Save the date! Get down to the farm on July 18th, 2026 for SAFE’s Annual HEART of the Horse, a benefit for the horses of SAFE. Guests will enjoy an epic summer evening filled with great food and drink, auctions live and silent, music, dancing, laughter, tears, and, of course, lots and lots of horses! Be sure to join us for an epic celebration of over two decades of unforgettable horses.

We have scheduled dates for our 2026 Joel Conner Horsemanship clinics. These clinics are an incredible opportunity to learn about the horsemanship that SAFE uses to prepare our horses for success in their future homes.

2026 Joel Conner Horsemanship Clinic Dates

March 20–22, 2026
May 22–24, 2026
August 21–23, 2026
October 23–25, 2026

Schedule (subject to change)

Groundwork Class: 9:00AM to 12:00PM
Riding Class: 2:00PM to 5:00PM

Location 3/20-3/22 – 2026:
Safe Harbor Stables
10407 192nd Ave NE
Redmond, WA 98053

ABOUT:

Questions about these clinics should be sent to horsemanship@safehorses.org
SAFE volunteers can audit any of these Joel Conner clinics for free.
Free parking.
Bring a chair.

To see clinic reports from past Joel Conner events, click here!
For more information about Joel Conner, visit his website: www.joelconnerhorsemanship.com

Welcome Volunteers!

These resources are designed to enhance the volunteer experience here at SAFE Horses! Currently, we offer classes in the areas of; 1. Horsemanship 2. Grooming 3. Herd Health 4. New Volunteer Resources. Please read the prerequisites for each class as some offerings will require prior classes, clinics or approval from Lily.

Spring 2026 Offering:

Grooming Classes 
Next grooming classes will be at NEW SAFE in late April/May.  Prerequisites: 90 Days as a Volunteer and attend 1/2 day morning session Joel Connor Clinic (AM sessions of groundwork) or observe a groundwork class personally with Terry, approximately 4 hours. You may sign to repeat this class if you’ve taken previously depending on space available. Grooming classes are led by Carrie Sjaarda and Elaine Rose and are limited to 3 people per class. 

Horsemanship: Horse Knowledge for New Volunteers 
Saturday 2/28 at 12pm (with Lexee )
If you’re new to SAFE or have little to no horse experience, this class will teach you how to interact with the horses as you work through your chores. 

Horsemanship 101 – FULL
Saturday 2/14 at 12pm (with Lexee)
An introduction to basic Horsemanship. Prerequisite: auditing a Joel Conner Clinic (4 hours).

Horsemanship 102 – FULL 
Saturday 3/14 at 12pm (with Lexee)
Horsemanship 101. Prerequisite: auditing a Joel Conner Clinic (4 hours).

Horsemanship: Joel Connor Horsemanship Clinic (Auditing) 
March 2026 — All Volunteers are open to join. This clinic is free to audit for all Volunteers (this is a gift from Joel). Join for a 4 hour session, or for all. 
Learn more about Joel’s Clinics HERE  
Learn about past Clinics HERE 

Horsemanship: How to Work with Rescue Horses 
TBD (with Lexee) 
Prerequisite: auditing a Joel Conner Clinic (4 hours), Horsemanship 101, Horsemanship 102. 

Herd Health: Vital Signs 
NEW SAFE. April/May (with Melinda)
Checking Vital Signs, Physical Exam, Limited to 8 people. Please bring a pen, notepad, and a stethoscope if you have one! Otherwise, we can share. Prerequisite: active volunteer at SAFE for min 30 days or be on Night Check.

Herd Health: Horse Health Basics
NEW SAFE. April/May (with Melinda)
Preventive Care: Vaccines, Deworming, Dentistry, Emergencies. Open to 25 people, Bring a notepad, pen, layers, warm drink. All Volunteers open to join.

Herd Health: Basic Horse Anatomy (foundation course for Equine Bodywork)
NEW SAFE. April/May (with Melinda). Prerequisite: 90 days as a volunteers + a grooming class with Carrie. 

🌟 Volunteer Community Development

Non-Profit Description

Save A Forgotten Equine (SAFE) is a horse rescue organization based in Snohomish, Washington, dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and retraining horses suffering from neglect or abuse. Established in 2005, SAFE collaborates with Animal Control agencies in the King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties to protect and provide care for vulnerable horses. SAFE specializes in equine rehabilitation, offering professional veterinary care, nutrition, and training to help horses regain their health and prepare for long-term homes. Utilizing horsemanship practices inspired by Buck Brannaman and Joel Connor, SAFE ensures horses develop trust and confidence in their interactions with humans. SAFE remains committed to finding permanent, caring homes for their horses and conducts annual follow-up visits to ensure their safety and well-being.

🌟 Community Development – Volunteer Position

Location: Remote / Hybrid (Flexible)

Organization: SAFE Horse Rescue

Commitment: Part-time Volunteer | Flexible Schedule (1-2 hours per week)

💕 About Us

At SAFE Horse Rescue, our 250+ volunteers are the heart of everything we do. We’re looking for a passionate, creative, and people-focused Volunteer Development Team – Volunteer Position to help us celebrate and recognize the incredible individuals who make our work possible.

🎯 Role Overviews (1-2 hours per week) 

Online Community Building – are you curious how to build an online community that reflects the 20+ year thriving volunteer community we already have at SAFE? In this role you will learn how to promote SAFE online through social media platforms, online story telling, content development, managing a social calendar, and other optimizing practices like paid social campaigns, SEO and digital marketing.

Volunteer Appreciation Team –  in this role you’ll design and implement creative ways to celebrate our volunteers’ contributions—whether it’s through appreciation events (virtual or in-person), birthday cards, anniversary cards, volunteer of the month, photo shoots for volunteers that have been at SAFE for 6 months, tracking volunteer milestones and manage recognition communications. The sky is the limit here – get creative!

Volunteer Class Coordinator – this role helps to organize our volunteer classes which are a THANK YOU to our volunteers! These classes are a way to enhance our volunteer experience and to keep SAFE’s promise to volunteer learning and growth. In this role, you will create a class calendar, partner with class teachers, manage class materials and attendance, send follow up emails and if you like – attend the classes!

New Volunteer Onboarding – we have a lot of new faces at SAFE each month! This role will help with the onboarding process which includes an online orientation once per week/month to talk about all the wonderful work we do at SAFE! It could also include overseeing their first couple weeks at the barn; creating name tags, checking in after their first day, making sure they feel supported during the process. You are the first experience our new volunteers have at SAFE so this is a very important piece of our process. Its also so fun to witness the excitement of new people and hear all about how they found SAFE and their interest in the horses.

SAFE High School Programming – each year, we have many local high schools reach out to include SAFE in their preferred volunteer programming for kids 16 and up. This role is a chance to truly own, develop and manage this program! This role will include reaching out to high schools as the SAFE point of contact, develop best practices in how to onboard high school volunteers, and work in partnership with local schools to make sure we maintain a reciprocal relationship. With so much local interest every year, this position has been a long term goal of SAFE! We would love to be able to make this happen.

Summer College Internship Program – each year, we have many University Equine Studies Degree Programs reach out to include SAFE in their preferred internship. We also have potential interns reach out directly on behalf of their university. This role is a chance to truly own, develop and manage this program! This role will be the point of contact for University Internship programs related to Equine Studies. This role will include responding to intern inquires, coordinating their program expectations and paperwork to make sure both SAFE and the University are in alignment.  With so much local interest every year, this position has been a long term goal of SAFE! We would love to be able to make this happen.

🌈 Why Join Us

• Be part of a mission-driven organization that values kindness, collaboration, and impact.
• Gain leadership experience in community development roles.
• Work alongside a supportive team that celebrates every success—big or small.
• Flexible, remote-friendly schedule that fits your life.

💬 How to Apply

If you’re excited about our SAFE volunteer community, please let us know below! Each of these roles will be no more than 1-2 hours per week, sometimes less. If you have comments or additional questions please fill them in below.

We are so grateful for everyone who is dedicated to our horses at SAFE. Our diverse teams are expanding and no role is too small, as we need everyone’s help to care for, nurture and commit to SAFE’s mission for each of these sweet souls.

Thank you in advance for considering,

Laurie Sasser she/her Volunteer Manager SAFE | Save a Forgotten Equine volunteer@safehorses.org www.safehorses.org Cell: 425-236-6515