Veronica
2015 Yakima Reservation mare
Suitability: For Advanced Rider (green horse)
Color: chestnut
Markings: blaze
Height: 14.2 hh
Weight: 730 lbs
Adoption Fee: $3500 (will increase with training)
Veronica is one of 24 wild Yakima Reservation horses seized in December 2019 by King County Sheriff’s Office, in cooperation with Regional Animal Services of King County and SAFE. This once incredibly nervous, flighty mare has really made a huge transformation after many, many hours spent in our training program, and these days Veronica is one of the most gentle horses (on the ground) currently at SAFE. Veronica has received a great start under saddle, and grows softer and more confident with each ride. She will make a lovely riding horse for the right person.
In her off time, Veronica enjoys rolls in the dirt, napping with her herd, and kicking up her heels.
All SAFE horses are adopted with a no-breeding clause, no exceptions.
SAFE at Buck
Buck Brannaman is headed to Washington for the next two weekends, and the SAFE horses will be joining him at his clinics in Spanaway and Ellensburg. This is a great opportunity for the horses to get experience off-property while furthering their education with a phenomenal horseman.
Come see:
Esme, 2015 Yakima Reservation mare, at Spanaway and Ellensburg
Jupiter, 2017 AQHA gelding, at Spanaway and Ellensburg
Edward, 2014 Yakima Reservation gelding, at Spanaway and Ellensburg
Veronica, 2015 Yakima Reservation mare, at Spanaway
Moshi, 2016 pony mare, at Spanaway
Barb, 2019 Yakima Reservation mare, at Ellensburg
Artie, 2013 Yakima Reservation gelding, at Ellensburg
Tiva, 2011 Yakima Reservation mare, at Ellensburg
Auditors welcome, $30/day
Spanaway dates are June 21–23 at the Tacoma Unit, Horsemanship 1 from 9–12 & Horsemanship 1.5 from 1:30–4:30
Ellensburg dates are June 28–30 at the Rodeo Grounds of the Kittitas Event Center, Foundations from 9–12 & Horsemanship 1 from 1:30–4:30
You can find out more information on Buck’s site: https://brannaman.com/bb-clinic-si.html
Off-Roading with Veronica
Veronica has been making all kinds of strides recently, from venturing off-site to spending more and more time riding out in the big arena. But what she hasn’t quite done yet is go out on the trails. One of the first baby steps we take with the horses to gear them up for walks outside of the confines of an arena setting is to go for a ride around the property. It’s a great way to dip our toes in the water while still maintaining a fairly controlled environment.
Veronica did very well on her “trail ride.” Esme led the way on foot to provide horse-support, but with Terry supporting her from the saddle, Veronica felt relaxed and mellow plodding along the road. Hopefully this will be the first of many rides outside for our brave Veronica!
Ferrari for Sale
The title is a bit misleading, but Veronica and a sports car do have quite a bit in common: flashy, sensitive, and one heck of a ride. With each ride a tune-up, Veronica gets better and better under saddle. On a loose rein, Veronica is going beautifully walk trot lope, and she is spending more and more time in a soft feel these days. Veronica has been off property now, and has participated in several on-site riding clinics. She also recently went for a walk around the property in preparation for more adventures outside the confines of an arena.
Veronica is a soft, but very sensitive, mare. Her adopter at this point will need to be someone with enough skill and confidence with green horses to help continue to bring her along, and support Veronica when she needs it. But that person will find a very willing and special mare with a ton of potential.
Internal beauty aside, Veronica is also a stunner. The best hair of any horse on the property, by far. She is friendly, always greeting you at the gate, and is one of the most gentle horses to handle on the ground, enough that she is often used as a model for instructing volunteers how to lead and groom. Veronica is a perfect girl for the farrier, and is always very brave for the vet.
This mare is really something special, and we are certain that she is going places — the only question now is, will you be going with her?
March Joel Conner Clinic Report: Veronica
What a fun little sports car riding horse Veronica has become, we should call her our little red Miata! She was very well behaved throughout the recent clinic. We worked a lot on improving her hindquarters and true unified walk. When she gets in balance, the trot and canter work feel stronger, and she has a ton of power pushing from behind and over her topline. She has always been a show stopper with her long beautiful mane, but now people are seeing more than just a pretty face.
Again, Joel had praise for her softness and potential. It is truly a feat that we were able to turn this wild girl into a riding horse. It is great to have a horse in our riding program with so much life to offer. Our clinics give us a good check up to make sure we are on the right track and continue to progress. She still requires a very attentive rider to help keep her out of trouble and free from getting tight or braced up when external energy arises.
Recently, good changes have been carrying over to the next day in regards to her issues of changing eyes, especially to the right. She is getting more confident and holding the right flexion for longer periods of time. Her tendency has been to snap her head back to check out her left side and it takes some amount of work to help her relax and keep right. A big part of the progress has been getting her whole body to wrap around the rider’s inside leg. When she feels the confidence to move her body to the left while looking to the right, her body turns loose and she becomes balanced and soft. Yes, we have been working on this from day one, but part of the battle was safely staying on her and not having setbacks due to her fear. Now that she is more comfortable with a rider, we can go back and clean up some of the work such as more quality hindquarters and freedom in moving her rib cage both left and right.
We all are taking a big sigh of relief that she is making it as a riding horse. Veronica is very talented, and for a soft, confident, and supportive rider, she will make a great partner. She has a pleasing head set and becomes very soft in self-carriage and with time, she is going to move up the levels easily. To say she’ll be a show stopper is an understatement.
Transformations
Gradual change can be difficult to see, especially when what you have in front of you is almost impossibly different than what once was. Below is a quick before and after of a few SAFE horses, and their nearly unbelievable transformations over the years at SAFE.
Veronica came to SAFE in 2019 as part of the Fall City 40. Back then, she was essentially feral, thin as a rail and with her long luscious mane twisted into a snarl. Her wariness and sense of self-preservation was strong and long-lasting, and it was difficult to imagine that she would ever be truly gentle, let alone ‘make it’ as a riding horse. And yet, here we are in 2024, where Veronica has been under saddle for going on two years now. That sensitivity still exists within her and likely always will to some degree, but through the support of a strong rider, Veronica has been able to make her way out of the arena and even off the property. Her transformation has been immense and incredible.
Artie was also part of the Fall City 40 seizure. A stallion at the time of his rescue, he lived in the covered round pen during his early days at SAFE while work was done to gentle him, as there was a good chance he would have broken free from the confines of a regular paddock. Artie was also one with a high degree of self-preservation, accustomed to having to look over his shoulder in order to protect his band of mares. Even after a tremendous amount of prep work, his first saddling was explosive, and had us rethinking if it was worth it for him, or for us, to continue the journey of making him a riding horse. But now, several years later, Artie is nearly unrecognizable as the gentle, intermediate riding horse he has become.
Edward was surrendered back in 2021, with severe respiratory issues that left him in need of substantial medical attention. With such poor lung function, whatever calories should have been going to his nourishment were instead being used to keep him breathing, leaving him very thin in addition to being unhealthy. He was a nervous guy, in turns pushy and flighty, and aside from the hurdle of restoring him to good health, there was a great deal that he needed as far as training was concerned. But these days, Edward is almost completely unrecognizable in more way than one, and in search for his forever home.
Pepper was another Fall City 40 mare, also tremendously emaciated and practically wild. While her demeanor was perhaps more mellow than some others mentioned here, it still takes a lot to take a horse from a bag of wild bones and help them grow into a healthy, domestic creature. These days, Pepper is one of the safest SAFE horses, and a living reminder of what change looks like.
Field Trip to Bridle Trails
Winter Washington weather (say that five times fast) does not often conjure visions of sunshine and blue skies. But every so often, the metaphorical stars align to grace us with a January or February day that feels more akin to early summer.
Such was the luck we had for our first off-property excursion of 2024, a trip down the road to Bridle Trails state park. We loaded eight horses into the trailers: Alums Owen and Fancy accompanied current SAFE horses Artie, Veronica, Pepper, Tiva, Violet, and Edward. For the majority of the horses in attendance, it was the first time they had been away from SAFE since their arrivals, though you might not have guessed it by how coolly they greeted their new surroundings.
We unloaded horses and tack, and brought everything and one to one of the park’s arenas. There, we helped the horses settle into the new space through a combination of exploratory walk-and-sniffs (turns out, white vinyl fencing is snort-worthy) and groundwork. The time it took for each horse to settle varied some, though no one was particularly unsettled to begin with. Soon, everyone was cinched up, and we followed the sun into an adjacent arena.
All the horses currently going under saddle (meaning everyone aside from Tiva) had at least one, if not two or three, rides that sunny Saturday afternoon. Faced with strangers walking alongside the arena, some shepherding very interested dogs or children, as well as a stop-and-start parade of mounted riders heading out to the adjacent trails, our modest herd did tremendously well. They were able to find support in their humans when it was required, but for the most part handled the new environment and wide open arena space with level-headed grace. The countless hours that had led up to this point for each of them helped to make the entire outing hugely successful, and check some major boxes for our horses.
After several hours under saddle, basking in the sunshine and the glow of a very productive afternoon, we untacked the horses and grabbed our snack bags, retiring to a shady spot to allow for a physical and mental cooldown slash lunch break. The horses shook out their coats while they sniffed at our sandwiches, taking sips from the water buckets we’d brought as we all rehydrated for the short drive home. One stud muffin each was in order, the equivalent of your dad stopping for ice cream at the end of a road trip. Then, we loaded our tack and our horses, and headed back for SAFE in time for afternoon hay.
Though it takes some work logistically, we plan to take the horses off-site multiple other times this year, be it to clinics or for more casual adventures like our trip to Bridle Trails. We could not be more proud of the SAFE horses, and extend our thanks and gratitude to the humans who helped them, and continue to help them, in all stages of their journeys.
Check out a little glimpse of our day below:
Q1 Report Card: Veronica
Beginning this year, we have developed and implemented a horse ‘report card’ to be able to chart how a horse is progressing with their training, be it on the ground or under saddle. The intention is to check in with each member of the herd on a quarterly basis in an in-depth way. While we interact with all of our horses to some degree on the daily — from grooming to riding and all the ways in between — there are certain boxes that are often left unchecked until the need arises. Sure, that horse is great for saddling, but can you temp them? Yes, they’re good when you pick their feet, but do they behave for longer holding periods with the farrier? All of this information helps us track where the horse is at so we know how best to represent them to adopters, if they’re at that level, and lets us know where their training needs the most attention. It is also a time to set goals for the next quarter, and get a baseline for a horse to evaluate their rate of change.
Here you can see the first draft of this report card and part of the review process for Veronica, one of the first horses we evaluated.
Health & Feeding:
- Veronica was looking a little slimmer than we wanted as we headed into winter, so we upped her feed. She’s at a good weight now (if anything, looking a little bit crestier than we’d like) so we’ll lower her back down to about 1.5–2% of her body weight.
- Veronica has historically struggled with loose stool. November 2023, we started her on a 50/50 grain-hay diet, which our vets recommend for horses with diarrhea when other options are not showing results. Since the diet change, she has been doing great.
- Veronica’s feet need a bit more careful management than some others. She has had a deep central sulcus in the past. We treat for this using Artimud in her sulcus / collateral grooves to help combat thrush, and when they have been especially deep have packed them with ‘Hoof Stuff.’
Additional notes:
Veronica is a sensitive mare, needs more support than some. She is aware of environmental changes and potentially reactive to new environmental factors.
- You have to establish understanding of what the flag (or stimulus) means, but once it is established then she gets it.
- This establishment has to happen at the beginning of each new session. The time it takes for her to gain understanding is typically not long, but she does need a reminder each time.
- Ready to leave once stopped on the hind. Won’t just stand, feels the need to move off.
- When she gets troubled, she wants to put you back on the left eye, doesn’t like you on the right.
- A little bit of a spot in under her chin that might be related to a lingering fear of things in her blind spot — leading by a front is hindered by this, mostly just on the right.
- Misinterprets stimulus — things waving behind her while driving can bother her. Still needs work with changing eyes.
- Doesn’t quite pet to a stop yet, slows but doesn’t fully stop. Likely better in more constant work.
- Sensitive under saddle like she is on the ground — lively and ready to go.
Playful Veronica
Horses are, for the most part, rather boring to watch most of the time (c’mon horse people, you know that objectively, it’s true). When they are not eating, be it at a hay box or with their heads dipped out on pasture, they are usually just standing around. Occasionally they will go down for a roll, or for a more extended period of time to take a little nap. But when you think of a horse in passing, you likely just imagine it standing in a field, not moving much.
Veronica is an exception to this rule. At any point during the day (meal times not included), if you spend more than a few seconds with your eyes trained at her paddock, you will find that she is flexing that athleticism of hers in one way or another.
“Why are Veronica’s blankets always so filthy?” we ask during the muddy rainy seasons, noting how she has transformed yet another green or blue or checkered red into crusty, thick brown. But watch her for a little while and see how gracefully she goes down for a roll (note the absolutely disgusting spot she chooses to do so, as well), and also how she makes it over from one side to the other with ease.
“Why are Veronica’s blankets ripped?” we ask during the same season, lamenting yet another rainsheet bound for the tailor (feel free to address any size 66 turnouts to one Veronica SAFE, for she has become death, destroyer of blankets). But watch – she’s kicking up her heels, running after Pepper who is decidedly less enthused about her playmate’s voracious appetite for fun. It may be that Pepper is causing the rips and tears in Veronica’s sheets, but she is not doing so unprompted. Veronica does attempt to engage Sienna in play on occasion, but Sienna definitely falls more on the ‘standing around’ side of the spectrum.
If there are horses running amok in their paddocks nearby, it is likely that the spike in energy stemmed from Veronica’s cavorting about. There is no question that Veronica derives great pleasure from a romp, and while she does spend time standing around like a typical horse, she sure is entertaining to watch. If Veronica had a theme song, it would likely be “girls just want to have fun!”
November Clinic Report: Frosting, Wren, Veronica, Artie, Esme
We finished off 2023’s training program horsemanship clinics on a high note. The incredible dedicated volunteers were like a well-oiled machine over the intensive five days. Wednesday and Thursday, we got our hands on 21 SAFE horses! From the barely haltered to those loping out on loose reins in the arena and some starting leg-yields and counter canter.
I had the pleasure of working 5 horses during the 3‑day clinic. I joyfully started every morning with a smile on my face and sweet nuzzles from our dear Frosting. This year she has been growing and for much of the summer was sadly in a very “ugly duckling” phase. I felt that she lacked the growth and physical maturity to really get on the “payroll”. I would pull her out a few times a month, dust off the groundwork and do a short ride. Each time she picked right off where I left her and felt good about letting her have time to grow.
This weekend she felt great! While I still think she needs time to fill out and muscle up into a riding horse, she felt ready to play with the big kids in class. We worked for about half of the class on building and keeping life, balance and freedom in her movement. She was a willing partner with a good expression and a ton more focus than we had earlier this year. I finished with her in the round pen with quick ride each day. The work we did in class helped these rides immensely. She had a good amount of life and checked off all the boxes quickly. She is going to be a nice pleasure horse for someone. She is a very willing, a kind hearted and well-behaved young mare.
For the second half of the morning ground work class, I took our recently started Wren. This special mare is hands down one of the nicer horses to come in this year and going to become a great riding partner. She has a ton of try and after working on freeing up her feet, she is becoming confident and relaxed. I can see the horse she will become and let me tell you, I like her! She will be sensitive and have a good amount of life as well as being a brave and willing partner.
I was very impressed with her changes throughout all 5 days of work. The last day Joel really helped her get her legs underneath herself and showed her how balanced and relaxed she could feel when she engaged her hind. He is remarkable with the horses and it was impressive to watch her transformation. After class I took her each day to the round pen for a short ride. We got some great changes and I could feel her each ride pick right up where we left off the day before. If she keeps this trajectory, she will likely become one of my favorite horses to ride at SAFE. It is said that the last horse you started is always your best and better than the ones before. I am grateful for all the horse that have taught me over the years. It is nice to see all the lessons they gave me, now helping Wren.
In the riding portion of class, I took in Veronica, Artie and Esme. I am literally jumping up and down with excitement for all three of these horses. Each one of them have come so far in the last year of riding.
Starting in June 2022 when Joel visited he would put a few rides on Veronica. I still remember feeling trepidatious when he handed me the reins in the fall and said she’s yours now. A lot of responsibility was transferred to me that day and with-it the stress to not mess her up! This week, I started calling her my war horse. SHE WAS SO BRAVE!! Anyone who has watched and followed her during her tenure at SAFE will agree, we were never 100% sure we could help gentle her, let alone if she was going to make it as a riding horse. She was up there as one of the hardest mares to come out of the Fall City Forty herd. There were many days that I thought she was going to come running through the panels and hurt herself. Her instinct to run away from anything and everyone was very strong. Today, she is one of the easiest horses for our volunteers to catch and lead. And in this clinic, her first riding experience with 14 other horses in the arena, she was a STAR.
The first day the wind and rain decided to not play nice. We had gusts of wind making roof insulation flap above our heads and leaves on the ground suddenly without warning flying towards us with. It would have been very acceptable for her to be nervous or jump, heck I even looked at the craziness around us and shook my head. She was a rock! I felt safe and confident that she was carrying me and that she trusted me, not only to keep her out of danger, but that we were a team. I love all of our horses, but I can say honestly, I really like the horse Veronica has become. I know that part of our success is the hours of relationship and trust we have built. I hope in the months to come to help her explore more of the riding world and introduce her to her future family. Joel said that he liked the freedom in her movement which is a great compliment for the tight and flighty mare we started last year.
Artie is done being called a slow poke! This clinic he showed us all that he has a GO button now! What a flashy pony he is becoming. We jumped into the riding class about half way through and he seamlessly fit right into the group. He was very punctual in his responses and his gaits started to open up. I asked Joel to help walk me through supporting him in backing circles to the right. This has been a sticky area and I wanted to make sure I was helping him correctly. Joel helped me work him through it by freed his feet up backing straight and timing up a release when he could hold the right flexion. Artie still has some rough spots like this where the wild man we took in shows up. I am very mindful how quickly things could go wrong if he didn’t have a confident rider. He can still get wide eyed at new things and takes an experienced rider to support him. But I know he is worth the effort! Just a year under saddle and feeling like he is path from here is bright. It is wonderful to see this once difficult stud turn into a gentleman gelding. He is making steady progress and really is a hoot to ride.
Lastly, I brought Esme out to work the last day of the clinic. She had two days off and as expected was a bit tight in the beginning but after some good ground work settled into the ride. After a year of riding, Esme is still very tight mare. She is like a little ball of energy and it has been a struggle to get her to fully relax and unwind. She has a very curious and has a genuine kindness about her but when in a bind she still feels trapped and become anxious. Out of all the horses I am working right now, she is the tightest. We get along but if something externally grabs her attention, she is not quick to relax. The biggest help has been on working on her feeling free to move which helps her letting down. When she relaxes, you can see her strides lengthen and her movement less balled up.
She isn’t the most troubled or difficult horse but I do have to manage the rides and support her to unwind. There is zero filling in for the rider and she would not give a young or novice rider any confidence. I was pleased that during our ride she was following my line nicely and finished comfortably at the end of the ride with a lovely walk, trot, lope and stop on a loose rein feeling of me. I trust that with the tools we have now she is going to make it. She will just take a bit longer to become the relaxed ride most adopters need. Hopefully with some good work put in this winter, others at SAFE can start riding her and she can maintain relaxation.
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 roll (the length and severity of which corresponds directly to how clean she was just beforehand), and playing around with her friends (she has become quite the boss of little Frosting).
She is also coming along, slowly but surely, under saddle. From that initial saddling where she was practically climbing into the rafters, to those first fractious rides, Veronica has always been one we expected to be a bit more challenging to bring along. And while it will likely be a while still before she is ready to hit the trails, she has really transformed into a soft little riding horse, these days in the round pen out in the big arena.
Check out one of her more recent rides below:
Veronica’s Tarp Journey
Where do ‘grandma’s horses’ come from, what are their origins? Just as all grandmas were once young women, some surely more wild than others, such must be the same for the horses who earn this moniker.
Continuing the metaphor, on the ground, Veronica is closer to middle-age. Not quite ready for grandma, but with that in sight. She is, these days, quite easy to catch and lead. She stands well for grooming all over and tolerates long braiding sessions, she’s cooperative with the farrier, and she no longer considers a blanket as something that might very well eat her. She went from a practically feral horse, skittish and shy, to one we use to teach newer volunteers how to be around horses.
But under saddle, Veronica is in the earliest phase of the grandma’s horse pipeline, the amount of life she has terrifyingly electric in her veins. The touch of a rope against her hocks is still sometimes enough to send her into a tizzy, that sense of self preservation which exists in her fighting against all the tools we have tried to instill. But we believe in Veronica. She has made such astounding progress already, it just will take a while longer before she’s ready for the grandkids.
Aside from our standard groundwork, we are trying to excavate any and all hidden spots in Veronica, and help her find comfort through moving her feet, even in situations that might spark fear. Recently, a lot of work has been done with Veronica and a tarp – such an innocuous object, but one whose terror really knows no bounds when it comes to horses. It can flap! It can drag! It can crinkle and crunch! Walking over it is, for some horses, akin to traversing the deepest of oceans. Having it wriggle in a man-made breeze conjures all sorts of terror-inducing thoughts. In short, it’s the perfect object for training.
Veronica has spent a lot of time recently getting to know the tarp. It has been on her back, under her feet, above her head, against her side. It has been dragged on the ground around her, and tossed casually around across her. We are trying to invent new and unique ways to expose Veronica to the tarp. Why? Because there are still moments when it bothers her, and if we are looking for Veronica to be grandma’s horse in the future (like, distant future) then a little tarp action shouldn’t be any worry to her at all.
In the below video, Terry discusses how she utilizes the tarp in her work with Veronica:
Ultimately, each wave of the tarp is a step towards this special mare’s success. And while it may be some years yet, we hope to give Veronica the best possible chance at one day being grandma’s horse.
A Horse’s Best Friend
Veronica loves dogs! Not only if they just happen to be walking by her as she snoozes next to the fence line, but when she spots them, she comes right over and wants kisses. Our Saturday Barn Staff, Trudy, brings Titan her adorable husky to work each weekend. Trudy goes about her busy day with Titan always in tow or sometimes towing her along. Since he was a wee puppy, he has grown up at SAFE making him very accustomed to all the “large dogs” on the property and apparently Veronica is quite fond of him.
When Trudy recently shared this little unknown fact with the staff and we had to share the cuteness that is Veronica and Titan. It looks as though our Veronica may love a future home with not only fellow hoofed friends, but also one with wagging tails.
Veronica Under Saddle
Veronica is a riding horse!
There is a spectrum here, of course. Veronica’s first rides would have been more suited to a rodeo setting – she would have made a fine saddle bronc, don’t let her size fool you. And while she’s still quite some time away from being ‘grandma’s horse,’ she has certainly made some serious progress from those first few times with a rider.
Veronica’s sense of self-preservation is immense. This might work to her advantage if she were a wild horse, because she would be on high-alert for predators and ready to run (not to mention kick) at the drop of a hat. But for a horse bound for domesticity, and ideally one with a future as a riding partner, these traits are not the most beneficial. She is a sweet, sensitive mare, but when she enters her flight or fight mode, it becomes difficult for her to look to us humans for support. There are points where you can see her ability to rationalize vanish, and all she can do is run or buck or kick. With each hour spent in the round pen with Veronica, having her change eyes on the rope around her legs, drag a tarp around, hook on, get touched by the flag, bump up to the panel, and all manner of other activities, we train Veronica’s thinking brain to be the one that takes the driver’s seat when the road gets bumpy, with the hopes that eventually she will know that she has all the tools she needs to handle any situation she encounters.
One of her major challenges is turning loose to her outside eye, which means that a stirrup moving (or sometimes just being present) can set her off. It was hugely important that a skilled horseman like Joel was able to put the first few rides on Veronica, because he was able to really ‘go with her’ while she moved and not reflexively squeeze or touch her with his legs. As she grew a bit more confident with a rider, he would pet her a little with his leg as they rode, just so she could get used to the sensation, since eventually there will come a time when someone gets on her who might squeeze a little (or a lot!), and it’s important for her continued success that she be able to handle all kinds of differences amongst riders. It starts slow, in the beginning, but the goal remains the same – for Veronica to be safe for people, with security in her own self a crucial step in helping achieve that goal.
With each ride, Veronica gets a bit more accustomed to having a rider, and is continuously rewarded for her try. What started out as a veritable bronc ride, with Joel having to talk her out of trouble, has now become a much more relaxed journey through the gaits – now with a snaffle bit!
You can see a pretty comprehensive cross-section of Veronica’s rides documented here — from her very first, to her most recent at the time of this post. Veronica would not be where she is today without the sweat, tears, and very hard work of Candi, Joel, and Terry, whose dedication, patience, and tenacity help empower Veronica every time they interact with her. This is a special little mare, and we all look forward to continuing the journey alongside her.
Blazing New Trails
One of our Volunteer Riders had this to say about Veronica:
You could say Ms. Veronica is “Walking on Sunshine” as a whole new world has opened up to her beyond the main gate of SAFE Harbor Stables. Just a few weeks ago Veronica and I prepared to make a trek to the great unknown. Well really it is just the trails the connect from SAFE to Farrel-McWhirter Farm Park, but it sounds more adventurous, right? We joined the seasoned group of riders, hand walkers and horses to see the new world. Ahh the sights and smells! Big trees, logs to step over, strange looking plants like ferns and ivy, bridges over creeks, cars whizzing by and kids playing in the park. All new experiences for this sensitive mare. A little anxious at first but as the walk continued, she became more relaxed and seem to enjoy herself.
Do you know what a bug catcher is? Veronica didn’t know until that day either. It is a person on a bicycle. As part of learning to be a solid trail horse she will need to know about obstacles that may occur without notice. We turned to face the bicyclist straight on with the rest of the horses and watched it go by. She was curious but remained calm.
As the days get warmer and hopefully there will be less rain, we hope to take more trail walks. There is even an arena just off the trail where we can practice groundwork.
I am pretty sure I can hear Veronica singing this tune as she has come so far over the last several months. She is definitely loved by everyone at SAFE.
“Walking on sunshine Walking on sunshine
I feel alive, I feel the love, I feel the love that’s really real I feel alive, I feel the love, I feel the love that’s really real”
Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and The Waves
Veronica Melts Candi
A sweet note and reminder how special horses are in our lives. Candi recently had this to say about her relationship with Veronica: “It has been two weeks since I have been able to be with Veronica. Today she ran to me when she saw me at the gate of her turn out. Being with her made all of the crazy, chaotic, emotional days of the past two weeks drift away.”
Veronica and the Tarp
One of our volunteer riders, Candi, had this to say about working with Veronica:
“The barn is on fire! Let’s go!” It really isn’t on fire but, that was my mantra with Veronica for the last several months as we worked through some recurring haltering issues while she was turned out in her paddock. Even though she has spent well over a year of being haltered every once in a while she gets a bee in her bonnet and decides to run away and play catch me if you can. Rather than walking up to her slowly to gain her trust and hope she won’t take off, the approach of the barn is on fire sister we have to go was taken. I have spent countless hours of changing eyes, catch and release and haltering her in the as quickly as possible. It is paying off! She is no longer running off in the paddock from the volunteers and she is beginning to come to us to be haltered.
Veronica has also been introduced to the big and scary blue tarp. The tarp is used to help grow the horse’s confidence and remain calm and self-assured for an eventual rider. At first it was on the ground so she could walk across it like an object on a trail. Then I switched to moving it around beside her while waving it in the air and making a lot of noise. Eventually I had the tarp on her and moving it all around her body. She is now wearing the tarp while working on her hindquarters and moving up to the fence. I will continue to work with her on this as she still needs to build a great deal of confidence to work out the wiggles.
She is also making great strides in her hindquarters and becoming very soft in her feel. We will begin to work more on the front quarters as well. Even though she was saddled in the November clinic we are taking our time with her. We want to be sure she is ready for a rider and does not panic. She needs to be able to look to that person and feel that support.
Veronica is a sweet, sensitive and inquisitive mare. She has come a long way in the last several months, but she definitely needs a lot of continued horsemanship to prepare her for her future. Time is on her side.
Check out Veronica in action below!
Veronica’s Training Continues
Our major goal for Veronica is to help her to be responsive instead of reactive. Over the next weeks we will work to get her feeling 100% confident with the saddle before anyone needs to ride her. She is working on relaxing into a one rein stop from the ground and doing so without a brace. She needs to accept people walking up to her and her feeling like she’s grandma’s horse rather than tiptoeing around her. She needs work on changing eyes in her front quarters. We are doing this by getting the flag transferred from one side to the other while she frees up her feet. We are bumping her up to the fence and will get her used to flags and ropes thrown over her while she stays calm and relaxed at the fence. We can also start standing up in the stirrup from the ground and throwing a leg over her while she is bumped up to the fence. Since she is more of a reactionary mare, we will help prepare her and only when she is comfortable we will put the first rides on her. There is no point rushing her to be a riding horse and having panic in her with a rider. She will have some trouble with a rider but we hope to prepare her so that it is a minimal as possible.
Veronica still needs to look more to the person for support than running off in a panic. She needs to feel of the person and realize that no one is driving her to run. We can support her through this but she also needs us to allow her to find peace on her own. We’re working with Joel Conner on helping her change eyes by drawing her off the panels and making a full circle in front of the person, changing eyes, and heading back to the rail without panicking. This seemed to be a great way of helping her find more peace and relaxation.
Veronica is Saddled
Over the past several months, Veronica has made great progress in her ground work with volunteer Candi. She is a sensitive mare who is eager to learn and please. These changes allowed for another milestone as she experienced her first saddling with Joel Conner in the October clinic/colt starting.
Joel has years of experience working with challenging horses like Veronica. Even with preparation on the ground she was uncomfortable and explosive under saddle. For the next five days Veronica was saddled and unsaddled countless times consecutively and throughout the day.
Joel and Candi spent a lot of time freeing up her feet, working on her bracing on the right, bending and changing eyes. By the end of the fifth day, she was beginning to understand the presence of the saddle as she was standing still being unsaddled.
While this is a significant step for this beautiful mare, she has a very long way to go before she will ever experience a rider. She will continue to be saddled every time she works. Continuing to prepare her from the ground will give her the best opportunity for success in the future.
In the days after the clinic, Terry and Candi were able to work and saddle Veronica. She made great progress in the clinic and those changes carried over. We will continue to help her and saddle her during our groundwork sessions. Our goal is she will become more and more comfortable wearing it and eventually accept a rider.
Veronica is a diamond in the rough who is definitely beginning to shine!
A Summer of Progress for Veronica
Veronica has progressed well in her training. Although she is still a bit shy, she is doing much better about getting caught and haltered, and she will now come up to the fence to be petted and told how pretty she is. Veronica stands patiently while tied and is well-behaved for bathing and being fly sprayed. Earlier in the summer, she started with walking around with a lightly cinched saddle to become accustomed to carrying it. When Joel visited in August, Veronica was saddled and unsaddled repeatedly to help her be comfortable with the saddle, and in September, she worked with Candi in Joel’s groundwork clinic. It will take ongoing groundwork to help Veronica reach the point where she will accept a rider, but we expect she will achieve that goal.
Beautiful Veronica
We are working on preparing Veronica to be saddled. She has calmed so much compared to the fearful horse, distrustful of humans, that arrived at SAFE in early 2020. It has been wonderful to watch her transition. She recently worked in the Joel Connor clinic with Candi in June. Veronica can still be tricky to catch in her large paddock, so they focused a lot on catching and releasing.
Veronica shares her large paddock with Pepper and Sienna. Pepper seems to have recognized Veronica from their shared history as part of the Fall City 40, a group of horses rescued from a hoarder. Sienna took a little longer to accept Veronica, but now all three are napping next to each other. Veronica is a beautiful mare who likes scratches and as long as you aren’t trying to catch her, she walks right up to you for attention and has become a volunteer favorite.
Veronica’s First Dental
Veronica Out and About
SAFE’s volunteer, Candi, has been a huge part of Veronica’s gentling process. Her kind and patient feel has been key to the successful haltering of this extremely sensitive and touchy mare. We have slowly gained her trust and she is allowing for basic grooming and picking up her hooves. The first video shows Veronica’s first walk outside of her paddock. As you can see, she was very nervous, but connected back with her handler to find the comfort and support she needed. Veronica ended the session in a really good place. In the second video you can see the first time Veronica was led into a trailer. We will continue to work with her in baby steps. She is worth the time, effort, and patience to help her succeed.
No Expectations
One thing I love about SAFE is that we have no expectations or deadlines that our horses have to fulfill for us. We accept them as individuals and recognize that one size doesn’t fit all.
As we got to know the Fall City 40 horses better, we found there were many different personalities among them. But there were two mares in particular who seemed far more troubled than the rest of the group. Both ended up joining SAFE’s herd when homes couldn’t be found for them right away. They were scared, and we knew that pressure from humans could make them feel like their lives were in danger. So we made a conscious decision to turn the pressure way down and begin their reeducation by just spending time near them.
Over the last year, Veronica and Caramel have been slowly brought into domestic life. Veronica, while clearly a sensitive mare, was a bit more confident and willing accept human’s touch. SAFE volunteer Candi was asked to make Veronica her special friend and to spend time visiting her whenever she could make it out to SAFE. Candi has spent HOURS sitting with Veronica, calmly petting and eventually grooming her. She then starting haltering her and eventually leading her, then began groundwork: freeing her hind and shoulders and walking and trotting on a unified circle. Last Friday I checked in on their progress and I was very impressed. Veronica is SOFT, willing, and gentle on the lead. She allowed me to lift all four hooves and to walk her out of her pen and into the outdoor arena. The other “yahoos” in the paddocks nearby erupted with excitement and Veronica was ready to fly…but instead of leaving me, she listened to my supporting feel as I asked her to stay with me and to drop down the excitement. She was hunting and searching for my support, even in an excited state she looked to me, this strange two-legged human, to give her the comfort she desired. We were able to end the session grazing along the grass of the “yahoos” pens and show them that good girls get yummy grass! HA!
Caramel, is a very inquisitive and smart little mare but her flight response is out of this world. She would rather run as fast and as far away from something that scares her than take a moment to see it really was nothing to be afraid of in the first place. Her instinctual nature to save herself is deeply ingrained. Unlike Veronica, there is a lack of confidence keeps her from checking in before checking out. Nevertheless the progress she’s made is really quite huge. Today when visiting with her, she was very curious and interested in being near enough for a stroke on the face or neck. But make any sudden movement, and she said goodbye. I actually think she really wanted her hind scratched but couldn’t bring herself to getting close enough to be touched without the fence between us. From the other side of the fence, Caramel is pretty open to being touched just about anywhere. The fence gives her the comfort, since she can’t be caught by someone on the other side of it. If she even sees a rope or halter in your hands, she is very unlikely to approach.
We’ve thought a lot of about Caramel to try to figure out why she is so different that other mares in our herd. Many vets and horse professionals have told me that the Yakima Reservation horses are like “Wild Cats”. I’ve seen it in a few of them, and clearly Caramel is the wildest of the horses we kept from the Fall City 40. She might be like this because of inbreeding, missing important nutritional elements in her early years, or being traumatized by living on such a small property with multiple stallions fighting for herd position and limited food.
Bonnie sent out numerous letters to wild horse sanctuaries on the west coast in hopes that one might be willing to take her. They all declined. But even if they had said yes, it still didn’t feel like the right answer for Caramel. She was born in captivity in Fall City, not on the open plains of some romantic western scene we want to dream for wild horses. In a sanctuary herd, her basic needs as a domestic horse might not be met. She would have no one to take care of her if she was injured or needed medical assistance. It just isn’t the life we would want to give her, nor would it keep with our promise to provide her a lifetime of safety.
Where do we go from here? How do we help Caramel reach a point in her gentleness that her basic needs like farrier, dental and emergency care are able to be met? Time and a slow approach is making progress. It is also allowing her to not be hurt in the process because when her flight response is triggered she could literally kill herself in trying to flee. She needs someone with a quiet place to let her absorb natural life along with a small herd that is constant and relaxed. She needs daily consistent interactions with one person so she can gain trust and eventually learn to trust other humans. In order to make it to the other side of this, she needs a very special friend.
When we first visited the Fall City horses in July of 2019, Trisha was a volunteer that came to help. She was drawn to the herd, their plight, and how she might be of service to them. Trisha had connected with a beautiful dark bay mare that was originally on the side of the property with Veronica and Caramel. She was a very skittish mare, similar to our two, constantly moving and “leaving the scene” whenever approached. Sadly, we had to walk away from the Fall City 40 for several dark months before we were able to get them seized by Animal Control. But in December of 2019, when the rest of the horses were ours, I reconnected with Trisha and asked if she was willing to take the mare. She wholeheartedly agreed and has done a wonderful job gaining her trust and gentling her.
When the sanctuaries unanimously turned Caramel down, I felt a bit deflated. I was losing hope that we’d ever get her over her fear. I decided to call Trisha and get her thoughts. Her Fall City 40 mare was a lot like Caramel and Trish had successfully brought her through it. Trisha was open to meeting Caramel.
Caramel really turned on the charm for their first meeting. She was very interested in us and especially in Trisha’s mask. We talked a lot about our hope to give her time and consistency in a calm and quiet environment. We agreed it was important to not the pressure of a timeline or expectations on Caramel. We are so excited that Carmel will be moving to Trisha’s farm as a foster some time next week! This will be a great chance for Caramel to grow her trust through dedicated one-on-one handling. We are optimistic for Caramel’s future and grateful that Trisha and her family are willing to give her this opportunity.
Veronica’s Brighter Future
SAFE volunteer Candi K. has taken Veronica under her wing and has been consistently working with her for the past few months. Candi’s patient gentling work was exactly what Veronica needed. It’s moving to see Veronica opening up to human contact. Together they are creating a foundation that will be an enormous part of Veronica’s future success as a domesticated horse.
Candi wrote this very thoughtful article about Veronica’s progress:
Remember the excitement of learning something new and how it opened a whole new world of possibilities for you? Now imagine that as a horse. Imagine how freeing your life will become as you can navigate your days more confidently. Veronica is now successfully halter broken and will stand quiet and still to be groomed. She has the most gorgeous thick tail and much to her delight, she has figured out that it feels really good to have it brushed out.
In the last couple of weeks, she has learned how to walk and stop alongside me as I lead her. She has become a champ at unified circles to the left. Her right eye is her non-dominant eye so she feels less confident on circling to the right. Slowly but surely, she is taking more strides in that direction. We have been practicing approaching the gate of the round pen, opening and closing it while she is haltered and in hand. She is waits patiently and enters and exits without any issues.
Last week we had great success worming her for the first time. She spent several days learning about a syringe and the yummy applesauce that comes out of it. She was happy to take the worming medication and only stuck her tongue out at the end to let us know it tasted a little funny.
Veronica is also getting used to having the lead line touch her all over her body. At first, she was very jumpy and unsure. She is getting more accustomed to it now. This will help as we progress further into her training and future saddling.
Veronica is very loving and eager to learn. Her movement at a trot looks like she is floating on air. She is truly a beautiful mare with a bright future.
Veronica is Learning the Ropes
What a change Veronica has made in the last few months! She has gone from not wanting to be touched to greeting us at the fence with a nicker and inquisitive eyes.
Over the summer Dylan has spent time with this sweet mare to be able to gain her trust to groom and begin haltering her. SAFE volunteer Candi was able to spend quite a bit of time getting her accustomed to being brushed and having her beautiful mane untangled. Over time she began to realize that this felt good and she would stand in place and enjoy the spa treatment.
Last week we moved Veronica and Caramel into new turnouts where they share a round pen in between their panels to further their training. Veronica is working on entering the round pen and is getting better at it each day. She moves around beautifully and Dylan has been roping her with ease. Not only has he roped her for halter work he has also done work with all 4 feet to prepare her for the farrier.
Veronica is making great progress with haltering. The first haltering of the day can be a little challenging, but once her halter is on, she will let it be taken off and put back on again repeatedly. Candi has spent a lot of time rubbing her head, ears, and neck to reassure her. She will now rest her head in Candi’s hands and stand still.
She hooks on easily and is learning to walk alongside and backup. She’ll be learning hindquarters and front quarters soon. This beautiful girl definitely has a bright future. She is smart, and she wants to learn and to please.
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Veronica’s Friends:
1. Judy C.
2. Candi K.
3. Jane M.
4. Jeanne and John A.
5. Whitney-Bear B.
6. Jean E.
7. Carrie S.
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10._____________________
Every horse deserves at least ten friends! Even a small monthly donation can make a difference. Plus, SAFE horse sponsors receive discounts at local businesses through the SAFEkeepers program!