"Doug is so good on a bad horse, one wonders what he can do on a good horse. He's gotten a reputation so people are bringing him horses that other trainers aren't successful with. I don't want to see him getting stuck there. He has the potential to go as far as a good horse can take him."

Jim Wofford - 3 time Olympian, internationally recognized coach, NBC Sports commentator and author.

                                                        

"Doug never rushes a horse to do too much too soon, a training approach that isn't seen often enough. He is kind, straightforward and methodical. Doug thinks long-term and waits for results."

Heather Mason - 'S' Dressage Judge and Grand Prix Dressage Rider and Trainer.

                                                        

Dear Doug,

When I originally brought Charm to you the goal was to figure out if he could be anything other than a pasture pal and now we have something really special thanks to your talent and willingness to take a chance on something “unusual” Charm has turned into such a solid citizen with the heart for eventing that we wish all our horses have. You have done an outstanding job to give him the confidence and opportunity to be a very competitive horse. I never thought we would come to the juncture where we have arrived needing to find Charm a new person, but you have helped me make that decision with professionalism and sensitivity that I could not have imagined possible. Through your great skill you were able to demonstrate to me the reasons Charm is a great horse with a bright future, but not with me. Having seen it for myself has made one of the most difficult decisions of my life bearable. I am looking forward to finding the person who will take Charm to his full potential and appreciate him for the Charm that we all know he is. I can’t thank you enough for that.

I also wanted to thank you for the miraculous transformation of Bumbi. It boggles my mind to think that in less than one hour you took a hot, crazed unrideable horse and turned her back into the joy she used to be in my life. I am looking forward to many happy hours ahead of us, once again thanks to your immeasurable talent as a rider and a human being.

Best wishes in your continued success,

Sincerely,

Cindy Strate

                                                        

"I attribute Doug's success to his combination of classical riding background, athletic ability and soft kind way with horses. At 6-foot-3, Doug is a big, strong guy with the necessary physical strength to use when he needs it. Yet Doug's temperament is calm and quiet, not aggressive. The total effect is like an iron fist in a velvet glove."

Denny Emerson - World Championship team gold medalist who was recently inducted into the USEA Eventing hall of Fame.

                                                        

Our daughter, Leah, worked very hard over the last few years to save toward her own horse. We want to thank you for selling us Vinny. He is an absolute sweet heart! We knew when Leah saw him it was love at first sight! It was like Vinny chose Leah. We are sure Vinny's disposition is a combination of his being an orphan and your TLC for the last year. He has fabulous manners, tremendous potential, and now a girl that loves him like crazy! The best part will be watching them grow together. Thank you for helping to make the sale both pleasurable and easy. We appreciate your straightforward honesty and patience. Please feel free to use us as a reference anytime and if you are ever in Mendham, please feel free to come by and see us. Much continued success to you and your horses.

Sincerely,
Barbara Borkan

                                                        

Doug,

I just want to thank you for the wonderful job you did with my mare Lexi. It's amazing to me how much progress was made in such a short period of time. She's so much easier for me to ride now! Wendy also commented on how much she improved under your tutelage.

It's really a pleasure to work with people who enjoy their job as much as you do.

I wish you the best of luck and hope to see you soon. Thanks again,

Joanne

                                                        

I just wanted to say a BIG THANKS!!! You did great with Plenty, but everyone told me you would. Have a great weekend and I'll see you next week.

Geneva

                                                        

I can’t tell you how happy I am with Sunny. He is such a pleasure to ride and tries so hard at everything he does; he is one of the most athletic horses I’ve ever ridden and I’m confident he’ll be able to take me to the next level (and then some!) in my riding career. He loves to jump and we’re having a blast getting to know each other. I’m looking forward to our first show together, hopefully in the spring after a winter of finishing touches.

As important with how happy I am with Sunny, is how impressed I was with how you handled the transaction. You were extremely honest, professional and ethical, something many other “professionals” in this industry should take a lesson from.

Best,

Tracey & Sunny

                                                        

I just wanted to express how happy I was to find your site. I've had back problems that have kept me out of the saddle for some time; I miss all of it, but I really miss cross country. The helmet-cam of the cross country ride...how wonderful, how delightful it was to watch. How kind of you to make that available for people to view.

Thank you,

Galadriel Billington

                                                        

Thanks for the wonderful job you did with Cosmo. I had a great ride yesterday, he was exactly the horse I wanted. I'm so glad he went to you last month, you took good care of him and showed me the potential he has.

Thanks again,

Betty Sellers

                                                        

When I brought my horse Andy to Doug's barn back in March of 2007 my plan was to sell Andy. At the time, I was experiencing a loss of confidence after an accident and thought that perhaps the best thing for me to do with Andy, was to sell him on to a good new owner who would enjoy showing Andy to his potential. Needless to say, it was really the last thing I wanted to do since, I was so emotionally attached to Andy and deep down inside I wanted to keep Andy but, didn't have the confidence to work through my issues on my own. Andy is a lovely dressage horse and needed to be in a full training program that would get him back into shape again physically and emotionally. Andy's confidence had eroded over time due to me and my confidence issues. Andy is a very sensitive horse that needs a good confident rider and leader which Doug was for Andy. Doug has been wonderful working with Andy these past 6 months and has done a great job in bringing Andy back to good form. Doug has been very successful showing Andy this summer and they have always been in first place with really nice scores It has been a pleasure knowing and working with Doug. The best thing I could have done for me and my horse, was to bring him to Doug's barn for training.

Best Regards,

Joyce

· 1st Horse Park of NJ -2-1, Andamento 70.000%

· 1st Horse Park of NJ -2nd Level Champion, Andamento

· 5th Horse Park of NJ -1-4, Andamento 68.000%

· 1st Bucks County Horse Park III - 1-4, Andamento 75.789%

· 1st Bucks County Horse Park III - 2-1, Andamento 72.368%

                                                        

"Doug has far exceeded our expectations by developing and competing Rocket, and continues to do so. We purchased Rocket and formed a partnership with Doug to see how far he can take this wonderful Danish Warmblood. Rocket was previously difficult to ride even for the most seasoned professional. Rocket was classified as a 'problem' show jumper because he was not careful enough over 5' jumps and was at times called "crazy" because of his strong attitude and personality. Within a few months Doug kindly developed and trained this horse and qualified him for the National Championships within 2 preliminary eventing competitions. In addition, he recently won a gamblers choice show jumping event with over 50 competitors at the Virginia Horse Trials. Because of Doug's training, Rocket is now also showing great dressage promise. He has conditioned, and developed a relationship with Rocket that is truly exceptional. Rocket respects and likes Doug and is now so happy with his new job as an eventing horse. We have great hopes for the two of them to continue to progress to the highest levels of eventing and dressage."

Cindy + Randy Clover

                                                        

Hi Doug,

Just wanted to let you know what a wonderful job I think you are doing with my mare, Lily. As you know, she had several issues, including sucking back and throwing in a buck or two when asked to go forward. I had 2 other trainers come to look at her, and neither one of then wanted to get on her.

Since you starting schooling her in May, she is making so much progress. She is so much more willing to go forward and also has become a wonderful trail companion. Riding her has become a pleasure. You even have her jumping and doing flying lead changes! Very impressive!

Susan & Lily

                                                        

"Thanks for directing me towards The Federalist. I thought I knew what I wanted when I started searching for a horse. You gently steered me in a much better direction and I am glad I finally I took your advice. The Federalist and I are a perfect match. I am thrilled with my new horse. Thanks for your time, energy, commitment and patience."

Tamara + Roo

                                                        

What can I say? Doug Payne embodies the one quality I have always found to be the most important in a horseperson: he has the ability to get the results he wants without you ever seeing him do it. By this I mean that he is one of those rare people who is wonderfully quiet and soft in his strength with subtlety and great patience. You will never see him flap his arms or kick the horse in his sides or pull on his mouth so that the horse can no longer pay attention to what was originally asked of him. I have always felt that horses respond much better to this way of training. He is completely natural. He never causes them to "worry" which I feel results in the horse remembering his lessons better in the long run.
It has certainly worked well on my little horse "Mr. Bliss". He is a welsh cob / percheron cross who I bought last summer simply because I fell in love with him the moment I saw him. (yes, I am a woman) He was young and green and already "worried". (The first time I turned on the hose he was gone so fast I didn't even see his tail leave the barn, but I suppose the two inch layer of mud on him should have clued me in to that one... ) I'm not sure I would have bought him so fast if I didn't already know Doug. I was sure he could get him to be "perfect" no matter what and nine months later he is more than well on his way. His stress level is almost gone.

Doug is also just as patient with his clients as he is with the horses. Trust me, I am always bothering him- "what did you do just now?" "which leg did you use?" "how did you do that?" etc.etc.etc....he just smiles and answers all of my questions and keeps coming back every week. What more could anyone ask for?

-Melanie Archer and "Mr. Bliss"

                                                        

Just want to drop you a quick line to let you know that CB is settling into his new home and training program really well. Thank you for doing such a great job with him. You gave him a solid foundation which challenged him without over facing him and prepared him for a successful future. I appreciate how patient you were and how you worked with his learning style. I can't tell you how grateful I am for the start you gave my horse. Since moving about 10 days ago CB has received so many compliments on his education. (I'm telling EVERYONE to send their horse to you!) People are amazed at how far along he is for having just 4 months of training. When he first arrived from Florida, where he was enjoying his retirement from racing, he didn't have any muscle or know left from right. After spending a short time with you, he has definition, a neck that is becoming round, shoulders and a hind end! Charlie can now walk, trot, canter and jump because of you. He is well on his way to entering the hunter/jumper world! I'm so happy I had the opportunity to start CB with you, thanks again for everything!

- Gina + Charlie Blues

                                                        

Hey Doug, you rode my horse Petey last week and gave me a lesson on him and I just wanted to let you know that today for the first time ever I rode him with the guys cutting the lawn right next to the ring....and survived! Normally I would've been trying to slow him to try and work him with the guys around but inside I just pushed him forward and anytime he tried to do something silly I just dug my inside leg into him. It was amazing, I even jumped him. He's already picking up the left lead without a problem after the fences with the jumping exercise that you gave us to do. I can't believe the change that I've seen in him after only 1 lesson. I def. want to do one again sometime soon so just let me know when would be good for you, Monday or Tuesday afternoons are best for me.
Thanks!
Meredith

 

Below you will find comments
and suggestions from both industry
icons as well as past and present clients.
            

"We were having trouble with a young off
the track thoroughbred we had bought.
Farley was extremely athletic and had a bold,
confident attitude. He was doing well with his flat
work and was showing exceptional talent through
the gymnastic exercises. However, cantering over
fences, his bucking and playing antics were regularly
unseating his riders. While pondering what to do we
came across an article called 'The Go To Guy For Problem
Horses'. We called Doug and were very impressed with his

DPEquestrian.com
background and approach to training. We decided to send Farley to Doug with the goal of settling his bucking issue and start his eventing career. After only five months of training Farley has successfully completed 2 beginner Novice events and 5 Novice events and is ready to go Training. Doug and Farley won Pine Top over Thanksgiving weekend on his dressage score of 28. We are absolutely thrilled with the progress Doug has made with Farley. You will likely see Doug competing Farley in 2008 as we continue Farley's education. We would highly recommend Doug to anyone considering additional training for their horse."

Shanon Baker-Day
Stephen Day
President, Dover Saddlery