Getting to Know Amira
Amira has been with us for 10 days now and so far, we really like this sweet, friendly mare! She’ll be quarantined for about another week, and then we can really start getting to know her. For right now, we mostly interact with her when her paddock is being cleaned, and she likes to follow the volunteers around when they’re there. We are still very hopeful that Amira is a kids horse as we were told. This weekend, she met a little girl and…
read moreJoel Conner Clinic Update: Fancy
Casey had this to say about Fancy and how she did at our recent Joel Conner clinic here at Safe Harbor: Fancy and Glory returned from foster recently, and Terry and I worked them in the clinic this weekend. They retained the foundation that we had put on them over the summer, and Joel was able to identify some holes that we need to work on before we start them under saddle. With Fancy, I will be working on getting her more comfortable with the…
read moreStella Rides with Buck Brannaman
About five years ago Terry invited me to audit a Buck Brannaman clinic in Enumclaw. I had not heard of Buck, but I was eager to see his style of horsemanship and continue my education. I am so grateful that I took that opportunity because it resulted in a fundamental shift in my approach to horsemanship, and has informed SAFE’s approach to rehabilitating horses. At the end of October, after auditing clinics over the years in Ellensburg,…
read moreJoel Conner Clinic Update: Lacey
Lacey is making great strides in her riding work and improving immensely with Kaya’s consistent care. We recently took Lacey out on a trail ride. She had a good amount of energy and life out on the trails. She was brave and attentive to Kaya. She did feed a bit off the other horse’s high energy and became “hot” when a runner came from out of nowhere. Kaya did great getting her to work and get busy to regain her attention and peace. It took a…
read moreJoel Conner Clinic Update: Teddi
Teddi continues to gentle and get softer with work. The great work Phoebe is doing with her is helping her relax around people and handle more situations. Here is an update from Phoebe on Teddi and her work at the last Joel Conner clinic. I’m fortunate to be able to work with a horse so sensitive & responsive…it’s real easy to know when I’m doing something right, or wrong. Joel showed me again how to free up her front quarters, and this…
read moreWhy are there foals at SAFE?
Why are there foals at SAFE right now? Because this year, we rescued three mares who were pregnant. We have not changed our stance against breeding, nor did we have anything whatsoever to do with the breeding of these mares. One of the three mares, Asha, came from an Animal Control seizure in which she and another mare were removed from a situation of neglect and starvation. Her foal was born Sept 1, so she was likely bred in October 2017. This…
read moreJoel Conner Clinic Report: Star
Scott has been working hard to help Star become a better citizen and better for people to handle. This old gelding has a lot of pushy behavior that is steadily becoming manageable. Due to his age, we have retired Star and have made him available as a companion. The horsemanship training is helping Star have better ground manners and be a better horse for his future home. Here is what Scott has to say about working with Star in the last Joel…
read moreIntroducing Amira
Amira is a 14 year old mare who was surrendered to SAFE after her owner abandoned her and another horse on a property that could no longer house horses. Amira’s 27 year old companion was starved and had to be humanely euthanized. Amira fared better but she still shows signs of neglect. Her shaggy winter coat hides her weight loss. Her hooves are overgrown and full of nasty thrush. She hasn’t had a dental or any other vet care in years. However,…
read moreJoel Conner Clinic Report: Sage
Melinda C worked with Sage during the recent Joel Conner clinic: I had the opportunity to work with Sage for a groundwork session during this Joel Conner clinic. Prior to this weekend, I had only done groundwork with her a few times when she first arrived at SAFE. She has always been a sweet pony, but when she came to us it was clear that people had not given her many boundaries in her former life. With consistent groundwork she has come a long…
read moreJoel Conner clinic update: Nashville
I worked with Nashville for all 3 days of this recent Joel Conner clinic. Every time I ride this horse I like her more and more! During the groundwork portion I focused on getting her to have a better expression. She often pins her ears when asked to do something and Joel helped me work on my energy level and timing to get a change in her. By the end of the session she had a much more pleasant expression and I felt like we made good progress.…
read moreJoel Conner Clinic Report: Sienna
Horsemanship volunteer Kaya took Sienna into last week’s Joel Conner clinic. Here is what she had to say about their work together: This clinic was my first time ever working with Sienna! She did so great and I learned so much. There were a couple of moments when Sienna kind of lost track of me and got overwhelmed with the commotion, but I got right to her hindquarters and she quickly settled into a quiet drift and got back to work. I was so…
read moreLuna and Nova Get Outside
Jessica Farren took these lovely photos of Luna and her filly Nova. The two spend most of each day outside on the grass where Nova loves to run and run and…
read moreRae and Mina Outdoors
Jessica Farren took these lovely photos of Mina and Rae enjoying the great outdoors. The mares and their fillies spend each day outdoors on the…
read moreTwo Healthy Fillies Born at SAFE
Exactly two months after the birth of Pippi, we welcomed two new lives into the world! Mina delivered a lovely black filly on November 1, 2018 at 11pm. The diminutive little girl with no white markings was christened “Rae” in memory of our dear friend Raven. Rae is healthy and full of life, and momma Mina is taking wonderful care of her. The very next night, Luna decided she was going to follow in her best friend’s footsteps and have her baby…
read moreWorking with Angel
SAFE horsemanship volunteer Kaya works with Angel from time to time, and had this to say about our favorite old gal: Angel is a super special horse. As our friendship has grown, she continues to surprise and impress me. Her ability to immediately find the best way to escape pressure is uncanny and makes my job really easy! Today we went directly into the covered arena instead of working at liberty in the round pen first. I was a little anxious…
read moreLisa and Ben: Besties Forever!
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read moreJoel Conner Clinic Report: Lacey
SAFE horsemanship volunteer Kaya M rode Lacey in the October Joel Conner clinic: Honestly, I was a bit nervous about riding Lacey in the clinic, since I had only recently started working with her, and we were still feeling each other out. I am now so glad that I had this opportunity to improve my horsemanship and have fun with her! This weekend really helped improve not only our communication, but also our partnership. Lacey even nickered to me…
read moreJoel Conner Clinic Report: Bowie
Volunteer Kaya M had been riding Bowie on a regular basis and worked with him in the groundwork sessions of the October Joel Conner Clinic: Bowie and I participated in the groundwork portion of the clinic and it was a very good experience for both of us! I’m still new to this style of horsemanship, so Bowie was a great partner to help me work on the finer details of groundwork. He is quite responsive and feels of my energy really well in…
read moreChanges
Check out miss Pippi! Apparently she is NOT going to be a light colored chestnut pinto…her winter coat is coming in dark! It leaves her looking a little comical. Pippi and Asha will be spending the next several months at a lovely nearby foster home, where they can enjoy a sizeable pasture and great care. We’ll miss having them here at Safe Harbor Stables, but we’ll be visiting them a lot and sending updates. And we have two more foals on the…
read moreRaven Flies Free
We are so sad to announce that we lost a dear friend last week. Raven, our three year old Thoroughbred filly, was humanely euthanized on Wednesday after a bad colic. We love all of the horses that pass through SAFE, but every so often, a horse comes along that works their way into the hearts of most everyone they meet. Raven was that horse. Her loss has been unbearably sad for the volunteers and staff here at the barn. Our Raven was a…
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