Pippi

2018 pinto Grade mare 
Type of Rescue: Born at SAFE to a rescued mare
Intake Date: 9/1/18
Adoption Date: 8/20/21
Length of Time with SAFE:  2 years, 11 months

ADOPTED!! by Jane and Eric

Pippi’s dam Asha was seized by animal control due to neglect and signed over to SAFE in April 2018. Unbeknownst to all of us, Asha was pregnant! We were given no information about the stallion she was bred to, so we don’t know if she was bred intentionally or accidentally. We didn’t even realize she was pregnant until July of 2018, when we noticed that she was getting round in the belly.

Pippi was born at SAFE on September 1, 2018. Although she was the first foal born at SAFE in 10 years, everything went perfectly, and this healthy and happy little girl came into the world with no complications! Pippi grew up in a little herd with two other fillies born at SAFE a month after her along with some wise aunties who helped with her horse manners. She grew up only knowing love and compassion.

 

Alumni Update: Aries, Breve, Checkers and Pippi

Alumni Update: Aries, Breve, Checkers and Pippi 

All four horses, Checkers, Breve, Pippi and Aries were adopted together and are living together on a lovely farm up in Skagit County. They are impeccably cared for, in great health, and are living in ‘horse heaven.’  So wonderful four horses were adopted by the same loving family.

 

Alumni Update: Pippi, Aries, Checkers and Breve

Alumni Update: Pippi, Aries, Checkers and Breve 

All 4 horses were adopted together and are living together on a lovely farm up in Skagit County.  According to our volunteer that visited them, they are impeccably cared for, in great health, and are living in ‘horse heaven.’

Pippi and Aries are Adopted!

Pippi and Aries are Adopted! 

Do you recognize the names Jane and Eric? They adopted Breve and Checkers back in July and now they’ve come back for two more horses, Aries and Pippi! That’s right, Jane and Eric now have their own tiny SAFE herd of four! Our very own Pippi, who was born to a rescue mare, Asha, at SAFE left for her new home just short of two weeks from her third birthday. When they decided to adopt Pippi they knew she’d need a sister and offered a beautiful retirement, light riding home for sweet Aries. So Aries, who was only at SAFE for about 4 months, headed home with her.

Pippi is Growing Up

Pippi is Growing Up 

Pippi is growing up right before our eyes! In the last clinic, Pippi got her first real taste of groundwork. It’s clear that she is quite herd bound and since she’s been surrounded by people her whole life, has little respect for human personal space. During the clinic, Joel called this a “city horse” issue: growing up with so many people loving on her, she not afraid of anyone and thus had no reason to move when asked. This does have its good side since she is VERY gentle to be around, but the downside is she can be dull and needs to learn she could move her feet. If we didn’t help her through this, she could became very dull and upset when we go to ride her and ask her to move out. But alas, all is not lost! The horsemanship work has already started help bring about good changes in this pretty filly. She’ll get there!

She’s growing up to be a stunning horse with lots of “chrome.” She’s a good citizen and a future herd leader for the others. We’re excited to continue to watch her grow and figure life out!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Pippi!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Pippi! 

Happy Birthday to our little homegrown angel Pippi, who turns 2 years old today!

Two years ago today, this gorgeous filly was born right here at Safe Harbor Stables. Her momma, Asha, came to us from an animal control seizure, and no one had the slightest idea she was pregnant until she recovered from starvation and kept on gaining weight! Asha kept us on our toes for about four weeks thinking she was going into labor, and Pippi was born healthy and happy on the evening of Sept 1, 2018. 

Pippi has another year of growing up before we start her under saddle, but her groundwork training in preparation for riding will be ramping up very soon. Pippi is a bold, confident youngster who is friendly, fun, and quite striking. We are so grateful to all the SAFE supporters who have made it possible for us to keep this filly in our care while she is growing up, so that we can ensure her to best possible future. Happy birthday dear Pippi!! We sure love you!!

Thank you to Kristina Oden for the birthday pics, and Jessica Farren for the baby photos.

The Young Ladies at Play

The Young Ladies at Play 

They grow up so fast! Here are Nova, Rae, and Pippi at play, with Cassidy tagging along.

thank you to Dirtie Dog Photography for these gorgeous photos!

Pippi’s New Photos 

And Just Like That, They’re Yearlings!

And Just Like That, They’re Yearlings! 

It’s hard to believe that our three resident bundles of joy were born over a year ago! Nova, Rae, and Pippi have blossomed into beautiful young ladies, full of life and personality. We have enjoyed watching them grow and are looking forward to seeing what their futures hold. They’re leading well and standing patiently (usually) for their vet and farrier visits. They still have some “baby antics” that they use to try to see if they can get away with things, but they all seem very smart and figure things out quickly.

The trio are ready to fly the coop for now, and we’ll be sending them to foster soon where they can continue to grow up and learn how to be horses. Our current setup is not ideal with the number of volunteers we have that need to work around them in their pasture daily. The girls could gain bad habits from accidental reinforcement of pushy behavior, so we want to minimize that possibility. We have a foster home picked out and we just need to finalize a few things before sending them away to grow up.

It’ll be difficult to say goodbye, even though we know it’s only temporary. We’ve gotten used to being able to watch them grow up in our own backyard, so not seeing them every day will be a little sad at first. But it’s for the best, and we know they’ll enjoy their new place. Assuming all goes to plan, we’ll bring them back in about a year and a half to begin groundwork and working toward starting them under saddle.

The Babies are Growing Up!

The Babies are Growing Up! 

It’s hard to believe how fast our little foals are growing up. It seems like just yesterday that they were trying to figure out how their legs work. Today they are three confident, adventurous, happy-go-lucky fillies who are ready to take on the world. And they’ve finally grown into those long legs.

All three babies have now finished their series of initial vaccines, had a few visits from the farrier, and know how to lead. They are enjoying being turned out in their large paddock 24/7, and they’re learning valuable lessons in equine behavior from their Aunt Renee and Aunt Angel. Renee teaches them boundaries and body language. Angel teaches them about kindness. And together, Angel and Renee teach lessons in herd dynamics and what it means to be a good friend.

We have enjoyed getting to know their little personalities. Each of them is an individual and very different from the other two. Pippi is the clear leader of the baby pack. She is the most confident of the three foals when it comes to exploring new things and meeting new horses. Renee is doing a good job of keeping her in line, as she does get a little pushy with the other horses. Pippi and Angel have become very close friends. You’ll often find the two of them snuggled up close and sharing a haynet.

Nova is darling. She’s tall and beautiful, just like her mom. She has a sweet, dainty personality and enjoys people, although she can be leery of new things at first. Out of the three babies she is the least self-assured and that’s how it’s been since the day she was born. But her confidence is growing. She’ll stand quietly to have her feet trimmed, she’s leading well, and she tolerates being dewormed (preferably if it’s followed by applesauce).

Rae is as cool as they come. She’s easygoing about everything, loves everyone, gets along great in a herd, and has a very laid back outlook on life. Nothing seems to bother her too much. She has her mother’s gentle nature and enjoys human interaction. It took Rae a while longer than the others to fully shed her baby fuzz, and for a while she was the “very cute but kind of goofy looking” one. But today she is a stunning, dark, shiny filly. She’s the smallest of the three, and we do not expect her to reach the same mature height as her 15.2hh dam.

Raising three foals has been a laborious, expensive journey, and it’s definitely not something we would have chosen to do if this situation hadn’t been handed to us already in the works. But these babies have been delightful additions, and we look forward to seeing what kinds of horses they grow up to be.

Angel keeping watch over one of her charges

Pretty Nova!

Cutie pie Rae

Three Weaned Babies

Three Weaned Babies 

It took some work and a fair amount of brainstorming, but we weaned all three babies over the course of about a week and a half. First Nova, then Rae, and finally Pippi. Even though Pippi is two months older than Nova and Rae, we opted to wean her last based on herd dynamics, the personalities of all the mares involved, and space available. Each of the weanings was relatively uneventful, and the little amount of drama that accompanied each one was over within an hour or two (with Nova’s weaning there wasn’t much fuss at all). Pippi seemed to take it the hardest, but having her new buddies Rae and Nova there for comfort made a big difference. Nova seemed more upset about losing her aunt Mina than she was about being separate from her own mother.

The three fillies are now hanging out with matriarchs Angel and Renee. They’ll be learning lessons about how to be a horse from these ladies who have been there and done that. At some point in the near future we’ll send them to foster where they’ll be able to grow up in a quiet place with room to romp, and we’ll bring them back when they’re 2‑year olds to start introducing them to groundwork in preparation for becoming riding horses. For now, though, we are happy to have them right where they’re at because they’re a constant source of amusement. No doubt about it, though, raising babies is a lot of work!

Sunshine!

Sunshine! 

It’s hard to believe that just over a month ago it was 13 degrees at Safe Harbor Stables, and this week the thermostat is hitting 80! The horses are enjoying it tremendously and taking every chance they can to sun bathe.

The downside to this beautiful weather is that horses still wearing their winter coats can dehydrate quickly when it’s hot outside. We’ve been keeping a close eye on ours to make sure they aren’t getting overheated. Provide access to fresh, clean water for your horses at all times–and monitor to make sure they’re actually drinking it.

Welcome, Spring! We’re all happy to see you.

 

The more things change…

The more things change… 

Another visit with Pippi and Asha at their foster home: look at our ever-changing baby!

Pippi Update

Pippi 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 all 4 of Pippi’s feet with no restraint and without fuss. Such a good little baby! With sweet Asha as her mom, it’s no surprise that Pippi is turning out to have such a pleasant demeanor. And look at the beautiful color she’s turning!

Why are there foals at SAFE?

Why are there foals at SAFE? 

Why are there foals at SAFE right now? Because this year, we rescued three mares who were pregnant. We have not changed our stance against breeding, nor did we have anything whatsoever to do with the breeding of these mares.

One of the three mares, Asha, came from an Animal Control seizure in which she and another mare were removed from a situation of neglect and starvation. Her foal was born Sept 1, so she was likely bred in October 2017. This mare was seized by Animal Control on Jan 30, 2018 and was signed over to SAFE on April 15, 2018. 

The other two mares, Luna and Mina, came from a large band of 21 horses (including 9 stallions) who were roaming free on a property that was foreclosed upon and resold. These mares gave birth on Nov 1 and Nov 3, which means they were bred in December 2017. We were brought in by Animal Control to help disperse this herd in April 2018. Because they were exposed to stallions, we had to assume that all the mares in the herd were pregnant when we took them, and this was confirmed by veterinarians after they were rescued.

Furthermore, whenever we intake a colt or stallion, that animal is gelded as soon as it is physically possible to do so, and usually before the horse even comes to our farm. The only intact stallion to ever set foot on our farm in Redmond was Valor. He was gelded on August 9, 2017.

So, to recap:

1) SAFE does not breed horses
2) SAFE does not keep intact colts or stallions
3) SAFE does, however, rescue pregnant mares

If you or anyone you know has questions about SAFE and the work we are doing, please ASK. We operate 100% in the public eye, so if there’s something you’re curious or concerned about, just ask. It’s that simple.

Now let’s get back to enjoying those beautiful babies!

Changes 

Check out miss Pippi! Apparently she is NOT going to be a light colored chestnut pinto…her winter coat is coming in dark! It leaves her looking a little comical.

Pippi and Asha will be spending the next several months at a lovely nearby foster home, where they can enjoy a sizeable pasture and great care. We’ll miss having them here at Safe Harbor Stables, but we’ll be visiting them a lot and sending updates. And we have two more foals on the way…

If you missed it, please check out our Foal to Four page. It details the costs involved in raising a foal an age where it can be ridden and enjoyed. The numbers might surprise you! Babies are expensive, which is why we recommend looking at an older horse who is ready to go, like the many horses available for adoption at SAFE.

We did have a few people ask if we’d consider adopting out Asha and Pippi together, especially since the cost of raising Pippi to adulthood is so high. There are a few reasons why we’re reluctant to doing that, unless the absolutely perfect opportunity came along:

Number one, we are wary of placing any of our horses into homes before they have been started under saddle. In the past, we have adopted out unstarted horses, to people who promised that when the time came, they would make certain that the horse received good training to develop it as a riding horse. Why is this important? It’s important because for the most part, rescues like SAFE don’t end up taking in very many well-broke, well behaved horses. We get the horses who have never received a day of training in their lives, the ones who don’t understand concepts like “personal space” or “making good choices.” Horses who cannot be ridden or who have terrible manners on the ground are more likely to end up in a rescue than the ones who get a solid education. So it’s important to us to ensure that every horse who leaves SAFE is leaving with an education, and is ready to be an enjoyable partner to their adopter. We’ve adopted out babies in the past whose new owners did right by them and provided training and good handling. We’ve also had horses returned to us, much older than when they left, still knowing next to nothing about how to be a good horse. As a result, we are very cautious when it comes to adopting out babies, unless we are completely confident that the adopter will follow through.

And number two, we have big plans for Asha too, and they don’t include being a baby mommy again. Once Pippi is weaned, Asha will return to our Horsemanship program and continue the work we started before we found out how pregnant she was. We envision a future for her in which she’s valued for her personality, her athleticism, and her spirit. Not her uterus. Again, a perfect opportunity might come along for us to consider, but unless that happens, we want to write a new story for Asha, one that doesn’t include the word “broodmare.”

So, that’s the reason. Always glad to answer questions and hear suggestions from our supporters!

 

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Pippi Update

Pippi Update 

It’s hard to believe how quickly time flies when we look at our little Pippi! It seems like just yesterday she was a wobbly little bundle of legs, gangling awkwardly around the foaling stall. She appears to be growing before our eyes and is exploring her world like a big girl, imitating mom by trying to nibble hay and drink from the water trough.

Pippi has blossomed into an outgoing little girl and has quite the inquisitive nature. She isn’t afraid of much, and she lets us handle her without fuss. She quickly learned that a brush feels really good, and when Asha gets groomed she nuzzles right up to take her turn. She recently had her first interaction with our barefoot farrier, Daphne. Pippi was enthralled by watching her mom get trimmed, and she let Daphne rasp her little feet without even having a halter on or anyone holding her.

Asha has been a wonderful mom. From the moment she laid eyes on her baby, she knew exactly what to do to best take care of her. She graciously lets us handle Pippi whenever we need to. She gives Pippi the freedom to explore, but always keeps an eye on her to make sure she stays safe. Asha has handled this whole baby situation like a pro, which makes us think that she may have done it before. Either that, or she has incredibly strong instincts.

Our vets have given both Pippi and Asha a clean bill of health. Our next step is to begin the halter training process. Once she’s had some time gaining a basic understanding of being led, she and Asha will go to a foster home where Pippi will be able to have space and freedom to learn about being a horse. We’ll bring them both back when it is time to wean her at about 6 months of age. It will be hard to say “Goodbye for now,” but she’ll be nearby and we will be able to see her regularly and manage her growing process from just a few miles away.

Happy Birthday Pippi! 

Last night at 10:35pm, we welcomed a new life into the world. Asha gave birth to a lovely and long-legged chestnut Tobiano filly. The delivery was straight forward and uncomplicated, and mom and baby are both doing very well. Here are some photos taken today by Jessica Farren:

Pippi’s First Day Outdoors 

Pippi and Asha ventured outside for the first time today. Pippi seemed to love this new adventure, running circles around her mom and exploring the pasture. She’s such a little cutie pie, and so full of life!

Photos by Jessica Farren

First Photos of Pippi 

photos by Jessica Farren Photography