Introducing Lancelot
Lancelot, along with his 6 other cohorts, were living in squalor in the area outside of Gig Harbor when we picked them up this past May. Lance’s paddock was a mud pit surrounded by broken and bent panels. His only source of water was from a dirty trough, and the ribs…
Alumni Update: Ben
Here’s an update from Ben’s adopter, Lisa G: Uncle Ben, the ever-melty when kids are around. My niece is a horsewoman in the making and helped me muck stalls, feed, and groom! She led both my horses all around the field and Ben was just soooo gentle with her (much…
Training Update: Artie Changing Eyes
Much like watching a plant grow, it is difficult sometimes to see the change in something unless you can clearly see from where you began. Sure, you know it’s different, but how different can be hard to quantify without a comparison. We first met Artie as a untouched…
Training Update: Riding Veronica
Veronica has a mane nearly as long as she is tall, with a forelock that practically tickles her nostrils. On hot days, she loves to splash in her water trough, both front feet fully in and pawing, giving herself a two-for-one pedicure and face wash. She loves a good…
Pen Click Training
Trypanophobia is the fear of needles — and while I’ve yet to meet anyone who is fond of getting poked, some have more of an issue with it than others. The same goes for horses. Some hardly blink. Be it IM or IV, you’d be hard pressed to get a reaction out of our more…
Tanis Continues to Soften
The year is moving right along, and so is Tanis, as she continues to build confidence in herself and trust in people. This time last year, only a couple people could catch this mare; fast forward to this moment, and she loves face pets, has found more comfort and…
Alumni Update: Pyrrha and Valentine
A recent photo of Valentine, on the left, and Pyrrha (Zelda), on the right, on a sunny day after being bathed.
Poppy’s Cool Trick
No, you didn’t miss a chapter: Poppy wears a saddle now. More on that story and process later. But in the meantime, please enjoy this fun little “trick” she learned during the course of her training. This is one smart cookie of a mare. Believe it or not, this was…
Covering Ground(work) with Lance
Wearing a saddle for the first time is not an overnight process. For a horse like Lance, who came to SAFE last May as an unhalterable stallion, that process might be a little longer. But with no timelines in place, Lance is being given all the preparation he needs for…
Blanche’s First Saddling
Blanche has been an ‘easy’ horse from day one. The fact that she allowed us to halter and lead her with some quality right out of the gate put her in a higher percentile than the majority of our intakes. But because we didn’t know a lot about Blanche’s past, we had no…
Champagne is Adopted!
We are breaking out the bubbly, because little Champagne has been adopted! Champagne arrived at SAFE as a very nervous little stallion who was averse to being caught or handled. During his time at SAFE, we spent daily time with him, working to teach him that people…
March Volunteer of the Month: Amelia Savage
Congratulations to Amelia Savage, our March Volunteer of the Month! Since 2019, Amelia has dedicated her time and compassion to SAFE, and she has taken on a very special role within our Safe at Home: Community Assistance program, specifically the Serenity Fund (Humane…
American Trucks Positive Payload Program
We love our truck. It is every much a working member of our barn as the living, breathing individuals who give their time for the horses. It has picked many a horse up from deplorable conditions and helped transport them to their new lives. It has shepherded many…
Volunteer Education: Horse Health
This past Saturday, our volunteers braved the cold to attend a Horse Health class, taught by former SAFE staff member Melinda Couvillion. It was a terrific presentation, and the volunteers who attended learned some very interesting facts about horses (did you know…
