Indeed, деепричастия are reserved mostly for the written speech. But причастия itself are very common in all kind of speech. Побитая собака and ржущая лошадь are much, much better than собака, которую побили and лошадь, которая ржет. The bookish are long причастные обороты (participle construction). But short причастные оборотыare also rather common in colloquial speech.