
Reflecting on Our Time with Buck Brannaman
As I sit here reflecting on the past two incredible weeks of learning from Buck Brannaman, I am filled with gratitude. To paraphrase Buck from the last day of the Ellensburg clinic, “In my life, I don’t know if I have been lucky, but I sure know that I have been…

Gals Being Pals
Nova and Harissa have been sharing a fence line for a while now, but recently became officially introduced out in their grass backyard. Neither of these girls are a stranger to herd dynamics, so there was very little fanfare as they established the hierarchy (Harissa…

Alumni Update: Tilt (Korra)
Tilt (now Korra) recently celebrated her birthday and adoption day! Adopter Julie wrote: Fourth of July is far more important here in Santa Fe. Happy birthday and adoption day to Korra (Tilt)!! One of the sweetest souls I’ve had the privilege to meet.

Welcome, Mahina!
Meet Mahina (pronounced muh-hee-na), which means “moon” in Hawaiian. She’s a striking mare with exceptionally long legs, almost jet black in color, adorned with a white star, two matching white ankle socks on her hind legs, and a white front right pastern. Based on…

July Volunteer of the Month: Miranda Cannon
Congratulations to Miranda Cannon, our July Volunteer of the Month! Since September 2021, Miranda has been dedicated to improving the lives of SAFE horses. Her kindness, dedication, and uplifting spirit are invaluable to her Friday morning team, and we are especially…

Alumni Update: Kelly
SAFE Volunteers, Debbie M and Anne H, had the pleasure of visiting with Kelly and her extended family during a recent alumni check at her Steven’s Animal Sanctuary home in Enumclaw, WA. This is what Debbie had to say about Kelly and their visit: “I never saw Miss…

Theo is Growing!
The little mark we made on the proverbial wall above Theo’s wither back in January is no longer accurate. He has officially graduated from a 13-hand horse to a 14-hand horse. Sure, maybe he just went from 13.3 to 14.0, but an inch is an inch. Plus, his high little…

SAFE Mini Horse Ambassadors Doing Their Thing
Penned by Best Buddy to Shasta and Sunny The SAFE mini horse ambassadors, Shasta and Sunny D, recently were invited to visit the Fairwinds-Redmond Retirement Community, along with their SAFE Volunteer handlers, Jackie L and Debbie M. One of the many things they…

Joel Conner Horsemanship Clinic
Aug 15–17
More info >
Open House and Tack Sale
Sept 27 from 12–3pm
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Alumni Update: Bridget
A SAFE alumni volunteer provided this update on Bridget after a recent visit. Bridgit is so sweet. She followed us everywhere and wants to be patted and be the center of attention. Her pasture buddy is Oreo, a mini horse. Oreo prefers not to be patted but be seen from…

Tiva Marie
Tiva’s middle name is Louise. Or Marie, depending on the day and who you ask. Both roll off the tongue, and neither are serious, their function purely decorative. Typically a middle name is invoked when the subject is misbehaving (i.e., ‘Tiva Marie, don’t you look so…

Alumni Update: Jollie (Libby)
Libby, formerly Jollie, has a very good life. She has a mare friend and both are happy and healthy. Their pasture is lovely, Mike has made a pasture paradise for them allowing for them to get exercise and have managed grazing of green grass. He hand walks Libby in…

Sweet Zuri
From where she lounges in her shelter, Zuri hears the rattle of the gate chain as it un-clips to let you in. She greets you with a nicker, perhaps wondering if you’ve brought her a mash, or a flake of hay, or a hand capable of a scratch on the neck. Zuri is like one…

Alumni Update: Tess (Purty Girl)
Kelly has decided to retire Purty (formerly Tess) from riding after she started limping after riding her again recently. Purty is content being on her own and isn’t bothered when the other two horses are taken out to a show.

Week in Review: October 7 — 11
What happened last week? A lot, as per usual. Theo got on his first pair of shoes, and a whole bunch of other horses had their hooves trimmed as well. We had the last of our pop-up tack sales, and the minis went to not one but two events! Many horses got their usual…