Angel – It’s Been a Long Road…
We asked weekend Barn Manager Ian to tell us a little bit about Angel and how she is adjusting to life at Safe Harbor. Ian has a very gentle way in his relationship with horses which is the perfect energy for Angel right now. Here is what Ian had to say about this…
Training Update: Cosmo
We are always so pleasantly surprised when a nice horse like Cosmo comes into Safe Harbor. He is gentle to handle and he takes everything we ask of him in stride. Joel put a first ride on him for us in the September and while things went well there were a few training…
Getting to Know Belle
Belle is a very wise mare. She can be a bit of stand-offish when you enter into her paddock but once she takes an assessment of you, she is easily caught and willing to go along with what is being asked of her. She stands nicely to be groomed and has a pretty relaxed…
A new life, a new name, for Ruger
When one of SAFE’s Board of Directors puts in an adoption application, we know it’s going to be a once in a lifetime opportunity for the lucky horse! Barbara came to SAFE to volunteer as a chore volunteer and quickly shared her gifts as a powerhouse organizer and…
A Perfect Match for Sierra
Nothing delights us more than to write these types of announcements and this one is very near and dear to our hearts. Donna came to SAFE like many other people do…by filling out the application for a horse with a pretty picture. After talking with her on the phone…
Clinic & Health Update: Anderson
Finally, the wet weather is here and Anderson’s cough has all but gone away! He is definitely a Northwest boy who likes wet air that is dry and certainly not smoky! We are going to lower his dose of prednisolone to try to wean him off of it. There is a chance he will…
Training Update: Renee
We are delighted to have Renee home from training with a glowing report! Joel really enjoyed getting to know this mare and said she has a ton of heart and try. You can see many changes in her overall relaxation upon her return to SHS. Now that she has been equipped…
Getting to Know Ruach
We are getting to know this tall dark and handsome fellow named Ruach. He has been ridden previously but it has been a number of years since dusting off the saddle for a ride. Dr. Fleck came out to do a dental float and vaccinate him. We have slowly added a mash of…
Getting to Know Valencia
The new sweetheart of the barn is Miss Valencia! She has been a doll from the moment we picked her up and continues to show a very nice character with lots of love to give. She and Ru have begun the process of separation and while change is hard we are careful to take…
Tasara Joins the Riding Horses!
From Terry: Sweet little Tasara is on her way to becoming a fun riding horse! I have been working with her for some time, getting her ready to be ridden. Due to her gentle disposition, we’ve been able to let other volunteers handle her too and do some groundwork with…
Clinic and Health Update: Rosie
Rosie is a solid citizen at SAFE and has done extremely well with all the changes over the last year. Rosie likes things to stay the same and loves constancy. So it is very nice to see how quickly she has been able to relax with changes in location and even new…
Clinic and Health Update: Prince
From the past few months, we have had glue on shoe on Prince to help him grow more sole and improve his soundness. Last week our farrier Daphne came and looked at his hoof health and said that we could once again try him without shoes. He was sound and his hooves are…
Training Update: Cali
Volunteer Phoebe has been working with Cali and took her into the recent Joel Conner clinic. Here is an update on how things are going: From the Joel clinic: The Joel Conner clinic in November was excellent! I got the gift of working with Cali Jane. She is smart,…
Training Update: Lacey
Volunteer Rider Alicia has started working with Lacey. Here is her report on how things are going: Lacey and I have been getting to know one another for about a month. She took a few meetings to respect and trust me but now we’re beginning to enjoy one another more on…
Clinic Update: Valencia
SAFE’s weekend Barn Manager Ian was able to help us and take Valencia into the Joel Conner clinic last month. Here is what Ian had to say about the experience: Valencia is a very sweet and loving mare who is still very new at SAFE. She was a little nervous at first in…
Health Update: Valor
Here is an update on Valor from our Herd Health Manager, Melinda: At the end of September, Valor had his umbilical hernia repaired and at the same time had a medial patellar ligament fenestration, which is a surgical treatment for locking stifles. He was put on a…
Clinic Update: Ben
SAFE’s Herd Health Manager Melinda is now riding Ben to help get him ready for adoption. Here is what she had to say about her ride with Ben in last month’s Joel Conner clinic. Ben and I participated in the riding portion of the Joel Conner clinic in November. I’ve…
Clinic Update: Mason
Here is a glowing report from Lori on her work with Mason in the recent clinic at SAFE: On November 18th I took Mason into the groundwork portion of the Joel Conner clinic. Mason did such a great job. His reactiveness has improved so much. Joel even came over and took…
Clinic Update: Raven
Raven showed much improvement and maturity in her second Horsemanship Clinic at SAFE. Casey had this to say about working with her: I had the pleasure of working Raven in both groundwork sessions of the November Joel Conner clinic. She settled right in to the…
Ben vs the Cows!
Here is what volunteer rider Lisa had to share about her time spent with Ben at a Horsemanship and Ranch Riding clinic October 6th: This past weekend, Ben and I attended the Ricky Quinn clinic in Ellensburg and, yet again, this horse has blown me away. We started each…
Angel Settles into Life at SAFE
We are very encouraged by the great progress Angel has made since coming to Safe Harbor. She is now easily caught by people she knows well so at lunchtime, she’s being pulled out of her paddock for an extra mash to help her put on weight. She eats a little bit of hay…
Valor Wears a Saddle!
Part of Valor’s rehab is to make him into a riding horse. The riding work will help him build muscles and allow him to start working on larger hills out on the trails. Here is Jolene saddling Valor at Safe Harbor. https://youtu.be/Q2xmc0a0Hco
A New Chance for Nora
We are so happy to announce that Nora has been welcomed into the loving home of SAFE volunteer Sarah R. Sarah had been volunteering at SAFE for some time and offered to do some liberty work with our companions. When she met Nora, there was an instant connection. Soon…
Ru and Valencia enjoy the sunshine
Meet Ru and Valencia!
We welcomed two new horses to SAFE this week. Ru and Valencia are a pair of Thoroughbreds who belonged to an elderly man who was facing severe medical problems and was no longer able to care for them. Ru is a 20 year old TB who raced briefly as a 3 year old at…
Microsoft Give
Sunny and Shasta had a great day at Microsoft today supporting the Give campaign and representing SAFE…they made many new friends outside building 31 and building 122…and even got to enjoy a few apples. SAFE receives incredible support from Microsoft and its…
Big and Little: Ben and Sunny D
Belle and Aurora Join the Herd
SAFE welcomed two new horses to our herd today. Belle is a 19 year old Thoroughbred mare, and her daughter Aurora is 11 years old. The two girls are sharing a quarantine space at Safe Harbor for the time being, and seem very interested in all the goings on around…
Adoption Announcement: Cameo!
It may take some time but when the right fit comes into one of our horses lives the adoption process seems to have always been meant to be. This is exactly how it was when Cameo’s adopter Lindsay realized that she couldn’t see her life without this mare in it! We all…
Adoption Announcment: Vida!
We are so pleased to announce the placement of our sweet companion mare Vida. She is now loving her new life with JoElla! A few months ago JoElla came to us, interested in getting a horse. She has never owned a horse before and while she did have family to help her…
End of Summer Photos with Valor
Poor Anderson
It’s finally raining again and no one at SAFE is happier about that than Anderson. The smoke and dust in the air this summer have been exceptionally hard on his lungs. We started noticing that he’d cough a bit when asked to canter, so when Dr. Fleck came to do his…
Banjo & Finn visit Safe Harbor
Our WONDERFUL foster mom Carrie brought the Finn and Joey for a visit during the last Joel Conner clinic. She had this to report about the experience: The boys both enjoyed their field trip out to SAFE for the Joel Conner clinic! They loaded into the trailer like it…
Making Progress with Mason
Lori has been working with Mason since his arrival at SAFE last year. She continues to chip away at his issues, hoping that he may still become a safe riding partner. For now, all this groundwork is helping him to trust people and be more comfortable in his body. Here…
Training & Clinic Update: Tasara
Sweet Tasara is coming along well in her training. She has been working steadily with a saddle on her back for a few weeks now and doing well. She is a very sensitive mare and we are working on helping her relax through the groundwork. There are many things we can do…
Summer Fun with Sunny & Shasta
What a fun summer we had…and Sunny and Shasta have their own Facebook page now!! Now that all the SAFE horses are settled in at the new barn in Redmond, Sunny and Shasta had the opportunity to get out into the community and make some new friends this summer. A team of…
Anderson Photo Gallery
photos by Jessica Farren
Sophie: Grown up and Looking Great!
Sophie has been doing amazing things with her adopter Julie W. We are so happy to share this great video of them working at the Jaton Lord clinic this past weekend. Julie has done a wonderful job and is raising this girl right! They have a fantastic future ahead of…
Reber Ranch Day
Sunny and Shasta had such a terrific day yesterday at Reber Ranch in Kent. Reber Ranch has always been such a great supporter of Save a Forgotten Equine (SAFE) and their customers are always so generous. Thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hi, donated items from…
Renee at the Joel Conner Clinic
This past weekend was a big success for Renee. We started on Friday by asking Joel to assess her past training and help us formulate a plan for our next steps. He took a look at her under saddle and rode her a little to see how she’d react. All said and done, we have…
Getting to know Cali
SAFE Operations Director Terry Phelps has been spending a lot of time recently with the new horses at SAFE. Here’s what she has to share about Cali: This roan mare is really starting to grow on me. She was a bit shy and flighty at first but I’ve found that once she…
Working with Stormy
From our Herd Health Manager and volunteer Melinda: I’ve been working with Stormy regularly for a few weeks now. It’s been a learning curve for both of us, for sure! This is the first blind horse I’ve worked with. I’ve been teaching her aspects of the horsemanship…
Getting to know Cosmo
This handsome 13 year old gelding is proving to be a very nice gentleman and is very easy to handle. We were told that he has been started and ridden on trails. All of his medical evaluations have come back clear. His dental float and xrays of his front hooves were…
Emmy and Gracie Find a Home Together!
Sometimes timing and patience play a big role in finding the perfect match for our horses. Rebecca put in an adoption application last year, but at the time, SAFE didn’t have the right horse for her. But several months later, we took in a horse named Gracie who seemed…
Getting to know Renee
We are starting to get to know one of the new mares at SAFE: Renee. We were told that she’s been ridden before, but we don’t know how long it’s been or how positive those experience were for her. Renee seems a bit “wide eyed” and unsure of it all but she is getting…
Adoption Announcement: Harley
We are excited to announce the adoption of Harley! Jennie came out to see Harley and Ruger early on in their rehabilitation. She understood we needed to get them both healthy before we could figure out if they were sound and rideable. Harley moved easily through her…
Getting to know Angel
From the day we met her, this mare has proven to us that she is a fighter who has taken care of herself for a long time. We were told that no one had haltered her in the 15 years she had been on the property. It took us about two and a half hours to halter her for…
Farrier day for the new horses
Farrier Daphne Jones came out today to work on the badly neglected hooves of our new horses. She was able to trim all of them, except for Angel, who was very reluctant to have her hind feet handled. Daphne worked with her to get her more accustomed to having her hinds…
Not how a tail should look!!
Poor Nashville and Angel had tails that resembled baseball bats!! With a lot of patience (and a fair amount of Tail & Mane Detangler) we were able to save a lot of Nashville’s tail. The matted clump that was Angel’s tail was cut out.
Six new horses to introduce
SAFE has recently taken in 6 new horses. They were surrendered to us by their owner, who was no longer able to care for them, due to physical and financial set backs. The horses were all in decent weight, but had not received farrier or dental care in many years. Most…
