About Us

Sain Equine, LLC was founded by Courtney Scott and Hailey Salmonsen as a way to fill a need in the horse industry for colt starting and horse training that emphasizes creating safe and sane all around mounts.

We specialize in building a strong, well rounded foundation for horses of any breed or discipline. It is not a “one size fits all” program, each horse is treated as an individual and with respect and empathy. Horses are given confidence and a clear understanding of their job while owners are taught the skills needed to effectively communicate with their horse.

We truly love and respect every horse that comes through our barn and it’s incredibly important to us that each one that leaves Sain Equine is set up for success so that they are able to have long, happy careers. It’s more than just teaching them to be ridden, it’s about creating a partnership and developing a horse that enjoys its job and that is what we are passionate about.

**Courtney Scott**

Courtney Scott is the head trainer at Sain Equine. She grew up in Gaston, Oregon where her love of horses started at an early age. Courtney took riding lessons all through her childhood before acquiring her first horse through some rather unusual circumstances.
When she was twelve Courtney fell in love with a four year old appaloosa gelding named Rufus. The young gelding was neglected and forgotten, living in a stall that hadn't been mucked out in years with piles of manure towering up to the ceiling. When Courtney showed interest in the young horse, the owner made her a deal: if Courtney cleaned his stall the owner would give her the horse. Through sheer grit and determination, the twelve year old worked tirelessly for three days until the task was complete and in the end she got her horse.
Rufus would be the horse that started it all and proved his worth when he carried her throughout her young equestrian career. From 4-H to OHSET, the pair would go on to win numerous awards, blue ribbons and buckles.
After high school, Courtney decided to pursue her passion of training horses and landed an internship opportunity at one of the largest Quarter Horse ranches in the country: Babcock Ranch. Babcock was home to many celebrated Quarter Horses, most notably the 13+ million dollar sire Smart Chic Olena. It was at Babcock that Courtney learned how to start colts and how to put a foundation on a performance horse. It was also where she was first exposed to the reining and cow horse industry and where she fell in love with these sports. During this time, Courtney got the opportunity to ride some of the smartest, most athletic and talented horses in the industry and she was hooked.
She stayed at Babcock for over a year, and though she loved the horses and the sport it was ultimately the culture of the high dollar industry that caused her to return home and take a break from horses altogether.
Though she learned a lot and rode horses that would leave a mark on her for the rest of her riding career, the experience ultimately soured her to the performance horse industry. Beyond the sport, she also desired a true connection with the horses and had no desire to damage that relationship or push them when they weren’t ready. It seemed her values didn’t align with what the industry demanded in order to be successful and she questioned if this was what she really wanted.
So, when Courtney returned home, she decided to pivot in a different direction and pursued a career as a paramedic. After successfully completing her schooling she served Tillamook and Washington County for over 10 years. During this time she still rode, started some horses and gave occasional lessons, but she had ultimately shelved her dream of training horses full time.
During this time she came across a lot of different horses that had been started by other trainers. Horses with holes in their training and a variety of behavioral problems because of it. Seeing both the horses and their owners struggling made her realize that was a need in the industry for a different kind of training, and Sain Equine was born.