Still Waters Equitation

01/03/2026

Oliver was not happy being put into forced retirement. For personal reasons i just have not given him a job this last year. Here he is 3 weeks into his new career and being a complete rock star.

He is the sweetest horse with the biggest heart ive ever known. His knickers will never get old. He loves attention, loves a job and tries his hardest. He kept this temp consistent for his rider to learn posting and to build the strength needed for improvement.

If I could put his brain and heart in every horse i would.

Oliver might be available soon for a "build-a-lease" situation. He is very comfortable to ride and in general not spooky. He IS a Morgan and has all the sensitivity and big personality that goes along with it - its what makes him so awesome!

28/02/2026

The Mindful Rider Workshop was so fun. I thought I would share the information that was used as a handout for participants. Here is a link to the information:

Blog articles by Sarah Orloff that explore the art of horsemanship, the science of equine biomechanics, and the profound connection between horse and rider.

28/02/2026

Follow my Blog and FB page for updates and the latest articles!!

Riding Towards Your Equestrian Goals

16/02/2026

Check out the new website, freshly updated!!

01/02/2026

We played a MIRRORING game. This was really insightful. Here I'm focussed on mirroring my parnter who is leading. What i found the most interesting is the insite I gained from their horses perspective.

This is an intuative exercise. It was helpful to have soft vision and absorb the movements of the leader. Everyone moves differently. Everyone plans their steps differently. Everyone executes that plan in their own way. Lots of insight to be had.

01/02/2026

Todays Mindful Rider Workshop was a success! Such a fantastic group of women all attending with different needs and goals. We started the day with hip mobility and shoulder mobility exercises then went onto some fun and enlightening games.

Some great lightbulb moments and some real awareness put into our bodies!

I'm looking forward to the next workshop and have several ideas cooking!

30/01/2026

When your mare is in heat and looses all sense of forward and energy, what do you have her rider do??

Lots and lots of direction changes in the canter. Idk who was more tired afterwards!

23/01/2026

Zippy has come a long way. I'm glad her owner has decided to see just how far they can go. She's quite the "princess and the pea" of a mare but also loves her person! Phyllis Morris, I cant wait to see what we can accomplish in 2026 with this pretty girl!

07/01/2026

I am looking for a very specific horse/situation for my small lesson program.

Requirements:
*Stout 15.3hh or taller
*Sound for W/T/C flat work and basic trails
*Mellow demeanor, doesn't have to be bombproof but needs to be naturally on the mellow/chill side.
*Absolutely amateur-friendly
*Open to a long-term lease option

*Past the Green stage but would possibly consider if the character was there.

I'm just looking for a solid mount who still wants to work 2-5 days a week. Ideally, a draft cross or drafty type build.

My program is based on Classical and Natural Horsemanship Principles. Horses have access to runs or pasture year-round.

I'm specifically looking to lease, however would consider a purchase for the right $$ and situation.

Automatic No's: OTTB (No matter how good they are), anything that is lame, anything that is "hot"... Anything that is over 10 and hasn't been worked for 7 years.

Located in Stayton, OREGON

16/12/2025

Time. Patience. Perseverance. Hours. Trust.

So many more qualities I can list about this pair. Titan has come so very far in a year. I'm so grateful to his owner for trusting me through the process. She has chosen to trust the process, to trust me, even when I am having her do something 100% opposite of what the mainstream has us do.

This awesome gelding is the proof that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks. You CAN retrain your brain and body. That we can overcome mental, emotional, and physical obstacles.

I'm so proud of this team and look forward to what 2026 will bring for them.

07/12/2025

**If you do not want to listen to rap music, just mute***

I missed the first part of how big her reactivity was. Which, in fact, was a huge improvement to the last few months of working in the new arena. Delphi is highly sensitive, especially to sounds. The sound of the sand hitting the barrels or walls... the creaking doors or the speakers... Or cars driving by, or horses calling... on and on.

Some horses you can take the slow and consistent method with, but with Delphi, I have learned that with some things, it is more productive to "flood" her. I know... I know... Y'all can calm down.

IF you can watch until the end, you will see how she improves. I do have some loud music on. I deliberately wanted harsh-sounding music that offers inconsistent noises/booms/bangs, and that also helped cover up some of the other reaction-inducing sounds (I did try to lower the volume in the editing).

At the end, she was actually quite calm until she noticed TWO of our goats were on a walkabout!!

Each horse is different in the way I educate/condition them. With Delphi, there are some things that I just do, regardless of how reactive she starts out. I am never going to make her a non-reactive horse (she's literally bred to be in the bull-fighting ring), but I can prove to her that she will live through anything I ever do with her. I can show her that there are times when we don't get to think through all the scary things and that we just have to have really good coping skills in place for when all the uncontrollable things try to trigger us. She does not ever get punished for being scared, simply worked through it and then is rewarded for being curious and calm(er).

Hope you enjoyed these few mins of our lives!

I missed the first part of how big her reactivity was. Which, in fact, was a huge improvement to the last few months of working in the new arena. Delphi is...