Checking in With Dottie and Piper
Dottie and Piper had their routine visit from our trimmer, Daphne, last week. Piper is growing up fast! She tries to pull all the typical baby tricks in the book while she’s getting her hooves trimmed, just to see if we’re serious that she really does need to stand still and get her toes done like a big girl. After about 10 minutes of conversation about it, Daphne had Piper calm and willing to stand there patiently until she was finished.…
read moreWelcome Back, Marta
At the end of December, Marta had a dental with Dr. Fray of Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital. Marta has been dropping weight lately, and an oral exam revealed why. Once she was sedated, Dr. Fray found the beginning signs of Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis (EOTRH). EOTRH is a painful dental disease that can occur in older horses. The disease is progressive and has no cure other than surgery to remove affected teeth in more…
read moreStar has been adopted!
We are excited to share that Star has been adopted by Tammy and family. Their pets include a miniature rescue horse named Elliot and two unlikely herd mates: a goose and a duck! Before leaving SAFE, Star had adapted well to a new environment with consistency and fairness from his human handlers. We suspect Star may be a late cut stallion, and though healthy, his age and an old injury in his left hindquarter–which involves scar tissue and is not…
read moreBowie has been adopted!
Our handsome fellow has found a home! Bowie has been adopted by Pat, and it’s clear he’s already enjoying the hair care regimen his luxuriant mane requires. Because he was gelded late in life, Bowie is not a beginner’s mount, but with the right energy from his handler he’s a gentleman on the ground and easily managed under saddle. That’s why we’re so excited he found Pat. Her vast horse experience is a perfect match for Bowie. He will maintain…
read moreIntroducing Gunnar
We have a new horse joining our herd this week. Gunnar is an 11 year old stallion who was surrendered to SAFE through our Community Outreach Program after his owner was no longer able to care for him. He’s a very nice horse, gentle and gentlemanly, and his life is about to change in a big way after he’s transformed into a happy gelding. However, he is not currently in good enough health to sustain surgery, and he has a heart murmur that is…
read morePresents for Lacey!
We have some amazing volunteers at SAFE and the connections they have with the horse are inspiring. Kaya has been dedicated to helping Lacey through some trouble and giving her the attention and miles she needs to find a home. This Christmas, Kaya had something extra special for Lacey: “Merry Christmas to Lacey! This sweet pony really deserved some toys this year. She loves nuzzling soft things like saddle pads, so I thought she needed some…
read moreJanuary Volunteers of the Month: Leigh Mackey and Phoebe Trocano
We realize our amazing corps of volunteers has grown and we don’t have near enough months in the year to recognize all of their hard work. In 2019 we will be spotlighting two tremendous volunteers per month in an attempt to show our gratitude for all they do to make SAFE successful. This month we are pleased to honor shift‐lead all‐star, Leigh Mackey and horsemanship volunteer, Phoebe Trocano. Leigh has been with SAFE since November of 2016…
read more2019 Joel Conner Clinics
We have scheduled four dates for our 2019 Joel Conner Horsemanship clinics. Auditors are welcome (cost TBD) and SAFE volunteers can audit any of these clinics for free. March 15–17, 2019 June 21–23, 2019 Sept 20–22, 2019 Nov 8–10, 2019 Location: Safe Harbor Stables 10407 192nd Ave NE Redmond, WA 98053 These three day clinics start with a three hour Groundwork session in the morning, and a three hour Riding session in the afternoon.…
read moreThe more things change…
Another visit with Pippi and Asha at their foster home: look at our ever‐changing…
read moreTraining Video and Update: Justin
Justin did very well while in training for 60 days with our friend Ben Hannan. He has a good personality and is easy to work with, both on the ground and in the saddle. His only issue is around cinching. Nothing too difficult but he will look back and try to nip at the person cinching up. He will also move around a bit while the cinch is being tightened. It is something pretty ingrained in him so whoever adopts him will need to continue the…
read moreVideo Update: Stella
Piper and Dottie go to Foster
Dottie Belle and Piper have settled in to their lovely winter foster in Woodinville. They join a darling little farm with dogs, chicken and pigs! Here is a video of Piper meeting the pigs “Ruby” & “Dottie”. https://www.safehorses.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Piper-and-pig.mp4…
read moreTraining and Health Update: Remy
Just before Thanksgiving, Remy had a bit of a setback in his work. Everything had been going smoothly and progressing well. His trainer, Nick Donohue, had reported that he was coming along nicely, was a good citizen in turnout with the herd, and very sweet and gentle on the ground. He might do a bit of ear pinning when asking for the lope but was fine once he was in the gait. That too was improving and nothing Nick was worried about. He thought…
read moreAdoption Announcement: Ben!
SAFE is so excited to announce that Ben’s adoption to long‐time volunteer Lisa G is final! Ben and Lisa have developed an unbelievably strong bond and together have overcome many training obstacles. Ben only had a chance to be a riding horse if someone was willing to take the time and fix the trouble that was deeply rooted in him. Going through this process with Lisa cemented their connection and when he was adopted earlier this year by another…
read moreAdoption Announcment : Orion!
We knew he was a special boy right from the beginning but we never imagined that this “diamond in the rough” would become such a fantastic riding mount. Orion met Roxanne in his final weeks of training with Nick Donohue at Sliver Spade Ranch. He had just completed a little over 60 days of training. Orion was just as Nick had described: athletic, gentle, and uncomplicated to ride. Roxanne had started her search for a riding partner but was open…
read moreAdoption Announcment: Roscoe!
When Roscoe and Teddi arrived at SAFE, they had been mistreated and uncared for quite some time. As they gained weight, the life returned to their eyes showing us that trust can be earned no matter how horrible the past has been. Roscoe had some sort of riding history but from what we could see there was not a lot of formal education. He accepted the saddle but was not a “push button” horse. We had a few people come out to try him but they were…
read moreA Minor Setback for Valor
A few weeks ago, Valor had a stumble coming out of a horse trailer, scraping up both hind legs and lacerating his left front fetlock. The wounds on his hind legs were not the type that could be sutured but would require bandaging, but the fetlock laceration needed veterinary attention. It was a relatively small wound, but it was a flap that would heal best with sutures. Dr. Renner from Rainland came to the farm to treat him. His wounds were…
read moreAmelia Health Update
Amelia has been dealing with loose stool since before her arrival at Safe Harbor Stables. It has been a frustrating trial and error endeavor to try to find the best management option for her. Our vets recommended multiple treatment options, but just when we would start to think we’d found the answer, her loose stool would return. Bloodwork and fecal tests first to rule out anything we could that way, then slow feed changes, first cutting hay…
read moreDecember Volunteer of the Month: Skye Guidotti
SAFE is thrilled to announce our December 2018 Volunteer of the Month, Skye Guidotti. Skye has lived in Seattle for most of her adult life. She remembers falling in love with horses as a child after a memorable pony ride. Her grandfather had horses when she was growing up and she was fortunate to be able to visit his ranch in Oregon and ride his horses. Skye tells a funny story about how her grandfather tricked her parents into getting…
read morePippi Update
Pippi and Asha have settled in well to their foster home for the winter. Their foster family reports that they are both the incredibly social, happy, and well‐behaved horses that we expected they would be. Pippi has matured quite a bit over the last month and has gone from being a nosy baby testing mom’s boundaries to a calm and loving 3 month old filly. Mom and baby both got a visit last week from our farrier, Daphne. Daphne was able to trim…
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