https://www.robinelldoughman.com/home2 daily 1.0 2020-10-11 https://www.robinelldoughman.com/about daily 0.75 2020-10-29 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f6e4934088707332a3f88fa/1601229493174/Doughman.Youth.Y.R.1.jpg Young Robin Robin Ell Doughman was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. His father, Ransel Ell Doughman, came from a family that journeyed to Warren County Ohio to farm. His 5th great grandfather, Johann Hans Peter Duchmann was the first to come to the US from Alsace, France in 1725, give or take a few years. They landed in Maryland, migrated to Pennsylvania, and ended up by 1832 in Warren County, Ohio, a place called Halfmoon. Ell is the name of his dad’s maternal line running back to Germany. On our trip east in 2018 Robin was pleased to discover the old Ell Farm was still there, a rural hold out surrounded by urban sprawl. We were welcomed inside the farmhouse he knew so well with its detailed woodwork and heavy pocket doors. He took pride in the timeworn orchard, still well maintained even though Bobby, his cousin and fraternity brother at Miami, had died three years before, unexpectedly. We brought home some organic honey, vegetables, and fruit from the farm. Robin in Stroller / Photo Mildred Doughman https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f6e4babf248c65471976bac/1601229525417/Doughman.Young+Robin-YRT.7.jpg Young Robin His mother, Mildred, was an amateur photographer and captured Robin in images from the time he was a baby throughout his childhood. Some of them are iconic images of a boy charmed by history, horses, indigenous Americans, and the West. His mom chronicled the road trips, his time at KMI, our college days, homecoming floats and parades, and our budding romance. Both his parents nurtured and supported Robin and continued on with both of us as long as they lived. Mildred Catherine Sears was born in Somerset, Kentucky. She was able to attend Berea College in an early work/study program. Her father drove her to college in a wagon. She taught school and Ransel was a vice president in charge of accounting of a Cincinnati metal shaping company. Robin on paint horse statue out west / Photo Mildred Doughman https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f6e4b76945b871b3f28248f/1601229510986/Doughman.Youth.Y.R.3.jpg Young Robin Robin discovered and expressed interests early in his life that he pursued all his life. His parents supported those interests while he was young. There were family trips each summer and many of those were spent in the West. His dad drove the family car to locations all over the US, but what Robin loved the most was the time spent on a ranch in Rifle, Colorado. This spurred his interest in nature and the wilderness. His knowledge of history was fed by trips to historic places, by his parents, and by teachers who took a special interest in him because of his grasp and retention of the subject. Robin on Carousel, Mildred in background /Photo Ransel Doughman https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f6e4a42c8bb3d6230c76835/1601229582332/Doughman.Youth.Y.R.5.jpg Young Robin Early in Robin’s life he developed a strong interest in history. His curiosity for history led to a lifelong interest in the indigenous tribes of the Americas, particularly the tribes of North America. He joined a Pow Wow dance troupe when he was a boy. In the summer of 1964 I started beading to help him renovate his beadwork to be primarily blue. I used the Lazy Squaw style beadwork technique to make his cuffs and neck piece. I used a loom he made to make a headband. Later he used it as a hatband for one of his cowboy hats. Joe and Petey Dick managed the dance group. Petey was of the Cheyenne tribe. Robin had been adopted into the Rice family, who were Cheyenne and perhaps part of Petey’s family. Petey and Joe Dick toured the Pow Wow circuit of the Midwest and Eastern United States where their family and their three students competed and gained experience. Robin eventually won the eastern regional competition. His time with the Rice family in Oklahoma opened Native culture and history to him. He learned how to make the bustles and beadwork he needed for dancing. Fancy Dance takes you to the edge of drama. It is primal theater. Spiritual connection, grace, movement, and performance are all combined. Robin considered it a sacred connection to the spirit world. He often wore the hat with the headband when he worked with horses. His work with horses was a sacred dance. Robin in dance costume / Photo BJ Studios https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f6e4bd43ed72a581aa3be1d/1601229600692/Doughman.Young+Robin-YRT.13.jpg Young Robin By the time I knew Robin he was comfortable in front of people. He understood what performance was. He knew the difference between theater and the ordinary. He performed in a band and also as a dancer. His spirituality expanded during his experience within the tribe. From there he knew the shaman was at the core of the realm of mystical theater, and that the medicine man had sacred power. I learned and was exposed to it through Robin. It started with the beadwork. Almost everything of importance that I know has come to me through the creative process, making things, art, writing. Robin in dance costume / Photo Mildred Doughman https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f6e49863ed72a581aa3458f/1601229546997/Doughman.Youth.Y.R.4.jpg Young Robin Robin started playing cello when he was young. His musical interest led him to the guitar. Portrait photo of Robin https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f6e4a99556b8c7144dea797/1601987485297/Doughman.Youth.Y.R.6.jpg Young Robin In 1962 Robin transferred to Kentucky Military Institute. He received military training there and graduated with honors in 1964. As a child he played baseball and he continued at KMI as a catcher. He headed the art editing for the school student publications. Robin graduation Kentucky Military Institute / Photo Don Arnold and Son https://www.robinelldoughman.com/family daily 0.75 2020-10-06 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f70d20d641b9366710a6984/1601292976120/Doughman.Family.F-3.jpg Family When I met Robin, he was already a romantic. I was immediately drawn to him. He was appealing, and his blue eyes were expressive. We danced together and formed an epic relationship. Like his mares, I was embraced when I came close. Ryan points out his dad was an alpha male, one that didn’t need to challenge. He was confident, non-aggressive, hardly assertive because he didn’t have to be. He was humble. Robin and Connie - First photo of us together Above / Robin and granddaughter Rhiannon on Moon Shadow / Photo Connie Doughman https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f71c6e0b66cd43eed8bb93a/1601292881659/Doughman.Family.F-10.jpg Family He was a listener and a man of few words. When he did speak, he had your attention. He listened when others spoke. He preferred to have a distance between the time one person stopped talking and another began. This was his way. When Robin was with you, he was there and available and you knew it. He projected quiet support. He was admired, loved, and even adored by his family and friends. Robin in Oxford, Ohio / Photo Chuck Ziegler https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f70d6db36b37d25b6fca06a/1601231155656/Doughman.Family-FT.5.jpg Family He knew he was smart. He lived in the present. He was always this way. We were this way with love and mutual respect being the bottom line. The other thing is there was unbroken desire and he was always easy on the eyes. Robin and Connie at KMI fall / Photo Mildred Doughman https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f70ec06239c8d79ee9daf11/1601555209213/Doughman.Family.F-T.15.jpg Family The buzzing of tools was part of the music we played. I was often working alongside Robin in the shop or on the job sites. We designed and made things together. We were intertwined in this business of ours. Ryan, Robin and Connie / Photo Chuck Ziegler https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f70d289641b9366710a7b99/1601231540491/Doughman.Family.F-1.jpg Family I felt and recognized Robin’s supportive presence. He always let me know he loved me. His intuition and response filled the pits of my anxiety like a spring, an ojo, so silent, strong, and immediate. We balanced and lifted each other. Wedding cake ceremony / Photo Shillito’s https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f70da918d2cb23bb12cfd8d/1601231514624/Doughman.Family.F-16.jpg Family It was an expression of merged creativity, education, skills, artistry, and style. He influenced and stimulated me, and I know he lapped up my ideas, incorporating them with his so smoothly. I watched his left hand perform gracefully, yet opposite of the way my right hand worked. He became a master before my eyes. It’s been an incomparable lifetime adventure being the mistress of this timeless alliance. Robin and Connie in Oberlin, OH https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f70d5122f2c3c201b25ce69/1601231591179/Doughman.Family.F-12.jpg Family Our home in Lamy was rural with the edges of town melting into wild areas and ancient ruins. The shop was within ten feet of our house. Our son Ryan was comfortable with the shop from the time he was eight. It was the same with our granddaughter Rhiannon. Ryan and Connie / Photo Chuck Ziegler https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f7bb9887e5e054ca0769134/1601943974702/Connie+and+Robin+at+the+Legal+Tender.sponsored+Lunchean+for+Voces+de+Santa+Fe.pic+Ellie+Dendahl.png Family While Robin lived, I knew he was good, a master artist, a master with beams and cabinetry, a master with wood, an exceptional man, and a horseman embraced by people and horses. When Robin died, I discovered he is legendary. Last photo of Connie and Robin at the Voces de Santa Fe gathering at the Legal Tender, Lamy / Photo by Ellie Dendahl https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f75cd0f0dd0c87c41a33ce1/1601555947018/Doughman.Family.F-25.jpg Family He was a mentor to many. Animals looked to him for safety. He met them on equal ground. He mentored yogis he led in meditation and leadership retreats at the Ranch. He guided horsewomen and men in understanding the soul of horses and how to dance with them. There’s a glow that still shines on those who worked with him in the shop or on site. Tom Valencia describes him as Sensei, and he was. He was Sensei wherever he was. Robin knew how to build, and he knew how to lead. Mark Laine’s sage advice to a new man at work, “Just because he doesn’t say anything doesn’t mean he didn’t notice.” Robin and granddaughter Rhiannon on Moon Shadow close to sunset / Photo Connie Doughman https://www.robinelldoughman.com/artisan daily 0.75 2020-10-04 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70b0152b388d20dac3cc43/5f70dc3cf414a7531ed5d820/1601231944760/4.Doughman.Artisan.D-1.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70cd9aabd4ac5b16b081ed/5f70dd6f8bc67827188653ad/1601232259676/Doughman.Artisan.A-3.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70dfb03a2a3d39704d7326/5f70dfb03a2a3d39704d7327/1601232584863/Doughman.Artisan.C-5.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70efc04ca040062ea5f5e3/5f70f0092b388d20dacbdbe3/1601237027411/Doughman.Artisan.B-5.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70b0152b388d20dac3cc43/5f70dc5a239c8d79ee9b7b35/1601231974305/Doughman.Artisan.D-5.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70cd9aabd4ac5b16b081ed/5f70dd7335ffa16c0e827483/1601232261273/Doughman.Artisan.A-4.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70dfb03a2a3d39704d7326/5f70dfb03a2a3d39704d7329/1601232606029/Doughman.Artisan.C-1.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70efc04ca040062ea5f5e3/5f70f0094ca040062ea604bd/1601237031175/Doughman.Artisan.B-2+%282%29.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70b0152b388d20dac3cc43/5f70dc6e3a2a3d39704d0ba9/1601231995305/Doughman.Artisan.D-6.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70cd9aabd4ac5b16b081ed/5f70dd8d02200104f689d88a/1601232281078/Doughman.Artisan.A-5+copy.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70dfb03a2a3d39704d7326/5f70dfb03a2a3d39704d732b/1601232608167/Doughman.Artisan.C-8.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70efc04ca040062ea5f5e3/5f70f0099497f96ef91683e6/1601237034312/Doughman.Artisan.B-4.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70b0152b388d20dac3cc43/5f70dc8636b37d25b6fd6ace/1601232022050/Doughman.Artisan.D-16.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70cd9aabd4ac5b16b081ed/5f70ddad8bc6782718865afa/1601232311196/Doughman.Artisan.A-8.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70dfb03a2a3d39704d7326/5f70dfb03a2a3d39704d732d/1601232644195/Doughman.Artisan.C-3.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70efc04ca040062ea5f5e3/5f70f00916ffd844a3d923e5/1601237032508/Doughman.Artisan.B-6.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70b0152b388d20dac3cc43/5f70dd04485a946f48a5837e/1601232145956/Doughman.Artisan.D-10.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70b0152b388d20dac3cc43/5f70dd0afb587d114613e009/1601232151295/Doughman.Artisan.D-17.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70cd9aabd4ac5b16b081ed/5f70ddb236b37d25b6fd8be2/1601232317277/Doughman.Artisan.A-11.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70cd9aabd4ac5b16b081ed/5f70dda26994936d8fd6a366/1601232327813/Doughman.Artisan.A-12.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70efc04ca040062ea5f5e3/5f70f00916ffd844a3d923e6/1601237033919/Doughman.Artisan.B-9.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70dfb03a2a3d39704d7326/5f79f7b13a3d8f5ec6eb1860/1601828793069/White+Country+Kitchen+3.JPG Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70dfb03a2a3d39704d7326/5f70dfb03a2a3d39704d732f/1601232669928/Doughman.Artisan.C-2.jpg Artisan https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70efc04ca040062ea5f5e3/5f70f0091d058032c8b2a2b1/1601237035804/Doughman.Artisan.B-8.jpg Artisan https://www.robinelldoughman.com/wilderness daily 0.75 2020-10-29 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f724d01d9530c506a9ab5fc/1601327103392/Doughman.Vallecitos.R-T.17+copy.jpg Wilderness The morning wind moves limbs in the olive trees. The mountain meadow comes to mind again. At Vallecitos I sat at the lodge watching the wind. It's a good place to watch the quality of wind. Grasses in the meadow above the pond and river were touched by wind. Well rooted in black mountain soil, the grass was free to swirl with careless abandon. The grasses are still moving, making ever changing, familiar patterns, shinning like silver and gold. This comes regularly as does the sound of the wind swishing through pine needles. El Rancho Vallecitos is part of my reality forever, just as Robin is. Gratitude. Robin at El Vallecitos Ranch / Photo Connie Doughman https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f79b6c3e213a156bb3a27fa/1601812190546/Doughman.Vallecitos.R-T.9.jpg Wilderness Beginning in the winter of 1973 Robin began skiing into the Ranch from the small mountain community of Canyon Plaza. Going in the thirteen-mile trek is almost all uphill. Coming out is glorious. These cross-country ski trips were an annual tradition. There were different groups, but Robin was a constant member of the ski team. I knew Robin loved it and that he had food, a good sleeping bag and one-man tent. I knew he could survive even if he didn’t make it to the lodge. They continued these ski trips luring younger men like the Rehorn brothers to break trail for them until the old ones finally decided it was time to quit. Our practice of mindfulness began in the wilderness. That plays into everything else. Our connection to the natural world is the foundation the rest of our lives are built upon. Our relationship with the natural world was nourished by the time we spent at Vallecitos. My whole family, all three generations residing in New Mexico are forever benefitted by the experiences we had there in the wilderness. We all are grateful for the access to the Ranch so generously given by Harvey Mudd while he owned it South side of Mudd House completed / L to R- Ron Rehorn, Grove Burnett and Robin Doughman / In front on skis-John Rehorn/Photo Bill Hart https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f7251c51932dc6316565d0d/1601327593051/Doughman.Ranch.R-4.jpg Wilderness https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f79dd2ec276087d2cec62d7/1601822025461/Doughman.Vallecitos.R-T.7+2.jpg Wilderness There’s no electricity at the ranch, so the beams for the post and beam framework were cut, notched, and stained in the Lamy shop and were hauled to the ranch by the boys over the lurching road in the mud that spring. The first job was to harvest the vertical support beams and vigas. We had the use of a new Kabota tractor. The ranch was a resource for landscape material for Harvey’s landscape project I headed in Santa Fe at the same time. A Kabota, Harvey’s truck, young men, and river rocks are a landscaper’s dream come true. Our stewardship of the ranch spanned decades from the beginning until Harvey sold it. Luckily, we knew the new owners. Robin working on Mudd House at Vallecitos / Photo Connie Doughman https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f7257c9aca7ce7dfec85481/1601329179463/Doughman.Ranch.R-10.jpg Wilderness “The ranch in our case (my wife Connie and myself) is a place of magic, a place of the spirit. In reality it is a 160-acre inholding in the northern New Mexico national forest. A near wilderness situation. A place of unbelievable beauty. A most remarkable mountain meadow at 9,000 feet, surrounded by aspen, ponderosa, spruce, and fir, seven active beaver ponds and, yes of course, a river runs through it. It is not a place that is conducive to making plans for other ideas. It is a place that doesn’t care about other ideas no matter how lofty they may be. It is a place that is always ready to steal your mind. Just try to think about something, anything, and soon the ranch will take over. You will find yourself slipping into another reality, sinking into your chair unable to move your arms and legs, staring out at the waves of grass blowing in the meadow, or the quaking aspen or a hawk on the wing. All the while trying to listen to the quiet, to focus on the sounds of silence. When we are here, we are in a holy place. It is a place where you are not in the condition of being human, but the condition of being alive.” Robin Doughman Robin working on screen doors at El Vallecitos Ranch / Photo Connie Doughman https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f725437bb633923fa4601a7/5f7254f76a2c0b31033e53df/1601328392652/Doughman.Ranch.R-6.jpg Wilderness https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f725437bb633923fa4601a7/5f79b74ac0d2cc549fc48f21/1601812310532/Doughman.Vallecitos.R-T.15.jpg Wilderness https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f725437bb633923fa4601a7/5f72554f2ffaa01f812f1232/1601328476361/Doughman.Ranch.R-5.jpg Wilderness https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f725437bb633923fa4601a7/5f7255a01b02b93772675099/1601328556323/Doughman.Ranch.R-8.jpg Wilderness https://www.robinelldoughman.com/artist daily 0.75 2020-10-02 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70b10e80f1d571625f14e9/5f70b40280f1d571625f6a5a/1601223342122/Doughman.A-T.1.jpg Artist There is a house https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70b11776833978583e2efd/5f70c22f8d2cb23bb129c94b/1601388407371/Doughman.A-T.16+.jpg Artist Robin Doughman https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70b10e80f1d571625f14e9/5f70b4473a2a3d397047be87/1601221721607/Doughman.A-T.3.jpg Artist https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70b11776833978583e2efd/5f70bf8c02200104f685d8b0/1601224598727/Doughman.A-T.17+.jpg Artist https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70b10e80f1d571625f14e9/5f70b4748d2cb23bb1280f06/1601221769235/Doughman.A-T.12.jpg Artist https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70b11776833978583e2efd/5f70bfd835ffa16c0e7e9ae8/1601224674891/Doughman.A-T.14+.jpg Artist https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70b10e80f1d571625f14e9/5f70b49fabd4ac5b16ad9bb3/1601221810694/Doughman.A-T.4.jpg Artist https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70b11776833978583e2efd/5f70bfa62f2c3c201b22fd78/1601224627544/Doughman.A-T.15+.jpg Artist https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70b10e80f1d571625f14e9/5f70b4e7b66cd43eed6dadb0/1601221884356/Doughman.A-T.2.jpg Artist https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/5f70b10e80f1d571625f14e9/5f70b5238d2cb23bb1282a8e/1601221940335/Doughman.A-T.5.jpg Artist https://www.robinelldoughman.com/horseman daily 0.75 2020-10-29 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f7a091b41c294428170f25a/1601833272315/Robin+and+Yacqui.1.jpeg Horseman Robin is described as legendary in his communication with horses and the healing process in people, although he never saw himself that way. He worked with all horses, but Spanish Mustangs had his heart. He gave private lessons to a long line of students for over thirty years. He conducted training clinics and led the Youth Clinics with the Spanish Mustang Foundation, trained wild ponies just off the range of the Brislawn’s Cayuse Ranch in Wyoming, and foals from the Galisteo Preserve for Spanish Mustangs. He taught his students about the gentle kindness in understanding the soul of horses and how to live with an open heart and soul. He was as subtle and powerful as the wind, a man of few words that spoke of deeper truth than we hear in most human beings. We can envision this noble and gentle man frolicking with the horses and being held in the warmth and grace of the supreme vessel that is the almighty being, nature. Robin will take his place among the Angels and continue to whisper to those human and animal beings that can hear his voice. —Connie Doughman, Linda Seagraves, and Laura Ellis Robin and Yaqui / Photo Deborah Samuel https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f6fa4aa239c8d79ee80e203/1601226336132/Herd+Photo+Sierra+Perkins.jpeg Horseman “Conjure up images of the old west and more often than not, those images will include several or more visions of horses running free over endless prairie. Rarely would the vision be one horse.” —Robin Doughman Photo Sierra Perkins https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f6e7e25abd4ac5b167e2eb7/1601226354275/Doughman.Horseman-H-5..jpg Horseman “The Native Americans of those times lived with their horses and worked with their horses and they became each other. They lived as horse nations. They became legendary.” —Robin Doughman Robin on Cicatriz in Rock Ridge Corral / Photo Rush Cole https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f7a08ba2222f627ad1a6207/1601833165604/Robin+and+Dusty+and+Backup.3.jpg Horseman I give thanks to the legendary Robin Doughman. A man of few words but a universe inside his heart in understanding Mustangs. Robin was one of my most inspiring teachers. He taught me about grace in the gentling of a Mustangs soul... and he taught me about the same things in myself. Crow and I know you are never far away my friend. —Deborah Samuel Robin, Dusty and Backup / Photo Deborah Samuel https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f70c87b3a2a3d39704a610e/1601306399578/Doughman.Horseman-H-15..jpg Horseman “Planning a trip to Emmett’s. This will change my life just like the ranch has done. I hope I’m ready. No, I know I’m ready for the experience. I know I have the knowledge. Emmett has the wisdom. Emmett has what I want. I’ve wanted it since I was a kid; Emmett’s had it since he was a kid. A way with horses. Not a way to train them but a way to be alive with them. A way to understand them on a personal level. But don’t ask me about this, ask the horses. They will tell you that Emmett knows. Because of Emmett, now I want to know. I want my horses to know that I know, and I want my horses to believe that I’m good.” I keep going back to the videos I’ve been watching the last few days. Videos of Emmett made by other people. He’s doing a little riding, a little training, some philosophizing on the side. I’m sure, at his age, he’d say his easy moving days are over, but in a corral, he just flows to the rhythm of the horse. Always easy, always sure and confident. Putting pressure but never pushing. Always offering a way for the horse to succeed. It’s all right there, everything Emmett does is right there on the surface, in the present. Even on the video you can see his eyes picking up every little thing. So focused on what’s taking place in front of him. Tom Dorrance couldn’t have described it better than “true horsemanship through feel.” And Buck Brannaman when he says, “When you and your horse get to that it will change your relationship forever.” Keep in mind, this is not about horse training, it’s about a way of life. Horses don’t need to be trained. They do just fine without our help. But if we are going to assume a position of responsibility with them, it seems to me that it is our responsibility to learn to communicate with them in a proper way. A way they understand. We are the intelligent ones after all. Aren’t we! —Robin Doughman Robins handmade saddle he helped build / Photo Connie Doughman https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f6e3c9450b32a000f209652/1601305666749/Sierra+Perkins+Photo.jpeg Horseman Robin and I worked with many Spanish Mustangs during our friendship. Some were my horses; some were rescues. We taught them all Robin’s seven steps of ground work. When The Spanish Mustang Foundation was formed in 2004 we began working with children. The most fun and rewarding in my time with Robin was working with kids to teach them about Spanish Mustangs and ground work. Robin was always so kind, patient and supportive working with children. I believe Robin really offered his knowledge and skills to those kids and made a difference in their lives. —Donna Mitchell, SMF Secretary Photo Sierra Perkins https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f6e3da2f5ff0135fe0d740c/1601305666753/Sierra+Perkins+photo.2.jpeg Horseman “It’s not how much you know, it’s how much you care.“ Robin taught me this when working with our Mustangs! Big reason he was so successful with horses and people! —Doug Lanham, SMF President Photo Sierra Perkins https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f6e3cf9f5ff0135fe0d547b/1601226680374/Doughman.Horseman-H-13..jpg Horseman Because Wings for Robin and Connie Doughman And horses, fully winged, emerge from deserts like the frothed front of a storm and begin to sing. Humans appear eons after, move between continents, create societies ungainly enough we neglect to remember what we have done. Only some hear horse songs. Fewer still thread their fingers through the first—songs that grow thick as desert-salt manes sung in waves of sand and wind as if the earth and its moon are still new and the singing pours through stars while day, whose golden eye dapples their coats with flames, cannot burn. Robin heard the horse songs and the first sung and the quiet space horses place between. He heard mustangs unfold their wings, heard them soften to his voice when they skidded to a stop, corral dust obscuring their feet, hindquarters tensing the pivot. Eyes night wide, wild and faraway, horse after horse blazed the desert listening in the silence he sang. —Beth Kaplan Strong Ruby in Rock Ridge Corral / Photo Rush Cole https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f6e3c061be2041a29f2c023/1601305760430/Piar+Marks+Photos.jpeg Horseman We have all been blessed during the years we have known Robin. His mild mannered kindness and gentle interactions with us and with the animals he has known continues to bless us. His memory will remain vivid and strong and I will always cherish who he was and is. —Diane Nelson Robin and Oshoto / Photo Piar Marks https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f6fa6db36b37d25b6e2de0d/1601226647671/Piar+Marks+Photographs.jpeg Horseman I once asked an old farrier how he managed to trim and shoe horses that nobody else could come near. He just smiled and said, "No drama." That calm, gentle, quiet attitude was how Robin approached horses. Watching him communicate with horses was pure joy. A little bit of magic left this world with his passing. —Judy Prisoc Robin and Oshoto / Photo Piar Marks https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f70773d2a3e222b3d3e6e51/1601226628259/Robin.Photo+Laura+Ellis.jpeg Horseman We don’t talk much about our or anyone’s legacy. It seems to be part of an old thought process set aside with Honor, Respect and Courage. Robin left a legacy. Not only his but Buck Brannaman, Ray Hunt, Tom and Bill Dorrance, those who Robin deeply respected and who’s example he followed in his own way. He willingly passed that Legacy, that knowledge on to those students who he felt would listen. Who would understand and honor that long line of experience and knowledge. Robin gave all of us all an opportunity to be part of his Legacy, to learn by his example as he did by those who came before him. For this I am deeply grateful. Respectfully, —Jeff Meyer Photo Laura Ellis https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f6e09c6ac1f756fa5ec6e39/1601226458834/Robin+Doughman+Jim+Sloane+drawing.jpg Horseman I greatly admired him for all his endeavors. —Jim Sloan Painting Jim Sloan https://www.robinelldoughman.com/contact daily 0.75 2020-10-04 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f6cc1c6ef71dd5d4aa88ca6/t/5f75c61556c10475e2dd81ea/1601553990077/Eagle+Feather.4.site.jpg Contact - Contact doughmanconnie@gmail.com Robin Doughman / Photograph Deborah Samuel https://www.robinelldoughman.com/privacy-policy daily 0.75 2020-10-01 https://www.robinelldoughman.com/terms-of-service daily 0.75 2020-10-04