The Douglas Way Horsemanship

19/08/2024

next year maybe 🤷🏼‍♀️

16/08/2024

The art of riding is being an easy weight to carry!

When the rider is in complete harmony with the movement of the horse, the inconvenience of the weight of the rider will be minimal for the horse. However if the rider is against the movement of the horse, ie. if he loses his balance often or if he falls backwards or forwards, then he asks a great deal of adjustment from the horse.

09/08/2024

05/08/2024

Horsemanship goes so far beyond riding. Don't deprive yourself or your horse of every integral part. You'll be glad.

I have upset many students and parents, by requiring students to catch their horses, groom and saddle, and muck. And you wouldn't not even believe the storms that arise over having my students work out!

Make Them Carry Their Saddle

A father of a darling girl and I were talking last week and he said that he wanted his daughter to ride more and not have to do the work part of the catching, grooming, and saddling. I smiled as I explained.

Riding horses is a combination of strength, timing, and balance. Kids in this country are physically weak (unless they are actively involved with weight training and physical conditioning 4+ times a week.)

When you walk out to the field, you are clearing your stress from being under fluorescent lights all day; feeling the sun soak into your bones. As your body moves on uneven surfaces, it strengthens your legs and core.

When you groom your horse (especially currying), you are toning your arms and stabilizing your core.

When you carry your saddle, your arms, chest, and back are doing isolated strengthening work.

Being near horses, calms and makes you tune into the splendor of these empathetic animals.

When you ride at a posting trot, it’s equivalent to a slow jog calorie burn wise.

After a lesson, the riders are physically tired and mentally quiet and balanced.

Horses feel your heart beat and mirror your emotions back.

Riding large and somewhat unpredictable animals makes you resilient and pushes your expectations.

Working with horses is so much more than learning how to ride.

So parents, make your children carry their saddles. Don’t do the hard parts for them, as long term it actually hurts them. To advance with their riding, they must get stronger. You can help by doing the high parts.

I love having you all at the farm, and am so grateful to get to share these fascinating animals with you.

Hannah Campbell Zapletal

03/08/2024

Fall clinic lineup. I would love to have you at a clinic.
Thanks to for the work you've done. If anyone is looking to host a clinic in your area, please contact Ashlyn.

21/07/2024

Due to requests, my clinic manager and I decided to have a clinic here in Knoxville. This clinic will include a demonstration with my liberty team, individualized work with you and your horse, and open discussion.

Here is the link to the form to sign up. If it doesn't work let me know.
https://forms.gle/x3qcrCK8QreLHDqp6

21/07/2024

Consistency. Progress. Fundamentals.

15/07/2024

Another interesting horse!

Snowman (1949-1974) with the De Leyer Kids, Photo by Bill Ray

Snowman was a former plow horse, purchased on his way to the "meat market," who became a champion in show jumping in the United States during the 1950s.

Snowman originally was used for farm work and in 1956 was headed for the slaughterhouse at eight years of age. On that day, Harry de Leyer, a Long Island, New York riding instructor, attended a Pennsylvania horse auction looking for school horses. He arrived late, and the only remaining horses were the "rejects", loaded into trucks bound for the dog food and glue slaughter house.

De Leyer made eye contact with a large gray horse that he purchased for $80. He first used Snowman as a lesson horse for children. De Leyer recognized talent in the horse after he sold him to a neighbor and the horse jumped high fences to return "home." De Leyer then began training Snowman as a show jumper.

The horse began winning prestigious classes only two years after he was bought off the slaughter truck and his career lasted five years. He willingly jumped over other horses and his calm disposition made him a favorite: he once won a leadline class and an open jumper championship on the same day.

Snowman also appeared on television shows (Johnny Carson's for one, where Carson climbed on his back). He was the subject of two books, had his own fan club, and was flown abroad for "guest appearances."

De Leyer kept Snowman through his retirement until his humane euthanasia due to complications from kidney failure at the age of twenty-six.

Inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in 1992, Snowman has been made into a Breyer horse model, which apparently is no longer manufactured.
Snowman is the subject of the book Eighty Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation by Elizabeth Letts, published by Random House in 2011.

09/07/2024

"...we must never forget, every time we sit on a horse, what an extraordinary privilege it is: to be able to unite one's body with that of another sentient being, one that is stronger, faster and more agile by far than we are, and at the same time, brave, generous, and uncommonly forgiving." --William Steinkraus, Olympic Equestrian

07/07/2024

Beautifully written.

You might be paying me, but my contract is with your horse.

He starts talking to me as soon as I lay my eyes on him. It's not that I hear his voice or see pictures projected to me. His body speaks to me. I notice the placement of his feet beneath his body, the angles and symmetry of his hooves. I take in the rhythm of his breath, the motion of his ears, the wrinkle over his eye.

As you begin to tell me his story, my eyes continue scanning over the contours of his body. The hollows and creases explain a history of imbalance in his muscles. I make a mental note to look at your saddle.

I know he travels on the forehand well before you mention that he leans on the bit. The thickened throat-latch and hypertrophied under-neck muscles have been shouting at me since I arrived. That he spooks randomly at nothing comes as no surprise to me either.

Tensegrity will absorb many physical problems as they arise, allowing bodies to do an amazing job of compensating for physical trauma, but like us, as horses get older, trauma accumulates and creates dysfunctional posture and movement patterns.

And it's not just physical damage suffered through knocks, falls and micro-tears that takes a toll. There's emotional trauma from being weaned, trapped in yards, deprived of sufficient forage, transported, “broken-in”, separated from herdmates and so on…

Chronic emotional trauma can manifest as fascial restrictions. Dehydrated fascia becomes rigid, creating a strangle hold around muscles, nerves, tendons and even organs, limiting range of motion and sending pain signals to the brain. A vicious circle is created. The body braces as if to form a protective armour against unseen threats and the nervous system remains ever ready to flee, fight or freeze.

So once you have told me his story, it is my duty that I tell you what his body said to me. Be assured - these are my observations, not accusations. He’s always been like that, you say? Well how about today we start to do something about it? Not after the show next weekend, not after the trail ride, or after the $150 jumping lesson with the coach from out of town. For the sake of your horse, it needs to be now.

I've made a promise to your horse that I will
See him
Hear him
Honor and respect him.

I promised to do all in my power to help him feel safe so he is free to become the magnificent creature I know he can be.

So before I take your money - are you with me?

05/07/2024

Liberty! Today, the 4th of July, is the day that we celebrate the concept of Liberty that our country was founded on. This is also the word attached to the style of horsemanship that I most resonate with. It is a concept that reverberates through every interaction I have with life around me.

I was recently asked by a student to define Liberty Horsemanship. The definition that came to mind was...the method of communicating with and interacting with a horse that has the freedom of choice to participate or not without physical restraint to dissuade the lack of participation.

This caused me to later look up the definition of Liberty. Merriam-Webster has 14 different definitions if you include subcategories. Here are the ones that I think truly embody Liberty Horsemanship AND what America was founded on.

1. The quality or state of being free
a. The power to do as one pleases
b. Freedom from physical restraint
c. Freedom from arbitrary control
e. The power of choice
2. a. A right or immunity enjoyed by prescription
b. Permission especially to go freely within specified limits
3. b. Risk, chance

All of these are applicable in liberty horsemanship but are best viewed as a conglomerate. For example, when looking at definition 1a, I reminded of 1 Corinthians 10:23 : "Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial."

I earnestly believe liberty can only truly flourish when accompanied by both discipline and love.

29/06/2024

Ok, so you're cool but you're not Alice Sisty roman jumping a car cool

1932 - Alice Sisty's famous roman jump over car.

02/06/2024

During World War II, the Coast Guard Beach Patrol played a crucial role in protecting more than 3,700 miles of coastline. Around 24,000 men were enlisted to serve in these patrols, which operated on horseback. Working in pairs, they maintained a distance of approximately 100 feet from each other while effectively patrolling a 2-mile stretch. Referred to as "Sand Pounders," these highly skilled individuals demonstrated exceptional speed and efficiency as they navigated through difficult terrains. This historical account can be traced back to the year 1945.

26/03/2024

Cowboy Carnival. I'll be doing a presentation. Come enjoy a fun day

24/03/2024

Does this person not know what happened to Henry Craig. IYKYK😉

24/03/2024

🤣🤣🤣 happy Thursday!!!

10/02/2024

Things that make you go hmmmmm???

20/08/2023

It is clear many of us are increasingly aware things may not be as we dreamed in the horse world. That liberty work has little to do with freedom; that a horse trained with food may be just as ‘pressured’ as a horse trained with pressure (possibly even more so without sufficient education and skill); and that riding without a bridle does not prove your horse was not trained with overflexion the day before. These are human fantasises not horse realities.

We are awake to the fact that our horses bodies may be suffering and sitting on them could be too great a challenge. That their digestive system is wonky and that asking them to get in a trailer could be a cruelty. That ideally they would run in a herd of friends over hundreds of acres, sleeping under the stars with the rain on their backs and the wind in their faces.

This can lead one to think that asking a horse to do anything at all is unacceptable. I feel myself at this edge.

This is where I have come to rest with it right now. The world is as it is. The whole system needs changing otherwise we are all going to go down the swanny anyway. So, what can I change in my immediate interaction with the animals (and people) in my sphere of influence? Can I think global and act local when it comes to my horses?

Certainly in the U.K. there are not great stretches of land to turn our horses out on to. We are a small island with no wilderness. Access to land is limited. What is feasible?

I can make sure my horse has friends. And as best I possibly can I make sure these are stable long term friendships. This doesn’t mean just turning two horses out together regardless of how they feel, but observing who actually gets on with who and honoring that. I can consider how my life would be without friendships, and whether I would wish that life on my worst enemy - let alone my best horse.

I can explore ways in which I can let my horses make decisions and have choices. Does my horse EVER get to have a say over what happens in his life? Ever? This is something I’m constantly considering, and it’s actually not easy. But I have a large pre frontal cortex so I might as well attempt to use it.

I can think about ways to make my horse’s life interesting. Can we go out on adventures together? A horse living a horse life would cover many miles over different terrain, they would rarely go in circles in a sand school. In what ways, however small, can we explore this amazing world together. If I don’t enjoy riding out - can I lead out?

And, can I commit to really trying to consider things from the perspective of a horse? How do THEY experience the world (sometimes called their unwelt) and if I tried even for a minute to put myself in their hooves, what might I change about how I present myself to them?

For now I’m going to keep riding, but I’m going to try to do a better job of being a human. My horses have done their fair share of adapting to me.

05/08/2023

So from the love humans had for horses birthed the medical treatment of animals. I find that very interesting!

Origin of the word VETERINARY

The word "veterinarian" originates from Latin. In ancient Rome, horses used in the army (loading beasts) that were very old would gather in a place where they could enjoy and rest. These animals were called "veterinus".

The people who cared for these animals were called VETERINARII (veterinarius), which was a derivative of the word VETUS / VETERIS, "old", because of this the profession of animal care was called that.

259 years after the creation of the first school of veterinary medicine the first two veterinary schools, Lyon, on August 4, 1761, and the École Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort (Paris), were created by French Claude Bourgelat, lawyer and lover of horses, who did not accept inefficiency in the empirical treatment of his breed horses, and used his influence to convince King Louis XV to create the School of Veterinary of Lyon, which began operating in 1762, with its students recruited among horsemen, specialists in the care of the helmets of the horses, horsemanship being one of the subjects studied.

The second country was Austria in 1768, followed by Italy in 1769, Denmark in 1773, Sweden in 1775, Germany in 1778, Hungary in 1781, England in 1791 and Spain in 1792. At the end of the 18th century, there were 19 schools of veterinary medicine across Europe.

The first recognized veterinarians graduated from major veterinary schools founded between 1762 and 1821, such as the Royal Veterinary College in 1791 in London, and Lyon School became a symbol of modernity.

Source: Dr. Oscar Brogna.

Faye Rogers Animal Communicator please follow/like page

22/07/2023

A little horse time is good for the soul.

12/06/2023

If you are fond of a horse.....

19/05/2023

Thought this was hilarious, but kidding aside behavioral issues can show up from health concerns. Always a good idea to have it checked.

This just in:

10/04/2023

https://www.facebook.com/cowboyup213 🇺🇦🇺🇸🇨🇦