Trotting with Owen

One week under saddle and Owen is making astounding progress with trainer Matt Olson. Check out this video, taken at the end of Owen’s lesson last Thursday. Did you notice how willingly Owen walked over the “bridge” from the trails course? How about that reinback? All…

October Training Report

Phoenix had a hard month concentrating under saddle. He continues to look sound on the front but does come out of his stall pretty stiff both in the front and hind. He had quite a few naughty days this month mostly due to work, noise, and activity at the barn that…

Finn Update

We’ve had a setback with Finn’s soundness this month. He has had some slight stiffness and isn’t looking as comfortable as he had been. When farrier Jake came to put on his new shoes last week, we noticed a bruise next to his frog on the right front. There was no…

First ride for Karma, and more great news!

I have to say this little grey mare has my heart right now! She is making great strides in her rehabilitation and there is a lot of hope for the sweet side of this mare breaking through. She was very cautious when she first came to Safe Harbor and we made sure to take…

Stella the Brave and Beautiful

Stella is growing up nicely and has become much more consistent for other people to handle. She is easy to catch in turnout and happy to get groomed. She is still a little shy about letting people handle her feet but that’s continually improving too. She is a very…

Owen’s Week

Last week was a momentous one for Mr Curly Horse, and we could not be more proud of the amazing progress this horse has made. Monday’s accomplishment was a successful first standing hoof trim. Matt’s been working with Owen on picking up his feet since he took over his…

Hay from the Bin

Phoenix thinks hay from the bin tastes better then hay in a bag or on the ground! 

Another trail ride adventure for Skye, Skittles, and Lola

We took a big group to the Redmond Watershed today for a trail ride: Skittles, Skye, Lola and Debi’s horse Summer. It was good to go out on a busy trail day so we could see more people, bikes and other horses. All the horses did very well. Skittles was a great leader…

A change of plans for Chip

Chip returned from foster care to Safe Harbor about a month ago and we had high hopes about getting him started in our training program. But with the chance to observe him in motion, we’ve seen some signs that a career as a riding horse might not be the best thing for…

The color of fall…

…is best personified by the lovely redhead Miss Skittles. Photos from our Sept 28th “Friend-Raiser” at Safe Harbor. 

Karma teaches newcomers about SAFE!

SAFE held a Friend-Raiser last weekend and invited volunteers to bring their friends to learn more about the rescue. Terry and a few of the horses put on a neat demonstration for our guests. Karma was a big part of the festivities, demonstrating what she’s learned…

Skittles says “What are you waiting for?!”

Skittles has been with SAFE since January, and she is more than ready for her forever home! She has so much she wants to do, she’s just waiting for the right friend to come along and share some adventures with her! Over the last couple of months, Skittles experienced…

Misty’s Stifle Treatment Update

Earlier this year, Misty’s foster trainer Kelly Larsen noticed that Misty was showing some stiffness and inconsistency in her work to the left, including difficulty picking up the canter in that direction. We had Dr Ron Colton from Evergreen Equine out to examine her,…

Owen Update!

Owen’s been in training with Matt Olson for just over three weeks, and the progress he is making is fantastic. I had the pleasure of watching one of their training sessions yesterday, and I am so impressed with what Matt’s been able to do with him. They are still…

Instant Karma

Since coming to Safe Harbor, Karma has gone through some very positive transformations. It took her a little while to relax and settle in, but with the help of Terry and her volunteers, she’s making great progress. For example, she initially was very reluctant to…

Portland is home

We couldn’t be happier to announce that Portland has been adopted and one of his new friends is an old friend of SAFE. Portland found his forever home with the person who adopted Goliath from SAFE back in 2010. He now resides on a lovely 10 acre horse property on…

First ride on Emmy

They can’t always tell you what they know…so sometimes you just have to climb aboard and see what happens! Emmy came with no history, no background, but in the time she’s been with us, she’s proven to be kind, smart, and brave. Yesterday Terry climbed carefully into…

Hello, Mr Chip!

Chip has been enjoying a lovely stay in foster, but this weekend, he returned to Safe Harbor to start training with Terry. We don’t think Chip’s been ridden much, if at all, so we’ll be starting with ground work training and go from there. It’s our hope that we can…

First Day of School

Yesterday was a big day for Mr Curly Pants: he left his foster home, where he’s spent the last 6 months, and headed off to officially start his training. He’ll be spending the next three months with trainer Matt Olson, who will work with Owen in hand and then start…

A Good Karma Update

Karma had permission to leave the hospital a few weeks ago, but we had no room for her at Safe Harbor, all the stalls were full! We finally were able to move Oscar into foster with our dear friend Helga Roberts at Dutch Mills Farm, so that meant that Karma could…

Emmy is younger than we thought!

Emmy is 7!!! Dr. McCracken came out to do her dental float last week, and after examining her teeth, said that Emmy is actually closer to 7 than 8 or 9 as we were told. Now that’s she’s recovered from her cough, Terry has started working with her again and she is…

August Training Notes

Phoenix: Going well under saddle with strengthening exercises in the walk including: shoulder fore, hauls, halt rein backs, and collected walk. He’s up to 7 minutes at the trot and continues to look sound. We’ve been working in some trot poles during the rides.…

Unwanted horses find love through SAFE place

Unwanted horses find love through SAFE place By Seraine Page, Bremerton Patriot Staff Writer Published September 4, 2014 Portland was found starving in a field in Snohomish County when he was discovered last June. Shortly after, the thoroughbred horse was retrieved by…

Rocky — Intake Photos

We have a new friend to introduce: this is Rocky, a 21 year old Paso Fino gelding, who was surrendered to SAFE over the weekend. As you can see, Rocky is severely emaciated, with an infestation of lice and badly overgrown hooves. We have taken him straight to the…

the Happy Appy!

Big thank you to former SAFE volunteer Chelsey B for sharing this photo of Aiden on SAFE’s Facebook page along with this cute message: “Look who we found?! Our one & only Happy Appy AIDEN!! Save A Forgotten Equine (S.A.F.E.) alumni is a happy boy, being good as…

Pretty girl!

Thank you to Jessica F for sharing this photo from our August open house!!

Bridgit is growing up!

We checked in recently with SAFE horse Bridgit to see how she is progressing in her preparation for training as a saddle horse. Bridgit has been in a foster home for the past year to give her a little time to grow and mature. Her foster mom had some wonderful things…

Our Dottie Belle

  We’re quite happy to report that we haven’t had any more colic scares from our dear Dottie recently. Since completing Gastrogard therapy, she’s doing great on a product called Smart Gut and a few other digestive supplements. She gets a mash twice a day made of…

Ruby — Before and After

Ruby is having a great summer living out in pasture at her foster home. Her foster mom, Jackie, calls Ruby a very sweet girl who is friendly, curious and loves attention. Jackie says she wishes she could let her in the house so they could watch chick flicks and snack…

Catching up with Karma

The new girl, Karma, was taken straight to NWESC after we picked her up from Pierce County Animal Control. We were concerned about some edema on her chest and belly, as well as the slightly snotty nose she was exhibiting. Since NWESC is better set up to quarantine a…

The joy of Cameo

What a joy this little mare is becoming! I had some really lovely quiet rides on Cameo this month. She can still be quite the four year old handful but she has a new peace about her and ground work is helping her find that more and more. Once she gets rid of the…

Great news about Phoenix!

Handsome Phoenix — lovingly referred to by his friends at SAFE as our overgrown golden retriever puppy — is staying sound and happy in his rehab. As you know, he was diagnosed with a left front high suspensory tear in January. As far as we could put together, this…

Finn Update

As we talked about in his last update, Finn needed some special treatment and thanks to Jake Cowden, he has been able to get the shoes he needs to feel great. We gave him a few weeks after the first set of shoes to getting used to moving in them. When we trotted him…

Emmy update!

Emmy has been a rock star for everything I have introduced to her. She’s been doing well with ground work, lunging over trot poles, bathing, spray bottles, wearing a saddle with a girth, and bridling and taking the bit. She is also very well behaved in turnout with…

SAFE Alumni at the SAFE Show!

It was so delightful to have six former SAFE horses come out to compete at this year’s SAFE show. We love nothing more than seeing our old friends again, and nothing beats seeing them shine in the show ring! Thanks to these lovely photos by Karen Wegehenkel, you can…

From the Horse’s Mouth: Adoption? Do you know that thing?

Hello to all my friends! I have something wonderful to share with you, but first I have a question to ask: Adoption — do you know this thing? Adoption is when someone says “Oh horse! Please come to my home and live there forever. There will be lovely hays and tasty,…

SHS Anniversary Open House — Sunday, August 24

 You are invited to help us celebrate 2 years at Safe Harbor Stables in Woodinville at our next Open House! We’ll have vendors selling arts & crafts, a tack sale, a bake sale, and of course, the horses of SAFE will be there ready to say hello! We’ll also be grilling…

Skittles at the SAFE Show

What a “Show Pro” little Skittles turned out to be at the SAFE Benefit Horse Show! She had a wonderful “been there done that no big deal” attitude about everything. We all had a ton of fun at the show and she was so easy to work with in every way. She bathed, loaded…

Lola at the SAFE Show

I am very pleased with Lola’s growth overall the last 7 months. I have had countless volunteers and others remark at what a different horse she is to handle and how nice she looks under saddle. She was a star at the SAFE Benefit Show. Honest and…

Horsebytes Blog: SAFE Forever

SAFE Forever by Monica Bretherton Posted August 8, 2014 I recently found the original ‘adopt me’ sash I made for Cedar. Only a few of the letters had fallen off.” That was an artifact from 2008, the second SAFE benefit show ever. According to my blog (well, that is…

A Long Overdue Update for Bucky B Lucky…

Lucky has been on medical hold for a while now, while we worked to sort through a couple of issues. We now have more information to share regarding this handsome gentleman. First and foremost, Lucky’s behavior has been fabulous during his time in foster at White Birch…

New photos of Karma

The new girl, Karma, was taken straight to NWESC after we picked her up from Pierce County Animal Control. We were concerned about some edema on her chest and belly, as well as the slightly snotty nose she was exhibiting. Since NWESC is better set up to quarantine a…

Getting to know Emmy!

Emmy’s been at SHS for two weeks now, and she’s become everyone’s favorite girl! She’s tall and beautiful, but she’s also a sweetheart who is kind and willing and just plain nice to be around. Here are two updates that Terry shared with us last week: Big day for Emmy-…

Is there such thing as a horse that’s too easy?

Owen is always teaching me things, which makes interacting with him such a joyful experience. His smarts and his willingness make our sessions a lot of fun. He takes most everything he’s asked to do in stride…he always tries and he hardly ever overreacts. Which led…