Pippi is Growing Up
Pippi is growing up right before our eyes! In the last clinic, Pippi got her first real taste of groundwork. It’s clear that she is quite herd bound and since she’s been surrounded by people her whole life, has little respect for human personal space. During the…
Lacey Starts Fresh
Lacey Lacey Lacey…what a difficult pony you can be! Lacey participated in the recent Joel Conner clinic and gave the small, social-distanced audience quite a show, bucking and squealing away at the rope. It looks like it’s going to be a long journey for Lacey to…
Merry is a Riding Horse!
After 30 days of professional training and working in SAFE’s horsemanship program, Merry is now a riding horse! She is still very green and can have a bit of an attitude at times, but she’s progressing quickly through training and is ready for an advanced rider who is…
Artie Shaw Crescendos to New Heights
Little mister Artie sure is becoming a gentle little gelding! While he still has quite a ways to go in his training, the amount of improvement that Artie has shown is incredible. It wasn’t that long ago that Artie was the wild stallion kept in the round pen because he…
Introducing Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn is a POA pony in his mid-20s who was surrendered to Animal Control by his owner who could no longer care for him. Flynn’s right eye is badly infected, and vascular mass is growing over his cornea. Unfortunately, this has gone untreated for the past year.…
Sienna’s Stone Bruise
Recently, Sienna showed up lame at the walk. Assuming she had an abscess, we soaked her foot and kept it wrapped in an Epsom salt poultice. When she seemed to stop favoring that foot at the walk, it appeared that she was still off on her front left at the trot. With…
Darling Teddi is Feeling Better
Sweet, smart Teddi seems to be doing well, despite some complications from her previous surgery. Over the summer, it seemed that her lameness was much worse and noticeable at the walk even. Since then, Teddi has been on “stall rest” in her small paddock and seems to…
Billy Settles In
Billy seems to have settled into his new life at SAFE. He’s so quiet in his stall, you could walk right by him with noticing he’s there! He loves his salt block, his meals of timothy and doesn’t seem to mind that volunteers are always fawning over him through his…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Alder
from Kaya M. Alder continues to impress me with how accepting he is of new experiences and learning new things. I think I have been underestimating him! I was a little nervous about the clinic because we’ve never ridden with so many other horses or horses from outside…
Joel Conner Clinic Report: Barb
by Kaya M. Sweet Barb is coming along so well with her training! She started the last clinic weekend a little dull and Joel explained that she needed to get her feet a little freer so that she could voice her opinion. We worked a lot on freeing up her feet and…
Poor Rae Rae
Rae recently was seen limping on her front right leg. We had our vet out to look at her and she was diagnosed with white line separation. We treated Rae four times a week with Venice Turpentine, but when out farrier came out a week or so later, she noticed a large and…
Hay Bank Update
by Debbie M, our hay bank admin The Year 2020 is going to go down in the record books for a number of reasons. One of those reasons, unfortunately, is the record number of job losses due to layoffs or shutdowns during the global pandemic. This has put countless…
Welcome Hazel!
We were asked to help with Hazel just a day or so before we lost Callista, so she is part of the SAFE herd in Callista’s memory. Hazel’s 70 year old owner passed away, leaving his 90 year old mother responsible for his estate and his horse. She lived on 20 acres, and…
Amelia is gone
We are literally heartbroken to tell you that early Saturday morning, we lost our dear Amelia. She had a bad bout of colic that started midday on Friday, and nothing that was done for her could relieve the discomfort and pain she was feeling. Every effort was made,…
Banner is Home
Banner made it safely to his new home where he met his new friend Rowdy! The two are getting along great and Banner has settled in nicely. Banner’s adopter Casey is a small animal vet and is very happy to have both horses living out their senior years together on her…
Welcome to SAFE, Billy!
Billy came into SAFE last Tuesday thanks to the help of driver Jane Ostrom Millar and pony wrangler Ian LeFae. He is a 2002 model (18yrs old). Pony type, brown and white paint 10.2h gelding. His R right eye has a blind spot, not painful. He has vision and manages…
A Sad Goodbye to a Special Horse
There’s just no easy way to say this…we had to say goodbye to sweet Callista this evening. 💔 When we first met Callista, we were immediately concerned about the severe muscle atrophy in her right hip. An ultrasound didn’t reveal a fracture, but the amount of…
The Limelight Pet Project Features Beauty
Thanks to The Limelight Pet Project for featuring Beauty! The Limelight Pet Project is a campaign local to Washington that shines a light on harder-to-adopt pets and the people who help them. We were excited to see Beauty this month on Q13 FOX. Here’s the article and…
Friendship Lights Our World!
Our barn bathroom was sad. It had a hole in the ceiling. It was unsightly and a bit drafty. Friends of SAFE to the rescue! SAFE Saturday Volunteer, Sarah McGarr, asked her talented friend, Andrew Perti to come and take a look. Andrew grabbed his tools and went right…
A Virtual Visit with Bowie
In lieu of in-person site visits, we’ve been conducting virtual follow ups with adopted SAFE horses. A SAFE volunteer spoke by phone with Pat, who adopted Bowie. Pat had this to say about her handsome horse: “He is so very happy. If you remember, this is the horse…
Checking in with Gunnar
In lieu of in-person site visits, we’ve been conducting virtual follow ups with adopted SAFE horses. A SAFE volunteer spoke by phone with Carrie, who adopted Gunnar as a companion for her riding horse, Bryce. Gunnar can’t be ridden but he still gets to show off the…
Adoption Announcement: Cassidy!
With happy tears, we watched Cassidy load up and head to her new home. Her adopter Bri is simply amazing. This is a true love story. Bri visited SAFE last fall and met Cassidy but recognized there was some important foundation work to be done before Cassidy would be…
Adoption Announcement: Remy
We are thrilled to report Remy is home and settling in well. Adopter and SAFE Wednesday AM volunteer, Jessica, has bonded with Remy over the last few weeks. They had a ton of great changes and the pair is ready for their next chapter to begin. Remy is going to be…
Adoptions: Current Status and Quick Guide to Some Frequently Ask Questions
Here are a few answers to frequently asked questions we get at SAFE about adoptions: 9/18/2020: Due to the smoke inhalation from wildfires our horses have recently experienced in the Pacific Northwest, we have currently CLOSED all riding horse visits and adoptions. We…
In Memory: Buddy
I’m sorry to have to tell everyone that we lost Buddy last week. He was discovered down at night check by our volunteer with his hind legs caught under the fence. He got himself up while she went to call for help, but he was in a lot of distress. He was covered in…
Poor Air Quality: All Riding Horses Adoptions on Hold
Well, this was not the end of summer we were hoping for! Wildfires in Washington and Oregon have severely compromised the air quality in our area, so we’ve made the following decisions regarding our horses: All riding adoptions are on hold. No showing, no visits, and…
A Visit with Atticus
We had a chance to catch up with our old pal Atticus recently! This 30 year old Arabian gelding is living the life of Riley, and is much loved by his adoptive family. He doesn’t have many teeth left, so he maintains his rugged figure by eating wet mashes twice a day.…
Happy 2nd Birthday, Pippi!
Happy Birthday to our little homegrown angel Pippi, who turns 2 years old today! Two years ago today, this gorgeous filly was born right here at Safe Harbor Stables. Her momma, Asha, came to us from an animal control seizure, and no one had the…
Callista Intake Photos
Callista, Welcome!
Please join us in welcoming the newest member of the SAFE herd. Callista is a super sweet mare who has seen better days. We don’t have a whole lot of history on her but what we do know is that she needs some TLC. She appears to be about 30 years old and has a body…
Welcome Boone!
This handsome little fella is another new addition to the SAFE family. Believe it or not, he’s already pending adoption! Boone is an 18 year old strawberry roan mini horse. He’s one of a group of four mini horses that were seized by animal control in March 2020. SAFE…
Angel and Renee: A Lifetime of Safety
There is one thing that keeps us all motivated and inspired at SAFE and that is hope. Each time we meet a new horse and bring them into the herd, we have hope that we will be able to give them all that they need to heal from their past physical and emotional neglect.…
Millie is Adopted!
Seriously, no one saw this coming! Miss Millie is adopted! Hollie contacted SAFE looking for a companion for her mare Maddie, who has some hearing loss. Maddie was all alone and needed a friend to help her feel relaxed and content. Millie was perfect! She had proven…
Training and Adoption Update: Cassidy
WOW! What a 2020 so far for Cassidy!! She came out of winter full speed ahead for her training. We had a great clinic with Joel Conner in March to get her confirmed as a riding horse and since then she has been steadily making progress. In June, Joel helped us again…
Buddy’s New Diagnosis
When Buddy first came to us, he was turned out in a gravel paddock and was experiencing some foot soreness. We try to let our horses go barefoot whenever possible, but we sometimes have residents who don’t do well on gravel due to thin, flat soles. Those horses get…
Banner Health Update
Banner is such a handsome, regal man! He has a ton of personality and definitely doesn’t act like a senior fellow. He can be a little pushy, but we are working on ground manners and he’s proving to be a very intelligent student who catches on quickly. Shortly after…
Alder July Training Video
Alder has done a great job during this first weeks of being a riding horse. This video was taken around the 15th ride. Since then, he’s been getting smoother transitions and a better trot for our volunteer rider. He is now available to meet prospective adopters who…
Anderson meets Buck!
By Phoebe T.: At the start of the Buck Brannaman clinic in Ellensburg, Anderson behaved like a typical horse in new surroundings but that didn’t last long. He exhibited a calm demeanor (for an Arab), and remained attentive, interested, and responsive throughout the 3…
A Message for Lacey
Oh Lacey…you sure are a conundrum! We love you just the way you are…but it would be a lot easier to find a home if you weren’t so hot and cold. The riding itself was never the biggest issue. I think even the random freakout bucking under saddle could be figured…
Mina’s Adoption
Our big sweet mama mare Mina has found a lovely home with Elissa! This young mare has a ton of potential but finding the right fit for a green horse takes time. When Elissa came to meet Mina, everything lined up! She is a very capable rider who can help Mina bridge…
Six Years a SAFE Horse
After SIX YEARS as a SAFE horse, we are thrilled to announce that Stella has found a HOME! Lisa came a long way to meet Stella and we are sure glad she did! This is a perfect match and we are so happy that Stella has found her family. It is always a great day when we…
Looking for a Kids’ Horse? Look no further!
Amelia has turned out to be a phenomenal riding partner! Over the last month or so, she’s been ridden consistently in the round pen, the big arena, and out on the trails. She has really shown herself to be a steady, confident horse. She does have a hard…
Training Update: Jollie
We are so happy to see the progress that Jollie has made in training. She is growing up very well and while still has a lot to learn, she is receiving an excellent foundation. One of the hard decisions SAFE has had to think about is that even through Jollie is now…
Alder on The Limelight Pet Project
This month, The Limelight Pet Project featured Alder in a spotlighted video as seen on Q13 News. Alder is an amazing guy and still looking for an adopter! Fill out an application if you’d like to meet him. While Limelight was here to see Alder, they took some…
Sienna Riding Off Feel and Legs Only
One of the ways we are working to help Sienna build a solid foundation is to get her operating better off feel. 1st goal was to get her to stop at a point away from the gate. Helping search for this point, we made the wrong thing (leaving the spot) difficult by…
Meet Jasper!
Jasper is a new addition to the herd here at SAFE. This striking Tennessee Walking Horse gelding was headed for the Game Farm in Sequim when a good samaritan stepped in to give him one more chance. Jasper has spent most of his life being passed from one home to the…
Amelia Gets to Graze!
Amelia has been doing very well recently and we have gone several months without seeing any colic symptoms from her. She is thriving on her diet of equine senior that she gets around the clock through her iFEED automatic feeder. After failed attempts to give her small…
The Power of Positive Energy on Horses, by Marty Abdo
My name is Marty Abdo and I am a Friday morning shift volunteer. One of my several passions in life is a therapy method called Reiki. I have a business offering Reiki long distance to people and animals in need of relaxation, pain relief and emotional balance. I was…
Choosing a Path for Cyrus: Lameness Exam
After Cyrus returned from training, we began to notice a slight lameness under saddle. Dr. Lewis from Rainland came out a few weeks ago to do a lameness exam which was inconclusive. She told us that he would be a candidate for the lameness locator to help get to the…
SAFE Alumni Update: Rico
We had a great visit with Rico recently. He is living the good life with his adopter, Barbara. She really loves him, and takes immaculate care of her friend. She takes him for walks every day, and he is very sound and healthy. This is the type of adoption we dream of…
