<\/a>(Photos by Bailey Jo Josie\/Sound Publishing) \n Blue (left) and Stormy are miniature horses living at Serenity Equine. They stand at 32-inches and 34-inches tall.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
“It really all started with the Dean Solomon case. I had a friend who told me, ‘You’ve got to go and see this place,’” Clark said of the origins of Serenity Equine. “I went there and volunteered. It was just … unbelievable.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Clark was initially able to take in a dozen of the Solomon horses, and Serenity Equine grew from there. Operating out of her own 10 acres of forested property in Maple Valley, with a 26-stall barn, arena and several pens, Serenity Equine became a top-rated non-profit in King County and has been operating for almost 17 years.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Currently, Serenity Equine is home to 17 horses of varying sizes and other farm animals that Clark has taken in. At the rescue, the number one priority is the animal’s well-being, even if that sometimes gets in the way of more human interests.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“I tend to be different from the other rescues. I don’t really like to use the word ‘natural,’ but we’re more into natural horsemanship,” Clark said. “We want them to live like a horse.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
<\/a>Little D was rescued from a hoarding situation and weighed only 100 pounds when arriving at Serenity Equine. Born in 1987, he’s almost completely blind.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
At Serenity Rescue, this means not putting shoes or bits on the horses and never allowing the animals to be by themselves, as they are social creatures. While there are several pens for the animals, the property is completely fenced and gated, which allows a small herd of horses to roam free. Some of them even come up to the front door of Clark’s house.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Horses have always been a large part of Clark’s world. When she was growing up, she used to climb onto the backs of the horses when they were out grazing in the pasture, though she would also ride English saddle when taking them out on the trails.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“I’ve been around horses almost all of my life, except when I decided I needed a job,” Clark said with a laugh. She earned a master’s in public administration and a bachelor’s in political science, a certificate of livestock management from Western Washington University, and was a professor for 30 years before dedicating her retirement years to horses. In 2007, Clark donated her home and property to the rescue.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
“The average horse goes through seven homes, and many come out with behavioral issues because of it,” said Clark. “We don’t adopt them out right away because we want to work with behaviors before that, and we try to put them into more natural homes. If people don’t have the necessary experience, then they come here and do training with me.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t