Beauty in the Big Arena!
This is Beauty’s second time riding at SAFE outside of the round pen. She is coming down off a feel nicely, learning to soften through one rein stops and building trust with her rider. She can be fairly “gate sour” and she would prefer to be ridden alongside another…
Meet Marianna Clair, SAFE’s new Development Director!
We have a brand new SAFE staff member to introduce to everyone: Marianna Clair, who joined SAFE last week as our Development Director. Marianna will be taking over responsibility for fundraising efforts at SAFE, as well as planning and executing events, and developing…
Flynn’s First Ride at SAFE!
This was the first time we saddled Flynn, bumped him up to the fence, and mounted him for a ride. He did extremely well and felt like a “been there done that” pony! We have only had him at SAFE for 2 months and most of the time has been spent recovering from his eye…
Hazel’s New Home
Terry recently dropped off Hazel at her new home. Here is what Terry had to say: “Jackie and I were so blessed to be there the day Hazel was picked up and today we got to help settle her in to her new home at Hooved Animal Rescue of Thurston County. She truly has come…
Piper is Adopted!
We are excited to tell you all that our baby Piper is returning to her wonderful foster mom, Talia, but this time it is for KEEPS! Yep, you heard it right, Piper is ADOPTED! Talia fell in love with Piper two years ago when she opened her herd and heart for Piper to…
Who’s your Valentine?
This week was the first time Terry worked with Valentine in the round pen. She doesn’t appear to have had much formal training and she is very sticky getting her to get on her hind and change directions off the halter lead. She is especially stuck in her right hind.…
Quincy Gets His Hair Did
This was Terry’s third time working with Quincy. He is very reactive and afraid of human contact. At a few points during his groundwork session, he leaned into the touch and his eye become very soft. Hopefully with patience and time we will help him over his…
Greetings from Gig Harbor!
Pepper and Tilt have been spending time in Gig Harbor with a wonderful foster family. Lisa Garr, one of our volunteer riders, lives in Gig Harbor and stops by the foster family’s home to work with the two mares. Here’s what she recently had to say about their…
Alumni Update: Glory
Here are some photos that Glory’s adopter, Melissa, recently shared with us.
Alumni Update: Baxter
Baxter is living a well loved life on 5 acres with a 20 year old gelding as a best buddy. Here are some photo’s that Baxter’s adopter, Mandy, recently shared with us.
No Expectations
One thing I love about SAFE is that we have no expectations or deadlines that our horses have to fulfill for us. We accept them as individuals and recognize that one size doesn’t fit all. As we got to know the Fall City 40 horses better, we found there were many…
Fancy Update
Fancy has been at SAFE for nearly three years. Through the great work by her horsemanship trainers, Fancy has become a trusting and athletic riding horse. As a veteran of both Joel Conner and Buck Brannaman clinics, Fancy has learned to relax around other riding…
Four (more) new ponies at SAFE
A few days back, we introduced three ponies and a full sized horse who were seized by Animal Control due to neglect and signed over to SAFE. Animal Control found four more ponies hidden on the same property, and their owner surrendered them. One of SAFE’s top…
Beauty’s First Ride!
Jane and Kaya have been putting a lot of time into getting Beauty ready to be ridden. She’s accepted a saddle with ease, but she’s very reluctant to take a bit into her mouth. So today Kaya got on and rode her in a halter. As you can see, Beauty was just fine about…
SAFE Alumni Update: Cameo and Mara
From Cameo and Mara’s adopter: I have been just terrible about updating on Cameo and Mara and I realized they’ve almost been here a whole year! Such a strange year and time no longer has any meaning but whatever! Anyway they’re doing great! Mara’s eye has been so…
Meet Kayla!
Hooved Animal Rescue of Thurston County reached out to SAFE about a mare they had who needed our help. All of their horses live in foster homes and this particular mare, Kayla, was living and training with a foster who could work with her on ground manners and train…
Meet Mac!
Mac and another gelding were seized by Animal Control due to severe neglect. We are told that Mac was almost as thin as Anakin was when he was picked up. He spent several months in Animal Control custody before being signed over to SAFE. We’re told that Mac is an…
Boone is Adopted!
Boone’s new family was looking to adopt a friend for their Yakima Reservation pony mare, Pyramid. Just before Thanksgiving, the family was able to bring him home. On his first day, the family said Pyramid kept looking at them as if to say “Do we get to keep him?! Is…
Veronica’s Brighter Future
SAFE volunteer Candi K. has taken Veronica under her wing and has been consistently working with her for the past few months. Candi’s patient gentling work was exactly what Veronica needed. It’s moving to see Veronica opening up to human contact. Together they are…
Four new faces (or 16 new hooves) at SAFE
On January 5, 2021, we welcomed four new horses to SAFE. These three ponies and one full sized mare had been seized by Animal Control after a 5th horse on the property died due to neglect. The survivors all suffered from overgrown hooves, lice, malnutrition, and lack…
Training Update: Billy
Foster “mom” Julie has been putting time in gentling Billy and her work and consistency is paying off! We’ve seen some significant changes in him. With patient groundwork, his fear is decreasing and he is learning to trust. While Billy’s education will likely be an…
Alumni Update: Willow
Here are some photos we received from Willow’s adopter. She is very loved by her family and has been with them since 2008! Willow also has a best horse buddy, Saren, who is boarded on the family’s property.
Alumni Update: Mesquite
Mesquite and his family love trail riding on their new 10 acre property and on the many nearby trails in their neighborhood, including a rarely used soft, groomed airstrip!
Limelight Pet Project: Anderson
SAFE is grateful for support of our friends at the Limelight Pet Project who work to help shine the light on harder to place pets. Anderson was recently featured on Q13’s weekend morning show as a result of their work. Here is the longer interview that covers…
Alumni Update: Gunnar
Look at this tall beautiful boy! Gunnar’s adopter recently shared a few photos with us, including some with his best friend, Bryce.
Jollie is Adopted!
Miss Jollie joined her new family in November. Her new name is Liberty, “Libby” for short! She did great on her first ferry boat ride to Vashon Island with her adopter, Mike. She is settling in well and getting to know her new family members. We were able to see the…
Job openings at SAFE
Come work for our horses! SAFE is currently looking for an amazing person to fill some big boots as our Saturday Barn Staff member. Saturday Barn Staff Saturday Barn Staff member, 8am-5pm, $15/hour. Requirements include a minimum 3 years of horse care experience,…
Meet Shortbread and Whisky!
Introducing the newest little members of our herd! Shortbread and Whisky were living in stalls for the last year due to their elderly owners’ failing health. They have been signed over to SAFE and we will be seeking to place them together into a new home. Shortbread…
Alumni Update: Nashville
Here are some photos we received from Nashville’s adopter. Look at their beautiful barn! Nashville shares the barn with 2 goats and her horse buddy, Colville, another recently rescued horse.
Alumni Update: Nadia
Nadia celebrated her 3rd anniversary with her new family back in October! Here are some photos her adopters recently shared with us.
Veronica is Learning the Ropes
What a change Veronica has made in the last few months! She has gone from not wanting to be touched to greeting us at the fence with a nicker and inquisitive eyes. Over the summer Dylan has spent time with this sweet mare to be able to gain her trust to groom and…
Caramel is Coming out of Her Shell
Caramel was one of the Fall City 40 horses, but she is really becoming her own beautiful self. She is very independent and is slowly learning to trust people. She has put on weight, her coat is shiny and full, and that mane of hers is beautiful too! Caramel is still…
Back in the Saddle with Sienna
Sienna, like all the SAFE horses, had some time off this summer due to bad air quality caused by forest fires. But when the smoke had cleared and we started working horses again, Sienna presented with a left front lameness. It appeared to be an abscess but after it…
Piper Works on Steering
One of the ways to make sure Piper is following the rider’s feel and not just the reins is to take the reins away! This young mare is growing up nicely. She is 15h now and still growing and filling out. She still has lots still to learn and change as she develops but…
Beauty Under Saddle?
Beauty’s been enjoying the past year, settling into her life at SAFE. Her friend Jane has helped her become so much happier and relaxed around people. It is clear that Beauty has a riding history and she’s sound, so we thought we would see if she could be a riding…
Alder is Adopted!
A wonderful family picked up Alder back in November. Halle, who is 16 years old, is the PERFECT energy match for this young adventurous boy. They are going to have a blast together and hopefully we’ll see him at a few WASET shows in the future. The family is wonderful…
George’s Second Ride (Video)
George from Casey A. on Vimeo.
Flynn’s First Day Out
Last week was a great one for Flynn! We got the results of his histology test from Pilchuck Report and they found zero cancer cells! We were all concerned that the mass in his eye might be malignant, but the vets have concluded that it was likely a large ulcer caused…
Alumni Update: Atticus
Here are a few photos we received from Atticus’ adopter. What a sweet boy!
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Barb
Here’s a clinic report from Sarah V who worked with Barb, one of the Fall City 40 horses: I’d never worked with Barb before Thursday of the clinic, but was really excited to have the chance. I was onsite in Fall City in July of 2019 when we were trying to separate…
Joel Conner Clinic Update: Sienna
Thank you to Sue C. for this clinic report about her work with Sienna:I had the opportunity to work with Sienna at the November 2020 Joel Conner clinic. It was a great chance for me to take a step back, review, and work on my feel. Sienna knows the moves,…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Anderson
Here’s a report from Scott B who worked with Anderson in the November clinic: I got to ride Anderson last weekend at the clinic. He has clearly been well trained and is super talented. I really enjoyed the weekend as my first time getting to work with Anderson. The…
Zoe is Adopted!
We are so excited for this spunky mare to find her new family! Zoe not only has an amazing human family, but also a new herd mate, a mare named CanD. CanD was rehomed through SAFE’s Community Outreach Program, and the timing ended up being perfect because Zoe needed a…
Alumni Update: Bubbles
Bella (formerly Bubbles) is doing really well living with her best friend, Thunder, in North Carolina. She has a new found love of trail riding and will have her forever home with Mary who adores her.
Successful Surgery for Flynn
Errol Flynn returned home to SAFE yesterday afternoon after a successful surgery to remove his eye and the tumors that were growing there. Pilchuck Vet Hospital reports that they got a good look at the tissue surrounding the mass, and were able to remove it cleanly.…
Banner is Adopted!
Banner is thrilled to be home with his adopter Casey! He has a new best friend named Rowdy and he seems to have settled in well. Casey is a small animal vet and is very happy to have both horses living out their senior years together on her home property! “Banner has…
Jasper’s Journey Ahead
This one is a little bit of a heartbreaker. Jasper has entered the horsemanship program at SAFE and it is clear from his reactions that people have not been kind to him in the past. Jasper’s difficulty with changing eyes and his tense, upright posture show how…
A Boone for us all!
Boone has quickly become a volunteer favorite! This sweet little guy seems to be very adaptable to different situations and loves scratches and attention, especially if you have a snack for him! We have started doing a bit of groundwork with Boone and he has taken to…
Nova, the Stunner
Nova is growing into a stunning young horse! She’s got legs for days and looks a lot like her mom. Nova is definitely lower on the filly totem pole than Pippi or Rae, but this little herd is all best of friends! When Jill joined the filly paddock, Nova was the only…
Piper’s a Riding Horse!
Piper is a riding horse! While she’s still technically in training and on hold, Piper is proving herself to be quite a capable riding partner. In the beginning of her training, Piper was a little dull and didn’t move forward very easily. She has since overcome a lot…
