BABB — Browning cowboy Dougie Hall is Montana’s most interesting man. That’s not hyperbole. Hall is a PRCA bronc rider, stock contractor, Hollywood stuntman, Tik-Tok star and motivational speaker.
He’s also unfailingly humble and positive. You wouldn’t know he’s such a modern renaissance man unless you asked him point blank about his exploits, or heard about them second hand from one of his many friends and family on the Blackfeet reservation and beyond.
MTN Sports originally profiled Hall back in 2019 after he was named the recipient of the Rocky Heckman Persevernace, Character and Hope award for his inspiring story of succeeding through adversity.
His impact and legend have only grown since then. For starters, he founded Good Medicine Bucking Horses where he breeds championship stock. The business started with some horses that Dougie purchased from his uncle Mouse Hall, a legendary Blackfeet horse breeder.
“I’ve always been a horse lover ever since I was a little guy. And when my mom passed away when I was 14, I was like a lost colt wandering around aimlessly,” Hall said. “But horses have always been my safe haven, my good place to be. They saved my life. Horses have always been good medicine for me and I hope they can be that for other people, too.”
The program has started to take off. Hall partnered with Ace’s Wild Pro Rodeo out of Soap Lake, Washington and has already seen a few of his stock compete at the PRCA Columbia River Basin circuit finals. He also started a website and merchandise line with his girlfriend Kay. They’ve struggled to keep up with high demand.
If breeding horses, riding broncs, and selling merchandise didn’t keep him busy enough Hall has also dabbled as a Hollywood stuntman on shows like “Lawmen: Bass Reeves”. He recently worked on an upcoming four-film series called “Horizon: An American Saga” which is written, directed, produced and stars Kevin Costner.
“They told me to send a headshot and some footage of me riding really fast bareback,” Hall said. Three days later I was in Moab, Utah filming.”
But Dougie’s true passion is sharing his message of positivity as a motivational speaker. He’s told his story at several native schools and tribal events throughout the country.
“I walk into these schools and I see kids that are just like me. They don’t know what they are going to do with their future. No clue. And kids that come from a family that's got a lot of addiction in it like myself,” Hall said. “And I tell them that I know it's dark, but I promise it gets better if you can just make it one more day. I like showing kids that because I believe that there's enough gold out there for everybody.
And Dougie’s message has found a wider audience on social media. He posts his motivational thoughts and observations on Tik-Tok where he has amassed over 275k followers. Hall started posting videos at the suggestion of his friend Meng Lee whom he’d met at the world-famous Veater Ranch in California.
“I was broke. I wasn’t in a very good place mentally or spiritually. Meng told me I had a gift and I don’t use it,” Hall said. “I said ‘what do you mean?’ and he said ‘you talk and people listen.’”
Lee told Hall to film himself talking from the heart and post it to social media.
“So that’s what I did,” Hall said. “And it took off like wildfire.”
Hall starts every video the same way. “Hey everybody, it’s your favorite Indian Dougie Hall. Like what I say today please use, and if you don’t.. Don’t worry about it.”
He then takes a swig of coffee from his Good Medicine mug and offers words of advice to whoever might be watching.
The messages are a natural extension of himself. And they resonate with folks across the globe. A glance at the comments shows an appreciative and rapt audience.
“I needed this today,” one message said.
“Thanks for telling it like it is, Dougie,” read another one.
It goes back to Dougie’s natural gift — he speaks and people listen.
“People like watching somebody with stories that they can relate to. That's what saved me and my life was somebody had the courage to tell me their story,” Hall said. “And I found myself in other people's stories. And it gave me a survival guide to navigate through tough times in life and come out the other side and be okay.”
Hall makes an apt comparison to another underdog who overcame obstacles.
“It’s the reason why people like that movie Rocky, right? It's cool if somebody comes out and they're great from the get go and they're kicking ass and whatnot. But nobody can relate to that. That's not realistic. That's the exception. Not the rule,” Hall said. “They relate to the person that got pummeled. They got their ass kicked and got beat down but they just kept getting back up. And I think that's why people like listening to me. In a sense, I’m like the Indian Rocky. I kept getting my ass kicked, but I just kept getting getting back up.”
Dougie Hall is living his dream. Not everything he’s done is successful, but that will never stop him from trying to improve himself and the lives of those around him every day.
“Good things happen to good people. If you’re man or woman enough to own up to your mistakes and look yourself in the mirror and keep moving forward and forgive yourself and make amends. Good things do happen to good people,” Hall said. “It doesn't matter where you're from. What matters is where you're going. try to pass that on to the kids because it helps me to remember that stuff too.”
Click here to visit Dougie on TikTok.
@dougiehall Prepare To Succeed goodmedicinebuckinghorses.com @Bronc Riding Nation @PRCA ProRodeo @Ian Munsick #dougiehall #broncriding #horsesoftiktok #2023 #horses #nativeamericancowboy #rodeio #rodeo #fyp #nativetiktok ♬ Little Man - Ian Munsick
