Safe Harbor is a 501(c)(3) non-profit equine rescue organization serving greater Middle TN/Southern KY. This means that we don't have one central location.
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Safe Harbor Sanctuary is a 100% volunteer, foster farm-based equine rescue organization in Middle Tennessee. Our programs are divided into multiple areas of focus as follows:
- Safe Harbor Standardbreds After The Track: Horses who started their lives in the racing industry.
- Rescue: Horses who have fallen victim to cruelty and neglect.
- Community Outreach: Community service projects, educati
onal outreach, owner assistance, and more. Our team includes compassionate volunteers, trainers, nutrition and holistic care experts, and children who will become the next generation that carry on this cause. We complete full assessments of animals to help them find the best adoptive homes and provide training when needed to help ensure a safe lifetime home. Our horses have competed in competitive trail rides, gone on pleasure trail rides and competed in Hunter/Jumper and Dressage competitions! We are passionate about horses and devoted to making sure Safe Harbor animals get the best possible forever. Animals in our organization are never subject to time limits or age limits. To adopt, foster or volunteer, visit www.safeharborhorses.org and fill out an application today! Things to know about our adoption process:
- We are a foster-based rescue. Instead, we rely on a network of people who care about horses to provide space and time for a horse in our program.
- We adopt within 200 miles of zip code 37048, Cottontown, TN, with a few exceptions.
- We require an in-person meeting to ensure an appropriate match between horse and rider.
- You must go through our approval process, including submitting references, prior to meeting the horse or ‘test rides’ – this is out of respect for everyone’s time. Providing complete and accurate information helps us process your application faster.
- Horses are up to date on routine care including vaccinations and Coggins, and complementary therapies if our team feels they are needed (IE massage, chiropractic, MagnaWave, acupuncture, etc.)
- PPE’s from adopter’s veterinarian are always welcome. We will work with you but do ask that vetting is done within 7 days of committing to adopt whenever possible.
- Our adoption agreement is a lifetime safety net with no breeding, no auction, no slaughter terms. We will always take back or assist with re-homing any Safe Harbor adoptee.
** Nearly every horse in our care is available for sponsorship. Full sponsors (at $200/month) have the option to meet their sponsored horse. Visit the "Adoptable Horses" tab for more information on our horses. Go here for sponsorship: https://donorbox.org/sponsor-an-adoptable-horse or email us at [email protected].
Vaccination alert: There have been cases of West Nile Virus in our immediate and surrounding areas of Tennessee and Kentucky (including in unvaccinated horses.)
If your horse has not been vaccinated for WNV this year, contact your veterinarian to make sure your horse has protection from this nasty disease.
Real talk.
THIS is why Charlie's Fund exists.
Don't pass off your old horse for the last $200 he'll bring at auction. Don't put him in a situation for someone else to do that to him.
Instead, let us cover the cost of giving him the final dignity of passing at home on a good day surrounded by all that he's known.
Yesterday after we posted the two senior horses at auction we did make an assumption that they were dumped at the sale for profit after being given to "good homes". I need to clarify that while we shouldn't always think the worst, we have come to these conclusions after more than a decade pulling senior auction horses. We all hope they are there by some tragic misfortune and that the people didn't know what they were doing. Usually though we find out that they are victims of the same story over and over. It takes away that part of you that wants to give people "the benefit of the doubt".
Unfortunately, we were right in our assumptions. Again. Because old horses given to "good homes" simply DO NOT get happily ever afters a vast majority of the time. Of the last 6 horses over 20 we bought at auction, 5 were given to a family for their kids. The horse ended up needing senior horse care they were not willing to provide and they wanted that last dollar instead of just euthanizing.
Cody is a registered paint 25 years old. He was given to a Rodeo family for their kids to ride. They admitted that he wasn't sound enough and needed too much feed. Also they said they wanted the money and knew he wasn't worth anything to sell privately.
Nugget is also 25+. Given to a family for their daughter to run barrels on. He also found himself dumped when he wasn't able to do it anymore.
How do we know? The owners who gave these horses to those families reached out to us. Both completely shocked. Both thought these homes were amazing and would be great loving families. Both told me they cried when they saw what happened. These weren't seniors with no options, these weren't broke single moms. The family that dumped Cody even kept the other horse they got with him since he doesn't have the care needs he does.
I won't soapbox again with a chapter book. I write on this often enough... but in the future please understand why we think the way we do. It's because nearly every senior horse we meet has this same story.
DON'T GIVE AWAY YOUR OLD HORSES. If you must, try a rescue, do contracts, hold brand inspections or just let them pass on at home where they are loved.
Defining "light riding"
When we say a horse is sound for “light riding” we mean, walk and trot, (maybe brief canters), probably less than 2 hours per ride, on relatively easy terrain.
Basically, light riding is leisurely strolls in the field or arena - no performance events, no overnight trail rides, for horses with previous injuries or arthritis that now prevent them from being comfortable doing such physically demanding sports.
We *don’t* mean, work the hellfire out of him once a month or twice a year and then wonder why he’s sore for a week afterward! - because you would be too, in that situation.
When we adopt a horse, he’s at a certain level of fitness for the amount of work he’s been used to. Maintain the fitness, you maintain his ability to be a “light riding” mount. Much like a person, if he stands around for months, he’s going to lose that fitness. On the other hand, if he’s asked to do 25 miles when he’s been used to doing 3, you are most certainly going to have soreness (logically, so would you!)
Important information!
*Some of our horses have "weight limits" and we know this is a sensitive topic. When we have a horse with pre-existing issues such as arthritis, topline problems, or a history of pain in certain areas, we will restrict the "size" of the rider best suited for that horse.
Common sense says that horse size and rider size should be compatible; IE, a short backed, stocky horse can generally carry a bigger rider, while a long backed, petite horse may develop soundness problems carrying the same rider. We strive for the best balance and best fit for both horse AND rider.
Learn more about common misconceptions surrounding sports nutrition and what riders can do to be healthier athletes
Who are we and what are we doing?!
Safe Harbor Sanctuary is a 100% volunteer, foster farm-based organization with primary operations in Middle Tennessee.
Our programs are divided into multiple areas of focus as follows:
- Safe Harbor Standardbreds After The Track: Horses who started their lives in the racing industry;
- Rescue: Law enforcement assistance with horses who have fallen victim to cruelty and neglect;
- Community Outreach: Community service projects, educational outreach, owner assistance, and more.
- Owner Assistance: Charlie's Fund provides grants up to $250, paid to the equine veterinarian for castration, euthanasia, or emergency vet bills.
We are primarily funded by private donations and host several fundraisers throughout the year.
Interested in adopting, fostering, or volunteering? Visit our website for more information!
It's not magic - it's investing the time and effort.
Not that long ago, if a person needed to lose weight, the doctor prescribed diet and exercise. Diets were modified, calories were counted, workouts of increasing difficulties and intensities were designed, people walked. A lot. People also cooked meals from scratch from items they grew and raised on
Nuke (off track standardbred Nuclear Cam) is ISO a foster-to-adopt.
If you're looking for a trail horse with the potential to lightly show gaited classes, Nuke could be your man.
He has a couple of "holes" in his training from a previous human's lack of knowledge. He is super safe and easy on the ground, and nothing under saddle is out out of spite - he just doesn't know what is and is not acceptable (IE, most people appreciate a horse who stands for mounting. Nuke does not have this skill at this time.)
We know some people like to bond with their horse through training, so we are considering a foster to adopt for Nuke for the next few weeks.
What does this mean? A foster to adopt is a "trial" adoption of 60 days. This allows time for training, herd suitability, and situation evaluation to ensure a good fit for a horse we know is not quite ready for a traditional adoption. During the 60 days, Safe Harbor covers feed and farrier as with any other foster. At 60 days, the foster may choose to adopt, continue to foster, or decline to proceed.
Interested? Visit safeharborhorses.org and put in your app.
Don't forget about Clarksville 79's Trail Obstacle Challenge TOMORROW (Sunday, 8/25) - something for everyone PLUS a tack swap!
We'll be there with several saddles, kids' paddock boots, bits, a few pairs of jods, headstalls, etc. Even the cutest little glitter pony pad and polos. Come out and take on the obstacle challenge and shop while you're there!
Event link::
https://www.facebook.com/events/756848686524907/
Today marks 23 days with us.
Everyone who interacts with him falls in love.
He is safe and has a place, regardless of his "usefulness."
We could not do this without you.
Are you a horse owner who wants to add chickens to your farm?
Many horse owners are also chicken owners too—and that’s no coincidence. Chickens are fun to watch, easy to care for, and have their own unique personalities. There are also a number of benefits for not only owning chickens in general, but also owning chickens on a horse farm.
Sponsors needed!
Keep your donations local. Help horses right here in the Middle Tennessee/Southern Kentucky area - horses who you can follow from rehabilitation, refeeding, retraining, recovery, to new homes - and beyond.
The outcomes of your donations are in the photos: You help us help them when the call comes, as it did with Native Speed, and Buttercup, and Paisley.
A horse in recovery like Native Speed will cost in excess of $300 per month to feed back to health.
$20 buys 1 bag of feed.
$50 covers a farrier visit.
The majority of our recurring donors give just $5 - $20 per month, but it all adds up to make a big impact. Would you join us?
PayPal/Zelle: [email protected]
By Mail:
PO Box 22, Cottontown TN 37048
Via Donorbox, pay toward our feed bill, or show your support with a T-shirt: https://www.safeharborhorses.org/donations
Under state law, sale/transport requires a current Coggins test. Why? What is a Coggins? Learn more 👇
Most equine owners know that a negative Coggins test is a document required to be able to transport their animal across state lines, enter them in a competitive event, or board at someone's barn. But what does the phrase "negative Coggins test" actually mean?
A "Coggins" is a blood test that can only be performed by USDA-approved laboratories and checks for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) antibodies in the blood. EIA is a potentially fatal blood-borne infectious viral disease that is primarily transmitted by biting flies, particularly horseflies—which means that your animals are at risk even if they never travel or live in a closed herd.
The clinical signs of disease can vary dramatically from an acute infection to an inapparent form, but what is important to know is that it produces a persistent infection. Once an animal tests positive for EIA it becomes a lifelong source of disease transmission, so the owner can only choose between quarantine for life or humane euthanasia to ensure that large outbreaks of the disease don’t occur. There is no vaccine and no treatment for EIA.
Take-home message: While a Coggins test is a necessary travel document, don’t forget that it's also first and foremost a way to identify and remove EIA carriers to keep the disease under control.
To learn more about EIA, visit our website at: https://aaep.org/guidelines-resources/resource-library/?fbclid=IwY2xjawEwR-1leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHZp1fQwBC7LYpAzA3W2a5XUaYAd6gDO2mEtuHOjAAGJ_f4rvTxFRfg2_Lg_aem_Hacd9FBStUOI0FJdJHLmXA&_search=EIA
Neigh Neigh reached a couple milestones this week. He’s slowly gaining weight, had a much needed farrier visit, and has moved from quarantine with the vet to quarantine/weight gain rehab with one of our wonderful fosters.
We have seen many variants on a common theme of conversation over the past several weeks.
Where are all the riders?
The honest-to-God, natural seat, soft handed, fearless, soak up every bit of knowledge, barn rat RIDERS?
Do they exist anymore?
There are plenty of Gen X out there fitting this description. But lemme tell you....we are feeling our age. Are there Gen Z "kids" who hold the same connection to horses? Are there empathetic, quiet, handy riders out there who enjoy the rewards of making their own horses?
From a place of total honesty, we NEED you. The horse world as a whole needs you. Hobby riders who don't care to progress beyond beginner knowledge won't keep the horse world going. True beginner-safe teacher horses are few and far between. Much more common are those who need the polish. Those who have a foundation and NEED those riders.
📸 Buttercup, who needs one of those riders.
We're in our 3rd full year of providing castration, euthanasia, and emergency veterinary assistance to horse owners in Middle Tennessee/Southern Kentucky.
For the past 2 years, this effort has been funded solely on donations from people like you, who believe that "paying it forward" keeps horses out of the auction cycle and provides peace of mind to their humans.
Big goober getting a pedicure before moving from trainer to an experienced riding foster.
Interested in adopting Toro (or any of our available horses?) Visit our website and apply today!
Our longtime e-newsletter service has been bought out so we're having to make a change. This will require us to pay for a new service. Although we've found one that's not insanely expensive, it's still an additional expense that's necessary for communications....
Would someone be interested in being a "name" sponsor of our newsletter? $20/month and we'd add your logo and website link to the bottom of every addition. Sent to approx. 2200 folks.
**Update: Thank you, Sentinel Alarms, Gallatin!
When you give to Safe Harbor, you are giving to a highly efficient charity. 100% volunteer operated which means 100% of your donation goes directly to the mission--not to salaries. Your gift directly saves lives. Whatever your why; we thank you.
Use t-posts? Cap them.
Could not say it any better.
"Because you can’t, it doesn’t mean the horse can’t: a talk about accepting responsibility for what You do not know"
We run into this often. I know most quality training barns out there do, as well.
A horse in a program knows how to load, pick up all 4 feet, accepts fly spray, neck reins, respects personal space, canters safely, stands to be mounted. . . You name it, the horse does it, or maybe he does most of it, and then he goes into a NEW home, and the truth is, the adopter or buyer typically will be less skilled than the professionals selling or placing the horse from an adoption program (though they will often not adopt it),and things unravel.
You get a call or email in 3 weeks or 3 months, and it goes like this:
“Nelly won’t load. No one can load her. I doubt she ever loaded.”
You suggest they remember the day Nelly loaded from the facility like a gem, but they do not see how that matters. They insist the horse cannot be loaded now, and therefore, no one can load her, and the horse is the problem.
Let us try another scenario:
“Nelly runs me over every single time I open the stall, she won’t stand to be mounted, and she bucks the minute I try to get on.”
You suggest they remember the day they came to meet Nelly, and you remind them how you went to the stall, took her out, how she stayed out of their space, how you put the fitted tack on her, how she stood like a gem, how they then mounted and rode her off nicely. They insist it was a fluke. It isn’t the horse they have now. They end up never asking for lessons to fill the deficit in knowledge they, not the horse, have in their skillset.
This is how good trainers get a bad reputation, this is how good horses end up neglected and discarded, and this is how a novice (even if long time) horse owner never really takes responsibility for what they do not know and need to learn.
If someone else accomplished something with a horse, the HORSE KNOWS. If you cannot recreate the same things with your horse, then you do not know, and as a result, you can undo a good horse quickly with ignorance and with mistakes, both large and small.
I’ve seen so many horses come into the rescue as surrenders because the owners DID not know enough to keep the horses in order. I’ve seen it hundreds of times.
For instance, one year a horse was turned over for bucking. He bucked like a bronc, and a trainer took months to undo this bad habit. It is hard to say what caused it: Poor saddle fit, rough handling, mixed signals or maybe all of that, but a good trainer fixed his issue. Undoubtedly, it would happen again, with an unskilled person. It is unlikely the unskilled person will realize or admit the problem is Not the horse.
Horses get labels that are unfair because of this.
We receive horses called dangerous all of the time that never show us a dangerous side, and it is important to understand a HORSE KNOWS what you know and what you do not. So sometimes, months of training isn’t even needed to fix behaviors; sometimes, the horse simply realizes he is being handled fairly and correctly, and he responds in the way he learned to respond years ago – as a partner. And the truth is, forcing a horse to endure ignorant treatment without responding isn’t realistic or kind, either.
Please never make the mistake of limiting the horse to WHAT YOU know. He usually knows more than you.
So if you saw a trainer ride the horse W/T/C without an issue, load the horse, back the horse, pick up all 4 feet, receive respect on the ground or whatever else you’re not seeing now, then be fair to the horse, and spend your time assuming the shortcomings belong to you, not him.
Gliding along!
Toro is looking for his forever. Could it be with you?
Wanted to share an update on Neigh Neigh, the starving Standardbred gelding. He has had his preliminary vet check, Coggins, and deworming. His teeth are in decent shape, his feet will need a bit of corrective trimming to regrow heel and he's had a bad abscess in the right rear leading to a serious crack that will require a shoe to stabilize while it grows out.
He is enjoying his buffet-style meals and feeling safe enough to talk with everyone who comes in and out of the barn. He will be moving to one of our experienced rehab fosters within a week or so to continue weight gain. He has a sanctuary spot with us if need be, but we certainly hope that he fully recovers and is sound to continue a riding/pleasure driving career with a forever home.
This week, volunteers secured the safety of a 15-year-old off the track gelding in terrible condition. This horse was owned by the same partnership his entire racing career. When they decided to retire him, they found him what they thought was a safe riding home in New England. No one knows how or when he came to Tennessee.
In a way his condition saved him; the trader who purchased him in a load of horses could not resell him through another auction. He was not in danger of “shipping” – emaciated horses do not go to slaughter. No, he was defeated, starving, lame, and left behind. His racing owners were horrified to discover where he ended up, and through a few twists of fate, we were asked to help.
He is currently in the capable hands of one of our trusted veterinarians for a complete work-up, the start of re-feeding, and a quarantine period. He has significant damage to a rear hoof, rain rot and abject starvation.
His situation speaks volumes. Horses should simply not be allowed to be sold in this condition without consequences. The trader is not the one who starved him – and maybe the person he came through wasn’t either – but no one along the chain did anything to help him, either. The laws for horse welfare have enough loopholes that someone can own several horses in poor condition, and nothing is done for a long time – if ever. It strains the resources of rescues – it strains the resources of donors – the traders profit, and the original neglectful human smiles all the way to the bank. It’s disgusting, wrong, and incredibly frustrating.
He's a living reminder that even with the best of love and intentions, horses can and do slip through the cracks. One life circumstance, one wrong turn, one owner fallen on hard times turning to an auction, and horses end up in dire circumstances.
His racing owners have assisted with initial costs, but his veterinary stay and recovery will be long and costly. If you would like to assist, you may donate toward "Big Neigh Neigh" (Native Speed) at Stable & Stock Veterinary Services, PO Box 157, Watertown, TN 37184 or Venmo
PayPal or Zelle us: [email protected]
US Mail: PO Box 22, Cottontown TN 37048
Regardless of your beliefs....Please send up prayers, good vibes, jingles, good karma...for our volunteers who are on the road today helping a horse in desperate need of all of the above, and our veterinarian, who will be meeting him later.
Sorry, guys...🤷😅😅
That's so true 🤣
credits: Pinterest
Where does your money go?
There's so much noise out there. Every time you turn around, the truck is coming, bail is due, this fee, that fee, and p**f, magical disappearing miracles.
When you donate to an established program, you can watch as your tax-deductible gift becomes a successful result. Veterinarians visit, hooves are trimmed, bodies are refed and rehabilitated, pasture rest is provided, massages are enjoyed, saddles are fitted, trails are blazed, and horses are adopted.
It is and this is the impact of your gift. Toro is under saddle, Buttercup is in a few more weeks of ground work prior to moving to a professional for a re-start under saddle, Nuke is in a few more weeks of ground work to solidify some skills prior to moving on to a riding foster, Paisley has her annual vet visit on Monday and next farrier visit next Friday, Zippy has enjoyed her first full week in her adoptive home, and so it goes.
Soon, we will be launching an annual campaign to 'sponsor a stall.' We are also working on a second edition of our coloring book; if you would like to be a name sponsor on this project (logo/name/information on the back cover), please reach out for details.
In the meantime, we welcome gifts of any amount.
PayPal/Zelle: [email protected]
Mail: PO Box 22, Cottontown TN 37048
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Bath day! #sanctuarysunday #safeharborsanctuary #paisley
Today (Sunday 4/28) 10am-3pm Tack sale benefiting the rescue! Hosted at Ascada Arabians 8606 Guthrie Ct Cross Plains TN #tacksale #newtack #saddles #bridles #horsebackriding #trailride
The joy of clean water: instantly washing out your mouth and making it dirty 🤷🤣
UNEDITED! Ride along with Cochise. Adoptable to the best home. Meet Cochise: https://www.safeharborhorses.org/adoptable-horses Adoption FAQ: https://www.safeharborhorses.org/adoption-faq Adoption app: https://www.safeharborhorses.org/adoption_application #opttoadopt #adoptmyfoster #adoptahorse #arabian #kidtestedmomapproved
The girls requested to ride Cochise in their Saturday lessons. He was happy to oblige not one but 2 young teens. #adoptable #meetanarabianhorse #sweetsenior #videoclip
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, a 12 year old girl saved her money from every birthday and Christmas, babysat the neighbor kids, and mowed grass to earn money to buy her first horse. Her parents looked at at least a half dozen before finding one that certainly had some quirks, and definitely needed some TLC, but he had the best brain. When they brought him home after vet check and "all the things," her first few rides were on the lunge line. After all, she'd never really ridden a horse solo in her life. One sunny day, mom decides it's time to find out what happens. Old gelding goes, wooohoo, I know this game, grabs the bit, and off to the barn he runs. Everyone survives. 30 something years later, that kid is still riding. And that brings us to Cochise and his "eval" ride. Cochise is very much like the horse described above. He's been a beginner horse for years and then he sat in a field for a year or 2 after that when his kid grew up. So yes, he initially threw a whole bunch of evasive tricks (shown in the video). However, by the end, he offered some nice low-headed circles, he stops well (and will stop with a verbal "whoa") and has a lovely back up. Without a doubt he needs a tune up. He's not going to be a polished show horse. He knows what your legs mean and has all the basic cues. He probably doesn't know what working back to front or collection means, but that doesn't mean that you or your handy kid wouldn't enjoy taking him down the trail, and we have no doubt he'd be happy to follow along in a group and go with the flow. #Cochise is (unbelievably) in his mid-20s, easy keeper, great barefoot feet, and stands approx. 13.2. He is a complete love bug on the ground. We are clearing him for adoption to someone with the appropriate skill set, and clearly we'd love for him to be another horse crazy kid's "first." He'll continue to be worked with while he's with us. *Before the Karens come out criticizing a bareback ride in the open pasture - we hav
Paisley is feeling her oats on #marecrushmonday!
🌟She had some interest when we posted her last week and needs her new home! 🌟 Virtual Jet (JC) is 16.2 hands and 19 years old. She is a retired eventer who has been rehabbed from a slight suspensory injury. She is SOUND for flat work and (with vet's approval) may be fine to return to low-level jumps. She is too forward for beginner walk-trot lessons, which is what her rehabber needs, so she's looking to find someone with slightly more experience. She MAY, depending on the rider, be fine for an advanced beginner working with a trainer. She has a motor, but this is her first canter in over a year with a rider who hadn't met her before and she's had a lifetime of training. Located in northern middle Tennessee and available for a low adoption fee under our contract. Email us: [email protected] - if you're interested in meeting her! **Courtesy post. Adopter should verify all information with the current owner!**
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