Anakin’s story began early on a Monday morning with message asking for help. It was from a woman in Winlock WA who wanted to know if SAFE had room to take in an emaciated Thoroughbred gelding. He had been rescued a few days earlier by her young boarder, and it had become clear to her that he was going to need much more than either of them would be able to provide or afford. Anakin was in trouble. He’d laid down to rest, and his weakness, combined with the wet, oversaturated ground he was lying on, had made it impossible for him to stand up. He was stiff, cold, and tired, and there was more bad weather on the way.

Using a Häst tripod, a Becker sling, and a large group of manpower, the Washington Animal Search and rescue team responders returned Anakin to an upright position. More than one WASART volunteer commented on Anakin’s demeanor during the complicated procedure: he was calm, relaxed, and fairly unconcerned about what was happening. Many horses who have been through an ordeal like this will eventually just give up and give in to exhaustion. Not Anakin. Clearly this was a horse with a strong will to live. Read Part 1 of Anakin’s story.

There is a reason that we celebrate the small victories here at SAFE: keeping our focus on the positive aspects of the work we do gives us the strength and energy to keep doing that work. Because in between the amazing transformations and the unforgettable stories, there are moments when the injustice faced by these horses is nearly unbearable and there is no happy ending. In 2015, for the first time in the history of SAFE, we had to give horses back to an abuser. Despite what should have been an open and shut case of felony animal cruelty, a district court judge ordered that Ivy and Boone be returned to their owner. Not because their owner was found innocent of the charges she faced, but because of an issue with the warrant that the officers used to seize the horses. We were forced to watch helplessly as their abuser loaded them up and drove them away from us. As low points go, it was one of the lowest. Click here to read the story of Boone, Ivy, and their poor friend Dillon

We met Craspedia in a field, a tall handsome Thoroughbred with a kind eye who stood calmly and quietly while we said hello to him. His owner had contacted us a few days before, concerned that his new horse was getting thin. It had been two months, he told us, and he did not understand why his horse was not gaining weight from the grass in his field. This was not much of a mystery to us. It was one of the driest summer on records, there was hardly grass available in any local field, and the horse was a thoroughbred just off the track. At first, we thought were looking at a horse that we could easily rehabilitate and rehome. Then we walked to the other side of him, and saw his left hock. It was enormous, tightly swollen and painful looking. We asked the owner what had happened, and he seemed surprised to see it. He told us that when the horse arrived from the track, he was turned out in the small field and had run around like a maniac. He had also broken through the fencing and gotten into a tussle with another horse at one point. Or maybe he had been like that when he arrived? The owner wasn’t sure. Click here to read Craspedia’s story.