Mabel’s Mouth
Back in September when she first arrived, we knew Mabel was unique. From her tiger striped legs to her multi-colored mane to her one cloudy eye, Mabel has things that made her special wherever you look. And at her dental, we would come to find out that those unique…
Theo: SAFE’s Volunteer Valentine Sweetheart
In honor of Valentine’s day, we asked our volunteers to vote for their SAFE horse valentine, and to tell us why. While the majority of our herd has at least one heart in their corner, there was one stand out member who has clearly won over the bulk of our volunteer…
Eye-yi-yi!
Oh horses! Look away for a moment and they’ve found a new and inventive way to hurt themselves. Yesterday at turn-in time, Mirana showed us her cool new injury — a scrape just below her left eye. She was talented enough to avoid the eyeball itself, but regardless the…
Week in Review: February 2 — 8
It snowed at SAFE last week, which meant more work for our humans, but also more fun for our horses. In an effort to keep the herd from getting stir crazy, we made sure to give them some extended arena turnout time, which they all seemed to enjoy.
Quirky Deja
Deja is what you might call, in layman’s terms, a silly goose. When she is in her space with her friend-sister-mother Cleopatra, aka, comfortable, she is a mellow sight — a mare who can nap for hours in the sunshine and who enjoys mutual grooming. But once removed…
Mara’s Favorite: Zuri
Mara has recently started grooming Zuri, and here she talks about a few of the reasons why this mare is so special:
Alumni Update: Amira
We checked in with Amira’s adopter, Laura, earlier this month and this is what she had to share with us. Amira and I are doing wonderful. I think Amira is doing absolutely amazing as always. She is a steady, reliable partner. She lives with her best friend Jasmine, my…
Four New Faces
Last week, we welcomed four new members into our herd. All four come to us from Pierce County Animal Control, two pair out from two separate seizures. The first twosome were originally part of a trio, but sadly the third horse on the property had to be humanely…
Alumni Update: Bubbles (Bella)
Mary and Bella are doing great! Bella has been in a training refresher for the month of January. The lessons have been going well, and she is learning to be more confident on the trails, where she holds her head lower and more relaxed. Bella has been doing great with…
Liz’s Favorite: Sienna
Liz really likes Sienna, and here she talks about a few of the reasons why:
Alumni Update: Declan
Declan is doing great at the top of a “mountain” in Granite Falls. It is about 1100 feet elevation, cold and beautiful. He is hanging out with Sue’s (his adopter) other horse Cal and having a great time. Lovely 20 plus acre farm with plenty of action going on and…
Jacob In His Own Words
If Jacob were a human, we think his self-introduction might go something like this: “What’s up, my name’s Jacob, and I put the ‘nut’ in ‘chestnut.’ Ha-ha-ha, just kidding. I actually like to describe myself as a pretty chill dude. My fave hobbies include hanging out…
Alumni Update: Montana
Montana’s adopter, Alycia, shared this update. I wanted to reach out with a Montana pic and update. I captured this photo as he ran up the pasture after his new bestie, Mikey. Montana has settled well into his routine here and is building warm relationships and…
Ginni’s Favorite: Artie
Artie has been one of Ginni’s favorites for years, and here she talks about some of the reasons why.
Inula’s Sunny Days
When you’re Inula, your main responsibilities in life are munching hay and grazing on the occasional blade of grass, imitating the horses at the Spanish Riding School and leaping with all four of your legs off the ground at once, and providing moral support to your…
Combating Brandy’s Thrush
As Carrie S says in this video, Brandy is a ‘yes’ girl. But that yes also translates to thrush, something Brandy is prone to especially in the wet winter months. Luckily, our friends over at Red Horse Products make some amazing thrush busting items that really help us…
Ranger’s Saddling at SAFE
If we were the betting types, we likely would have put money on the idea that Ranger had been saddled before. A gentle, older horse who doesn’t balk much at the flag touching him or get squirmy in the cinch area tells a story, wordless as it is. Yet even still, we dot…
Ciara at Foster
Sweet Ciara went off to foster this winter, at a lovely spot just down the road from SAFE. Her foster family had just lost their gelding, and were in need of a companion for their older mare. In the herd settings she had been tried with here, Ciara was an easy-going…
Winter’s Workout
We’re not body shaming, but when Winter arrived back in April 2024, she was in need of a diet. Being overweight as she was put Winter at risk for various health conditions, including laminitis, and so we cut her calories immediately upon intake. Now, nine months…
Andy’s Favorite: Mahina
There are many reasons to love Mahina, and here Andy talks about a few of them.
Week in Review: January 5 — 11
A haiku for this week’s Week in Review: Weekend is over It is time to look back on What we did last week
Round-Up at Grange Supply
We want to give a huge thank you to Grange Supply, for their Round-up for SAFE fundraising campaign this holiday season! In November and December, Grange Supply customers had the opportunity to round up their purchase amount or make a donation supporting the horses at…
Edward over Cavalettis
In the new year, Edward has made it his resolution to try new things. including popping over a few cavalettis under saddle. We think Edward looks quite striking in english tack, and he certainly doesn’t seem to have anything bad to say about it. Edward is just…
One Smart Mare: Bandit
Bandit may be on the older side, but her mind is sharp as a tack. A recent anecdote to prove such as true: One of the last times I (Lily) haltered Bandit, it was to hold her for the veterinarian. This was already a demerit against my character, but made even worse…
Meghan’s Favorite: Mirana
There are many reasons to love Mirana, and here Meghan talks about a few of them.
Free Forever, Autumn
We are deeply saddened to share the news that Autumn has passed away following a tragic accident in which she suffered a broken leg due to a kick. While such incidents are rare, they are an unfortunate risk when horses are turned out in herds. The team at Freedom…
Trixie’s Life at Foster
What has Trixie been up to at foster — apart from living her best life? Well, bossing miss Rae around for one — but is it really considered ‘bossing’ when you’re just setting a boundary? These two are thick as thieves, but even the best of friends need to remind one…
Week in Review: December 30 — January 4
Can you believe it’s already 2025? We hope you had a happy and healthy start to your New Year. Here at SAFE we are setting our goals and intentions for this brand new year — in amongst all of our regularly scheduled programming, of course.
Alumni Update: Roscoe
Roscoe looks wonderful and has a great little herd to run with all day. Fantasia (32-year-old-mare), Ebby (4‑year-old gelding) and Hazel (15-year-old mare). Plus, Bam and Daisy, the very large goaties! Kasey and Roscoe ride regularly on trails, doing arena work, in…
Snohomish Animal Control Officer Training
We managed to squeeze in one last event before the end of the year — a training for a new officer at Snohomish County Animal Control! Officer Cameron was warmly greeted by our barn cats before spending the day learning some of the many things there are to learn about…
Year in Review 2024
In the spirit of the recent week in review recaps, we decided to broaden our scope a bit and show you a taste of what happened each month of 2024. There is no true way to encapsulate all that the year held, but please accept this brief snapshot of a few of the things…
2024 Volunteer of the Year: Carrie Sjaarda
At SAFE, our mission is centered around helping horses heal, gain a solid foundation and education, and find their forever families. Each year, we take a moment to celebrate a volunteer whose extraordinary dedication, kindness, and passion embody our mission and…
Harissa and the Can Bag
Here is a showcase of Harissa vs. the Can Bag. Clearly, Harissa: 1, Can Bag: 0. Harissa sure has come a long way in her own self-confidence, and as a result, feels no fear about showing the can bag who is boss! This process of ‘sacking out’ is not just for fun — it…
Alumni Update: Boone (Mr. Fezziweg)
Boone (now Mr. Fezziweg) was adopted from SAFE in late November 2020. His adopted family had just seen the show A Christmas Carol, and Mr. Fezziweg was the name of Scrooge’s first boss at the counting house. Mr. Fezziweg was the jolly fellow that gave the wonderful…
Bijou is Adopted!
Many of us have dreamt of a horse beneath our Christmas tree, but this year it is Blair’s reality. We could not be happier to announce that our dearest Bijou is a failure — a foster failure! This sweet sugar plum has been having the time of her life over in…
Thanksgiving in December (or: A Turkey’s Wish)
Author’s Note: To read this year’s Christmas-adjacent story, you must understand two things: the first is that SAFE has a resident turkey, and the second is that, while humans do exist in this story, they somehow do not witness the goings on. All of the horses and…
Week in Review: December 15 — 21
As we enter the final stretch before the holidays, it’s just business as usual here at SAFE. Aside from being surrounded by festive cheer, very little changes occur around the farm. Each day, horses are fed, watered, and mucked. Our farriers and vets still come out.…
Alumni Update: Sundae (Neapolitan)
Neapolitan (formerly Sundae) is doing very well. She is easy to handle and her adopter, Cheryl, hopes to do some in-hand trail classes with her.
Alumni Update: Frosting (Shawnee)
A note and photos from Frosting’s adopter, Ann L. I am so excited to welcome Shawnee, aka Frosting, as my new family member. It’s been a week to the day since I brought her home. So far, she has proven to be such a special girl with a heart of gold and curiosity,…
Bijou’s Beautiful Days
Bijou has been living the good life at her foster home, settling well into the herd alongside foster brother, Bear, and sister, Roulette. The three make quite a trio, romping and playing and generally enjoying each other’s company. Western Washington has transformed…
Zuri: Caring for Our Beloved Senior Mare
Zuri has had us all concerned over the past few weeks. Several times, staff received calls during night checks reporting that Zuri was down and not getting up for her evening mash. Each time, Bonnie came down to check on her, and fortunately, it was determined that…
Alumni Update: Lucca
Lucca is living the good life with her adopter Jane, spending time riding trails. Lucca enjoys the company of four other horses in her herd. While Lucca is at the bottom of the herd hierarchy, her sweet disposition makes her a favorite among the other horses.
Happy Sweet 16, Sunny D!
Penned by: Best Buddy to Shasta & Sunny After the bomb cyclone hit Western Washington and before the official start of Thanksgiving week, Sunny D turned Sweet 16 on November 23! Where has the time gone? The little guy was only 3 when he and his Mama, Shasta,…
Ranger’s Friend
Ranger comes with a built in friend, and no, we don’t mean Mabel. Between his eyes, the points of two ears begin, tapering down to a mule-esque face that ends at the mid-point of his nostrils. It even boasts a cross-shaped star. Luckily, these two share a mouth,…
Week in Review: December 8 — 14
Midway through December, which means lots of rain, lots of grey skies, and lots going on. Last week was a big week for our farriers, and the majority of our herd saw the vet for their bi-annual vaccines. In amongst all that was the usual: riding, groundwork, and a lot…
Alumni Update: Sophie
Julie and Sophie are a great pair! Julie adopted Sophie around Christmas in 2016 and they have worked on their teamwork and relationship ever since. Julie recently wrote that 2024 “represented a recommitment to prioritizing my horsemanship, my on-going education, and…
Alumni Update: Misty
Alumni volunteer Christine recently shared information after a visit with Misty and her adopter Sarah. Sarah has such a deep bond with Misty, and it’s truly heartwarming to see how dedicated she is to Misty’s well-being. It is clear that Misty is not only loved but…
Frosting is Adopted!
We can think of no sweeter end to the week than announcing Frosting has been adopted! Though she wasn’t born at SAFE, Frosting arrived as a yearling, and as such we got to watch her grow up, transforming from a gangly and matted filly into a beautiful young mare. At…
Alumni Update: Kayla
Kayla is doing well and has the company of six other horses. Kayla is not a riding horse, but she has a job helping her adopter, Laura, with her counseling/therapy clients.
Week in Review: December 1 — 7
The first week of December is over. It has been a busy end to fall (and can you believe it’s still fall? The winter temperatures say otherwise). Last week, our vet was here for quite a few imaging appointments. She also worked in conjunction with our farrier to help…
