman claiming to be Lucky’s trainer. She told us that Lucky was at her barn and that his adopter no longer wanted him because he was dangerous. The trainer said she was going to have him put down. Needless to say, this was bewildering to us because Lucky had been a perfect gentleman for us. We immediately picked him up and brought him back to SAFE. What followed was a profound lesson in the nature of horses, particularly Thoroughbred horses. Horses can be mirrors. I truly believe that Lucky  behaved badly at the trainer’s barn because she believed he was a bad horse, and he fulfilled her expectations by acting defensive. But when he returned to SAFE, where people smiled at him, where he was treated with respect and kindness…well, the horse reflected back at us was a perfect gentleman.Something to remember when working with horses: many of them can read your mind. If you approach them with openness and positive intent, they will usually give you the best of themselves. Bucky B Lucky definitely did.

Phoenix left SAFE as a yearling in 2008. For about 4 years, things seemed to be going well. His adopter had started him under saddle and said he was easy and fun to ride. So imagine our shock when someone spotted Phoenix for sale on Craigslist! Seems he’d been sold, without our knowledge, and now he was being sold again. Thankfully, when we contacted the seller and explained who Phoenix was, she agreed to give him back to us. Although he was unusually reluctant to get into our trailer, we did manage to get him back to SAFE and back in our care. If you’ve ever wondered by SAFE continues to track its horses after they’re adopted with annual site visits, this is why. We have a responsibility toward them that lasts a lifetime. It’s our preference that we be able to upkeep that commitment in partnership with the adopters, but our first duty is always toward the horse. Click here to read the complete story

SAFE is not a sanctuary. It’s our intention that all of our horses eventually find their forever home and go on to leave wonderful lives. But what happens with the “unadoptable” horse? First of all, we really believe that there is someone out there for every horse if you’re patient enough, and considering that we have horses that spent years in our care, as many as nine years in at least one case, it’s a belief that we adhere to faithfully. But every so often, a horse comes along that has needs that are going to be very difficult for an adopter to take on, especially if the horses’s well-being and quality of life depend on it. April was one such horse. Her physical limitations meant she couldn’t be ridden, and in order to keep her sound, she had to have a lot of room to roam. But she couldn’t live on grass, at least not here in the Pacific Northwest. It was a dilemma, and the solution came in the form of a sanctuary in southern Oregon called Equimore. Read on for the rest of April’s story.