Stay Fit Equine, LLC

05/12/2025

04/18/2025

Today is Superman’s birthday and what better gift to give him than a totally custom Dresch saddle especially made for him to arrive today for him.

This guy brings so much joy to both Pippa Bird and her hubby! He is like a big black lab!

We love you Superman. Happy birthday 🥳

04/03/2025

The breath of dressage… and the breath of living… ❤️

I was maybe 21 or 22 when I had a lesson that’s stayed with me ever since.

It was one of those early spring days when the arena was still cold, but the sun was shinning.

My horse, a spirited youngster, was tense, and so was I. We were both fighting each other, me trying to hold everything together, him trying to escape everything I was holding.

My trainer at the time was soft-spoken, but her feel in the saddle was sharper than any words. She called me into the middle with just a glance.

She didn’t say much. Just walked up, took the reins from my hands, and held them for a moment.

Then she looked at me and said,
"You’re holding your breath. And you’re holding the reins the same way."

I laughed awkwardly, because she wasn’t wrong.

“Okay,” I said. “Soften my hands. Try not to die. Breathe. Got it.”

But she shook her head.

“No, it’s more than that,” she said. “The reins are the breath of the ride. They should move like breath. Expand. Release. Flow.”

I don’t remember the rest of the ride. But I remember sitting in silence at the end of the day, thinking about what she said.

Back then, I didn’t fully get it. I was too focused on outline, on contact, on “getting it right.” But over time, the lesson kept echoing back to me. Especially in the harder rides, the ones where nothing seemed to click.

And I started to notice:

When I held my breath, I held the reins.
When I was soft and present, so were they.
And when the reins breathed, so did my horse.

The reins aren't tools of control.
They’re a shared inhale, a shared exhale.
A rhythm not made of sound, but of feel.

Now, years later, it’s one of the first things I feel for in every ride:

Are we breathing?
Are we listening?

Because that space, the space between pressure and release, between ask and allow,
that’s where the magic lives.

That’s the breath of dressage.

03/28/2025

This is a fantastic article about one of my clients, Hannah Kingsley. It’s a story of adversity, resilience, commitment, and the joy of being a horse woman. Read and be inspired! ❤️🐴❤️

When Hannah Kingsley, DVM, first started feeling off while helping her sister and brother-in-law move, she initially believed she was dealing with a migraine. But what transpired a few minutes later would prove to be life-altering, changing the course of her veterinary career and sending her towards...

02/21/2025

Jodi Lees Dressage Jodi Jones Lees you and Rivers Edge Farm are my home away from home. Dani - and Ziggy and Marcie before her (it’s hard to believe I’ve been hanging out with you for SO LONG!!! 🤣🤗) - couldn’t ask for a more caring, attentive, well-managed, happier barn. And I have received uncountable gifts from you over these years that we have known each other. Thank you, more than you know - from me and my horses. 🐴 ❤️🤗🥰

Jill Briggs and Stay Fit Equine, LLC with her beautiful, opinionated, capable Dani ( a.k.a. Kharrizzma) have shared an absolute love affair over these past few years at our barn. I don’t think we would know what to do without either of them. I feel blessed to have Jill - her friendship, her saddle fitting skills, her lovely attitude- in my daily life ❤️😍

01/31/2025

The most recent Saddlery Dresch spokesperson for Ingram Equine Training at In Town Equestrian. 😂 Thanks Helen Beer for the photo! 😁

11/24/2024

I’ll be in Colorado December 9-14 for saddle fit, new saddle delivery and design appointments - Longmont, Berthoud, Castlerock, Littleton, Parker, Evergreen, and places around and in-between! 😁
I have a few spots open on Wednesday the 11th and Friday the 13th. Contact me here, via Messenger private message, by email at stayfitequine.com, or text at 843-540-0632 if you would like to schedule an appointment.❤️🐴❤️

11/17/2024

Really nice article about our relationships with horses… and how they change us for the better when we pay attention.

Warwick Schiller made his name as an expert trainer. An enigmatic little horse completely changed his outlook.

09/16/2024

I love this life ❤️🐴❤️

06/24/2024

Summer is here and anyone who rides in its heat should read this.

A recent study, conducted in Japan, compared various methods for cooling horses after exercise in hot and humid conditions. Thoroughbreds were exercised until their pulmonary artery temperature reached 108°F. The time until the pulmonary artery temperature returned to

05/20/2024

In Florida this week for saddle fit and design appointments - first Ocala, then Wellington, then back to Ocala. Lots of clients showing at WEC this weekend… Have GREAT rides! ❤️🐴❤️

01/20/2024

Melissa Torreano and Alice at WEC in Ocala - looking fabulous! ❤️🐴❤️