Finding the Feel: Jewel

We are all very excited that for her senior community service project, volunteer Claire Crist chose SAFE! Here is a little about her first project with Jewel. You can follow her progress online at: http://learning.safehorses.org “My name is Claire Crist. I’ve been…

Ben & Oscar — An Unexpected Friendship

A few weeks ago, we had a wonderful group from Microsoft come to SAFE for a Day of Caring. All the horses had to be out of the barns since the group was pressure washing and replacing gravel and mats in the stalls. So we were a little short of places to put all the…

Phoenix shines in training!

Volunteer rider Jolene Duncan has been spending some quality time with Phoenix. When we talked about project horses Jolene could concentrate on, I was very happy she was willing to take on training with Phoenix. We both agreed that what this beautiful boy needed was a…

Ben: Follow up Bodywork

Dr. Christin Finn came to see Ben on Friday for his third bodywork session. Each time, the work has made changes to how he moves and even the shape of his back. This time it was clear that we needed to push through some very tight back and pelvic muscles. While the…

Anderson: Training update & Video

Anderson is coming along well in his training and shows every indication of making a great riding horse partner. Here is a video of his first ride with a saddle. You can see he is very cautious about this leather thing on his back but once Darik sits on him he had…

Sophie Update

Volunteer trainer Laura McCorkle has been spending some time with Sophie over the last few months. Here is a little about what Laura has to say bout this young mare: “Sophie is a lovely, willowy, long-legged teenager — with all the good and sometimes aggravating…

Hickory & Mesquite: Training Update

All reports have been glowing for our new riding horses, Hickory and Mesquite. They are both in training with Joel Conner and are coming along well with the work. As expected, Hickory has been fairly easy with only minimal issues. He is the younger of the two and…

Annabelle is looking for a Foster home!

Sweet Miss Annabelle is healthy and ready to move out of SAFE Harbor to a foster home and help us make room for new intakes. We are looking for a foster who can take in this arabian girl and give her a quiet place to be a companion non-riding horse. She is still…

Nala: Health Update

Nala has been very well behaved for her rehab, stall rest and hand walking. Three weeks ago we took off her shoes and balanced her feet in a bare foot trim. Farrier Marla Karabinos will be checking her this week to see if she is foot tender and if she will be needing…

Rest in Peace: Craspedia (2007–2015)

Rest in Peace: Craspedia (2007–2015)

It took just a moment to fall in love with him, but it will take a lifetime to forget him. We met Craspedia in a field, a tall handsome fellow with a kind eye who stood calmly and quietly while we said hello to him. His owner had contacted us a few days before,…

New SAFE Intake: Banjo

Banjo was surrendered to SAFE by his owners on the recommendation of City of Snohomish animal control officers, who discovered the gelding had not received basic vet or farrier care for more than five years. The horse had gone unhandled for many years as well, making…

Maggie Returns

A few weeks ago, we received the unhappy news from Maggie’s adopters that they needed find a new home for her. This was by no means Maggie’s fault. She had fit in well at their farm, behaved like a perfect lady, and given them her trust. But they felt that their…

Mesquite: Making great strides!

Mesquite left early this morning for Vancouver WA where he will join his friend Hickory in training with Joel Conner. You might recall that Joel rode both boys at his clinic at SAFE in mid-August. Now they’re both going to get the start they need to be saddle horses. …

Rest in Peace, Rose City Special (1997–2015)

Rest in Peace, Rose City Special (1997–2015)

We never truly know how much time we’ll have with the ones we love. We give our hearts to our animals, knowing that chances are good that we’ll end up outliving them and having to face saying goodbye. It’s a risk that most animal lovers are willing to take, grief…

A hard day to say goodbye

There’s no real way to properly express what happens when we lose a horse. Today, we said a too-early goodbye to Sapphire due to a colic. Sapphire was discovered down in her stall this morning by her foster caretakers in deep distress. Dr Holohan from Pilchuck was…

Stella is home from training!

Stella is home from 45 days of training with Joel Conner. I got the chance to ride her in the clinic when Joel was at SAFE and it was a blast getting to know this spunky mare. She is a very sensitive and smart girl. She handled being in the arena with ten other horses…

Einstein Finds a Family!

We are excited to tell everyone that Einstein is on an adoption trial. He has settled into the farm and is getting to know the other family horses…Strider and Skye! Yes you heard me right, Michel contacted SAFE soon after Einstein had been rescued. She has been…

Health Update: Scarlett

We have really enjoyed getting reacquainted with this pretty little chestnut! Unfortunately, Scarlett came up lame at the end of July, so we had Dr. Devine, from Pilchuck, come out to evaluate her. After flexion tests and nerve blocks, the lameness was localized to…

Oscar working at SAFE Harbor

We have been working with Oscar on relaxing at the gaits and riding with just seat and leg. He is getting used to the light contact in the reins and that he can go around steady and without worry. He is doing very well and finding his balance! Here is a clip of Oscar…

Health Update: Karma

Karma seen today for 1 month check with Dr Fleck to re-ultrasound her check ligament. The healing has started well and the ultrasound looks good, she is filling in the tear but it is not completely healed yet. Dr Fleck said she can go out in her in and out run if she…

Training Update: Jewel

Volunteer rider Claire has taken on Jewel as her special project. She has been working with her since just before the SAFE show and there have been some great changes since then. Here is an update from Claire about how things are going so far: “Jewel is an absolute…

Training Update: Khianna

  We have a wonderful group of volunteer riders at SAFE who not only make my life as the Operations Director easier but also are a vital asset to the horse’s preparation for adoption. The volunteers help with everything from turnout, hand walking injured horses,…

When can we play with Bridgit again?

We have been patiently waiting to start working with Bridgit again….She “popped a splint” on her left front a few weeks ago and we have been waiting for the heat and swelling to go down. Meanwhile the little munchkin has been enjoying long turnouts next to her buddy…

Handsome Ben!

Volunteer Jessica Farren was out to the stables last week and took some beautiful photos of Ben and volunteer Ann working in the arena. We also had a few others with Ben and Terry in the arena a few weeks ago. He is truly a stunning boy and his looking healthy and…

Checking in with Annabelle

If Annabelle could tell us all the stories of her life, I think we would all have a good long cry and then gather ourselves up and look to the future. She is a tough girl who has spent a good part of her life fighting for her safety. Annabelle has a deep soul and we…

Anderson is making great progress!

Anderson is doing excellent in training with Darik. He has spent some time relaxing into being a good gelding and getting used to the life as a domestic horse. We got to spend some time with him and watch Darik work him in the arena. He still has a cautious nature but…

Health Update: Phoenix

We wanted let everyone know where things are currently with Phoenix’s health and lameness status. After trying a few different shoeing options over the last few months, some that helped but some that didn’t, we decided to ask Dr. Devine from Pilchuck come out to take…

Health Update: Lola

It’s time for Lola to start her rehab and get ready to be shown to potential adopters again soon! Her lameness first showed up in December. After new shoes, X‑rays and even injecting her right coffin bone we came to the conclusion that Lola most likely had a soft…

Health Update: Nala

The past few months have caused a bit of frustration for Nala and her friends here at SAFE, as we have been dealing with some lameness issues with no real conclusions. Her new shoes in May helped solve problems related to conformation, but a new lameness appeared.…

A Message from Ginger’s Adopter

“I have had Ginger for a little over a year now and I can’t thank SAFE enough for everything you do. I am beyond blessed to have Ginger in my life. Horse ownership is not without its ups and downs but nothing could ever replace the bond I have with my little bay mare.…

Mesquite makes a new friend!

Volunteer rider Claire got to spend some time with Mesquite this past week. He is learning to trust new people and let go of his past. Claire is very quiet and patient with him. You can see from the photos what a handsome fellow he is becoming. We continue to increase…

SAFE’s clinic with Joel Conner and Colt starting demonstrations

It was a pleasure this past weekend to have Joel Conner visit the SAFE horses and teach our volunteers. We began each morning, with a colt starting demonstration where Joel worked with Hickory, Mesquite and Ben. Joel is an expert when it comes to working with…

Rehab plan for Karma

Early last month, our sweet Karma came up lame on the left front leg. She was diagnosed with a check ligament lesion and a cyst in her splint bone. The bone cyst carried a prognosis of lifelong lameness if left untreated. Due to her young age and promising future as a…

Introducing SAFE’s Operations Team!

At the beginning of 2015, SAFE embarked on a new chapter within our organization with the separation of the Governing Board of Directors and the creation of our Operations Team. Over the last 8 months, the Operations Team has been growing and developing. Some…

Foster Update: Finn

We have found a fantastic foster home for Finn. He is alone for the moment but has an entire herd of horses across the street to keep him company until his foster person finds a horse of her own. Finn’s hooves seem to be feeling better on the soft hogsfuel footing at…

Foster Update — Rocky

Many thanks to Rocky’s foster family for continuing to take such fantastic care of Rocky. Here is their latest update: Rocky continues to do well. Dr. Colton “peeked” at him for me to make sure his weight was okay. He said it looked pretty good for his breed and his…