a.k.a. MacArthur
Douglas was quite a handful when he arrived and he parted company with a few riders at the start of his Foxfield career. Sally Bilodeau began riding him in the early 1990's and just fell in love. For her he would jump the moon, and if there was a little bucking celebration in the corner, she would just laugh. She rode him in hunter, medal and jumper classes at all the Foxfield shows and was Champion or Reserve AA Hunter several times. After years spent jumping the higher fences, Doug was moved to the Dressage Ring and now fits in nicely with those lessons. As you can see by the testimonies below, he has quite a fan club.
In nominating Douglas as "School Horse of the Month," Taylor Meza wrote that he "is gentle and kind. I was at Foxfield camp when I rode him. If you give him the correct amount of leg, he'll do anything that you want him to! At the walk he is VERY soft. Same with the trot and canter. He looks like he is about 17 hh. I LOVE DOUGLAS!" She said she was told by a counselor that if somebody wanted to take a break from a more spirited horse they would go right to Douglas.
Camper Claire McGahan wrote "When I first went to camp, they announced Claire McGahan, you will be riding Douglas. I walked into second corral and found a large bay gelding. I brought (him) to the back of the barn and groomed him. I tried to tack him up but he was so big, I could not. I remember him landing after the cross rail and a photographer took our picture and he spooked and we ran right into a pony that didn't like other horses. Luckily, I didn't fall off. But he was very sweet and I wish I could bring him home with me.
"Douglas was a dream to ride. When I first mounted him I felt so small. I got to ride him three more times and in the camp shows. His trot is smooth and he picks up the canter very easily. Douglas loves to jump, and our camp show was so much fun! We won eighth, fifth, fourth and second. We also got second on our dressage test."
We are lucky to have such a nice horse, and hope that Douglas continues to teach for many more years!
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