Teddi Sees the Dentist
Teddi’s recent dental was just how we like them – an easy, routine visit with very little that needed addressing. She had just a few sharp edges that needed filing down, and the entire procedure only took a few minutes. Even though Teddi’s dental was entirely…
Tiva: Training and Video Update
Someone once told me that in their experience the Yakima Reservation horses were like trying to tame a “wild cat”. They are flighty, jumpy and in that person’s eyes almost impossible to domesticate. For us, the jury is still out. We have seen now our fair share of…
Edward All Cinched Up
Edward, the skinny, asthmatic horse who arrived at SAFE last fall has been started under saddle. It has been a while since he looked like the gelding we first met – he has seen such dramatic improvement in both his health and his ground manners – and to see him with a…
SuperNova
Nova is a tall drink of water. Or, perhaps a bit more appropriately, a tall drink of soda – something with bubbles, the kind that dance and pop above the glass, sparkly and effervescent. The word ‘coltish’ also springs to mind, certainly due to those long legs of…
Two Men and A Baby
I’ll admit, the title is a bit misleading. But to see new herd-mates Nyx, Montana, and Otto out together, I think it would quickly become apparent to anyone who are the men and who is the baby. A brief description of the herd has – Nyx starring as the benevolent…
Edward, Defanged
Edward, along with the herd mates he arrived at SAFE with, Esme and Jacob, were all named after characters from a certain mid-2000s book series you may be familiar with, featuring vampires and werewolves and rain, oh my! Edward, the horse, was named after Edward, the…
Cramer Gets a Pedicure
We are happy to report that Cramer has successfully had all four hooves trimmed. He was a gem for the farrier and stayed connected to the handler without trouble. He has a kind and thoughtful nature. When he had issues with the hind it was less from being “naughty”…
Training Update: Montana Over Trot Poles
Check out this video of Montana working over trot poles — watch how he goes from rushing over them in the beginning to lengthening his stride and elongating his body towards the end.
Otto is Adopted!
Otto was born to the desert, raised alongside sun-warmed rocks and plump lizards in the wilds of Nevada. He was rounded up, tattooed, and, via some circumstances unknown to us, found his way to Washington. A boy of only three, some of his adult teeth still sitting…
A Bath for Moshi
Being a horse at SAFE means many things: you get fed three times a day (if not more), you always have fresh clean water, you get daily vitamins and minerals, you make new friends on two legs and four, and you learn a whole lot of things. We do our best to prepare our…
Tiva’s Journey, So Far
I’d written an article some months ago documenting Tiva’s journey with the intention of having a video to accompany it, showcasing the immense amount of progress she has made since she first stepped off that trailer over a year ago, snorting and scared. But as it has…
Summertime Bijou
As the days slide along and we begin to cruise into the summer months of long sun and warm weather, as the ground dries up and we ask ourselves ‘mud? What mud?,’ as we open our pastures and slowly introduce our herd to grass, the horses make the transition to living…
Arrow’s First Bath
The first glimpse we had of Arrow was of a slender buckskin horse curled up in the back of a paddock, sternal like a cat in the ‘loaf’ position, watching over his surroundings. He rose slowly, in no hurry to greet us, accepting our invitation to come over and say…
Brave Roy
In my time at SAFE, I’ve learned a thing or two about horses. One of the things I learned is that the majority of them love power tools. If you have to fix a fence or drill in some hardware nearby, even the more timid horses will inquire as to what you are up to. But…
