Congratulations to our October Volunteer of the Month, Liz Olver!
SAFE can really only do what we do because of our amazingly generous volunteers! Liz has shown incredible dedication in a variety of areas here at SAFE. In addition to her Tuesday crew, she volunteers for many events, grooming, leaf raking, gift wrapping — just to name a few. Liz does so much and is amazing at all of it! Having been at SAFE for just over 18 months, Liz was a quick learner and soon found many horse friends. She seems to know inherently what the horses are thinking and feeling. At SAFE, Liz has shown incredible dedication and thoughtfulness. She is always learning, asking good questions, puting the horses first and always finding new ways to contribute! We feel incredibly lucky to have Liz here on our team. Thank you Liz for all your hard work. Learn more about Liz below:
“As I brush Sienna, her eyes get soft and her lips quiver and she is in her Zen zone. Then she’ll whip her tail around and I know she is dreaming of being the boss mare of a wild mustang herd and I’m right there with her!”
- Liz
How and when did you first get involved with horses? Do you have one now you want to tell us about?
When I was a kid my uncle in Texas had a cow pony for his small herd of cattle. It was a very sweet horse, and we were taught how to feed it corn without losing our fingers! My own family however moved around a lot when I was a kid. My dad was in the Air Force and then my step dad was in the Army, so we moved about every 2–3 years. Moving around so much made it impractical to have a horse. But my mom would take us trail riding if there was one available near us. And me and my sisters continued trail riding as we got older. More recently, I have a 12-year-old niece who has visited several SAFE open houses and was really wanting to ride. About a month ago I took her to Equine Escapes for her first ride, and she loved it!!
What do you like most about volunteering with SAFE?
I feel like I’m accomplishing something important with a lot of nice people and lovely horses.
Do you have a favorite SAFE horse? If so, why?
I have several favorites: gentle Brandy, feisty Veronica, and funny Theo. But I get to groom Sienna, so she is my number one favorite. When I enter her paddock for grooming, she will head for the sunniest spot. As I brush, her eyes get soft and her lips quiver and she is in her Zen zone. Then she’ll whip her tail around and I know she is dreaming of being the boss mare of a wild mustang herd and I’m right there with her.
What do you do when you are not horsing around with us?
I volunteer at Woodland Park Zoo as a zoo ambassador (I tell people where the bathroom is and why the penguins don’t have ice in their water). I go birding with friends, or the Pilchuck Audubon or The Mountaineers Naturalist group and I also garden.
Do you have family or special people in your life who support your volunteer work?
My family is very supportive. Several of my nieces and their daughters have visited SAFE open houses. One niece helped with the Christmas gift wrap and a grandniece and her boyfriend helped with weed eating. They all also get to hear me go on and on about the horses at SAFE.