We have two new members joining the SAFE Board of Directors for 2017: Barbara Ferderer and Richard Duncan. Here’s some information about each of them to help you get to know them better!
Barbara Ferderer
An accomplished Graphic Designer, Barb followed her heart and the man who would become her husband to western Washington over 22 years ago, never looking back. While relatively new to SAFE, she is no stranger to horses. She wanted a horse from the moment she saw one, always hopeful that this dream would come true. While waiting, she rode with friends as often as the opportunity presented itself, most memorably on a paint pony named Bucky. Over time she became an accomplished rider, taking on “naughty” horses who in her mind were just misunderstood. Long before she’d heard of Buck Brannaman, Barb tried communicating with horses by mimicking their behaviors, this changed everything.
Fast forward to 1994 when Barb and her husband bought a house on some property in Buckley. There was a horse there whose owner was leasing pasture. She stopped by once, intending to move him, that was the last time anyone saw her. She abandoned him, effectively making him Barb’s first rescue. She knew he was in bad shape based on how overweight he was. The vet and a farrier both gave her a grim report: he had laminitis and needed to lose at least 200 lbs. Undeterred, Barb asked what needed to be done and she got to work. It was a winter of putting pads on his feet and carefully monitoring his diet, making headway a few steps at a time. By mid-summer of the following year Bonfire was a new horse, he’d been given a clean bill of health and cleared to ride, which he and Barb did for the next 20 years.
After Bonfire, Barb started looking in earnest for a new horse, finding out about SAFE from her neighbor Michel. While taking a long look at the website, Barb found her horse, and set the wheels in motion to adopt Kai. In December of 2015 another horse captivated Barb, it was Anakin. He was on the news and after taking one look at him even in his desperate state, she could tell he wanted to live. When she found out that SAFE was taking him on, she called to let them know that she wanted him. Nobody was sure he would live, but he did. Throughout his recovery, Barb visited Anakin several times, clearly making sure that everyone knew she was going to give this horse a home, which she did in August of 2016.
Richard Duncan
Richard Duncan is Director of Systems Engineering for F5 Networks Inc., leading the company’s Service Provider Systems Engineering team for the Americas.
Richard’s first real encounter with a horse was in early 2014 when his wife announced that she intended to buy one. Being a business professional, Richard naturally approached getting a horse from a business perspective. What was the capital cost of the horse? Could they maintain the operational cost of this horse for the next 15 years? His wife’s view? “I love that horse.” Over time, the Duncan’s added two more horses to their family; a very flashy Palomino show horse and a regal and majestic Friesian/Arabian cross. Richard enjoys watching the three horses play in the field, and finds it very peaceful and entertaining. Richard says that over the last 2½ years, his wife Jolene has taught him to better understand horses. Most importantly, he now understands that when their Palomino pins back her ears, it’s not cute. She is pissed off.
So why SAFE? Richard believes that the employees and volunteers at SAFE give a voice to the world for beautiful creatures that don’t have one of their own…unless you have the gift of being able to understand them. He says that Anakin is a good example of a horse who had a voice and made himself understood. He would like those voice to be able to speak louder and reach further, so more people can experience the love of horses.
Introducing the 2017 SAFE Board of Directors:
Sheridan Jones, President
Richard Duncan, Vice President
Lara Lutz, Treasurer
W. Andy Carrel, Secretary
Eileen Carrel
Barbara Ferderer
Maeve Harris
