My horrible experiences with Texas horse trainer/instructor Ellen Doughty-Hume

[Sparrowette]

Someone upthread mentioned that Stormy’s posts were deleted, but that they were quoted. I’ve done a bit of a search, and it looks like the quotes have been expunged too. Probably at the request of some lawyer.

There is one post I found that has a small bit of outline, not all the details, but where a new viewer might get the general gist of things:

https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/f…53#post9026553

Hope this helps.

[Blugal]

There was a glitch with the software update. The first post is visible if you quote it, which I’ve done here:

@stormy17

Ellen Doughty-Hume has requested a public apology regarding my reaction to her comment about the passing of my husband’s draftcross gelding Danger Mouse. I’m sorry that I believed the comment Ellen made was meant to be negative. I was wrong. In reciprocation, I would like a public apology from her as well, for the following occurrences in which she is verifiably at fault for:

1. My horses were turned out in a field known to flood in the past, after repeatedly asking for them not to be down there, resulting in my Irish Draught gelding Bailey drowning and other gelding, Mouse, spending a week in the hospital with water in his lungs. (In full disclosure, I was paid HALF of Bailey’s value by Ellen’s insurance company). Unfortunately, no lessons were learned from my horse’s death, since horses are still being turned out in this same pasture.
2. Ellen waited over 8 hours to notify me that my daughter’s pony, Fella, was colicking. Instead Ellen chose to leave him in a stall to thrash while she went home, forbidding the staff/working students from calling me, the horse’s owner. I’m grateful to the one working student who disobeyed Ellen’s cruelty. Thankfully, my friend arrived with her horse trailer in time to get Fella to the clinic for colic surgery in the middle of the night.
3. My Oldenburg gelding, Ziggy, was turned out in a hail storm which resulted in a career ending injury. (All area horse owners knew that storm was coming, in fact Ellen had time to stop and photograph the clouds rolling in to the barn, and post them on social media.)
4. I was not informed that my Thoroughbred gelding, Buzz, was non weight-bearing with cellulitis for 2 days, and no vet was called. Ellen chose to diagnose and treat him herself without giving me the option of veterinary care.
5. I found out Buzz had been colicky via a Banamine charge on my bill almost THREE WEEKS after the fact.
6. Ellen allowed other people to ride my horses without my permission, including taking one over state lines to go cross country schooling without my approval or my requested written agreement from the rider. (Found this out via photos online, and confirmed by asking the rider who had no idea I hadn’t given permission.)
7. Changing my horses’ farrier without asking me.
8. Changing my horses’ feed without asking or telling me.
9. Running out of alfalfa numerous times without telling boarders (but still charging alfalfa fee for those days).
10. Feeding low-quality hay that most of my horses refused to eat.
11. Galli, my older Hanoverian who had been at a good weight previously, lost over 200lbs in the span of a few months, leaving him with a skeletal appearance.
12. Billing for coaching at shows but usually hardly receiving any (common complaint from others).
13. Not being welcome at local Area 5 show venues due to Ellen’s previous behavior at said venues.
14. Ellen’s students (including myself) were threatened with eliminaion at Fleur de Leap Horse Trials because she argued with a Technical Delegate about her dogs being on a “verbal invisible leash.” Her loose dogs at show venues is also a common compliant.
15. Ellen entered the dressage ring in Florida on Buzz when he was head bobbing lame, which later required surgery, resulting in that he now has an elimination on his USEA recordin DRESSAGE.
16. Leaving the barn of 60+ horses in the care eight-year-old child, to do all morning chores by herself. (Although a fantastic kid, it is wildly inappropriate to leave her alone to go in stalls with no adult present.)
17. Overworking / jumping my 3 year old higher than I had given permission for when I wasn’t there, causing stress in his joints that required treatment and 4 months off. He was also taken to a show (I was not present) and competed while sore.
18. Myself and other students were kicked off a cross country course for jumping after the course was closedthen Ellen argued with the owner, almost resulting in us being banned from showing the next day in the schooling show.
    These are just my personal experiences. I travel regularly for work, and entrusted Ellen to care for and train my horses as a professional. Unfortunately, her poor decision making regularly came at the expense of the horses in her care. I cannot even begin to list how many other people I saw get ripped off or screwed over in addition to myself. Hopefully this post encourages them to speak up. By keeping quiet, they are enabling Ellen to continue being a negligent and dangerous disgrace to horses, riders (mostly with parents who don’t know any better), and the entire sport of eventing. I could keep going, but I don’t think I need to. In ONE year I had 1 horse die, 1 horse permanently crippled, and 5 horses require surgery/hospital stays.
    Sharing your personal experiences publicly is NOT slander if it is TRUE. I have photos, videos, vet statements, witnesses, etc to back up EVERY SINGLE CLAIM.
    I wanted to ride off in the sunset and be happy with my ponies, but my conscience would not let me. I’m taking a stand for those who don’t have a voice. My only regret is that I waited so long.

[OverandOnward]

Stormy’s info of course is important, and got it all started, but IMO even more instructive was the posting about EDH’s horse-business practices, and general behavior in horse settings, from multiple sources. Along with a smattering of “defense” postings by some astonishingly under-informed EDH supporters. As far as I know there hasn’t been any deleting of those posts. Found that information to be very revealing about EDH, who is the real subject here.

Not up to speed on what EDH is doing recently. Anyone know?

[Sparrowette]

@Blugal

There was a glitch with the software update. The first post is visible if you quote it, which I’ve done here:

Thanks Blugal. I didn’t know about the glitch.

[Laurierace]

[Texarkana]

What’s worse than the initial pictures themselves is the next post with what was supposed to be a “good” picture. She still looks unthrifty.

It’s just scary that she doesn’t seem to understand why people are taking issue.

[Highflyer1]

Yeah, I just went and looked at her insta thinking maybe it was a recent rescue from an auction or something because it looks terrible .

[Laurierace]

My yearling battled EHV-1 this spring then went on to be hospitalized with cellulitis in 3 legs due to having a wonky immune system post virus and looks a million times better than that. I can’t Imagine having a horse look that poor for no apparent reason but if I did I certainly wouldn’t post it for the world to see. There is a serious disconnect there somewhere.

[Texarkana]

I know I’m preaching to the choir when I say anyone who has ever had a growing baby knows they go through absolutely hideous growth spurts. But there’s a difference between a hideous growth spurt and being unhealthy. This baby shows signs of the latter.

[Jenerationx]

Oh my lord.

[Texarkana]

I’m usually pretty “live and let live,” but this just irritates me. She has 4,000+ followers who are now being told “that’s just what a growing WB looks like,” and “it’s better to be thin than too fat.”

There’s a difference between being in a ribby stage and being unhealthy. This yearling is not getting adequate nutrition for whatever reason: parasites, illness, poor feeding program, lousy forage situation, whatever.

We’ve all been there where our horses don’t look ideal. I actually appreciate when people share more than just sunshine and roses on social media. But don’t try to pass this off as what is normal for a growing warmblood. It’s not.

[beowulf]

Oh no. That poor horse looks unwell. I’d be so concerned if any of my babies looked like that…

[trubandloki]

If this is just a ‘growth spurt looking ugly’ then this poor thing has a very unhealthy looking neck conformation because typically growth spurt looking ugly does not make their neck look undernourished and scrawny.

[TwiSedai]

Or their coat, mane and tail so dull looking.

[FrittSkritt]

The post of her 30-year-old schoolie made me cringe… I know old timers can be hard to keep weight on, but this guy looks sickly AF.

[CleverUserName]

That poor pony. He looks like a sweetheart.

I do not understand how people don’t have a filter on their public personas. Sure, there’s a small possibility this pony can comfortably haul kids around while they bang on his back learning to trot and canter. Ponies are amazing. BUT, how does a professional not realise that this is not typical for 30 year olds? Ever stop to think? How does she not realise this is NOT a flattering picture? Even just a picture of his face would be better (addressing his health or use is an entirely separate issue).

Critical thinking is a lost skill.

[beowulf]

I don’t think it’s a lack of critical thinking, I think in many cases people who are like this are seriously mentally ill and just aren’t capable in that moment of thinking about things beyond their personal perception.

[Texarkana]

Or in the case of some people, they grew up with the type of horsemanship where this was considered “normal.”

Welfare has changed for the better in my lifetime. Social media definitely forced a lot of improvements. But there are still holdouts who cling to the old guard way of doing things.

[pony_grandma]

Pony appears to have Cushings, the loss of muscle mass. This happened to my aged pony last year, I medicated and he had some relief. He passed away peacefully napping after a hot mash last winter. I sure as hell didn’t put his photo out publicly, nor was he in use as a schooler. It is a distastefully poor decision posting this. It says a lot about someone’s character.

[ABookworm]

This makes me so angry that he’s still teaching in this condition. There’s no reason an active lesson pony should look worse than my cushings, retired lesson pony. I would be so ashamed if any of my horses looked like that.