CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – In 2016, Dar Place was lying on the floor with a gun pressed to his head, finger on the trigger, when a cold, wet nose pushed between the barrel and his skin. It was his dog, Lucy.
Lucy’s intervention gave him a moment to stop and think about what he was doing. That moment led him to the next, and the next, until Oct. 18, 2024, when he was standing in the middle of his ranch, surrounded by horses, sharing his story with Clarksville Now.
Video by Wesley Irvin
“That’s life in a nutshell,” said Place, owner of the nonprofit Veteran Equine Time. “It’s all about itty bitty moments and those small decisions in those moments that can have big consequences.”
Bottom of the hole
In 1986, Place enlisted in the Army as a cavalry scout before commissioning as a combat engineer officer. He served for 28 1/2 years before retiring in 2013 as a lieutenant colonel.
He says that now, he’s just “Dar.” He’s 57, but feels like he has the energy of most 30-year-olds. That wasn’t the case eight years ago.
In 2016, Place says he was overweight, taking 14 different medications and near suicide.
“But I stopped,” Dar said with smile, pointing to his white and brown dog nearby. “When that dog’s great-grandmother, Lucy, came and put her nose between my head and the gun and just moved it away. That got me from that moment to the next moment to this moment.”
Because of that moment at the bottom of the hole, Place and his partner in the nonprofit, Josh Slauter, know how to talk to people who have been there or trying to climb out of it. Place said God put the idea of VET on his heart to help others and reduce suicide.
In August 2023, Place opened his ranch to help people climb out of the hole, and he said that in the last 10 months alone, 17 people have self-proclaimed to the VET team that they have decided to not go through with their plans for suicide.
Victim to victor
VET isn’t just for military veterans, Place explained, but for veterans of common traumatic experiences to see themselves and others through the wisdom of a horse.
“It’s the veteran (person), the horse, and the time,” Place said. “That’s the recipe. … Yes, we work with military veterans of all services, and first responders, but it’s not just for veterans. It’s open to the public.”
Place said the program helps survivors of sexual assault, bullying, combat or any type of trauma. “Not only have you survived it physically, but now, you have survived it mentally. It is part of your story. … It’s not the entire story. It’s now just another chapter.
“It’s about moving people from a victim mindset to a victor mindset. You change just a couple letters and ‘victim’ becomes ‘victor,'” he said.
4-step program
“We try to show people four different things, and it all happens organically,” Place said.
The first step is an introduction. It’s about building connections with the horses, mingling and understanding their body language and getting comfortable. It opens up an avenue to discuss different interpretations and definitions of the word “fear.”
The second step, Place said, is finding a herd. “We all need a herd. The strength of the horse is the herd, and the strength of the human is the tribe. One horse, by themself, while they look strong and majestic, can be easily chased down by a bunch of coyotes. But never the herd.”
The third step is acknowledging that life doesn’t get better, but we get better at life.
The fourth is understanding how to love yourself. “If I come over to your house and you give me a glass of water, and I dropped the glass and it broke, what would you say to me? ‘Are you OK? Can I make you another one?’ Nobody’s there and you drop a glass of water, and it breaks, what’s the first thing you say to yourself? Some expletive.”
Place explained that people would give a stranger they just met perfect grace over breaking a glass, but we don’t give ourselves that some courtesy or love.
Joining VET
VET works closely with the Montgomery County Veteran Treatment Court and other court systems so there is no cost for those individuals. Occasionally, Place and his crew will get a call from someone that there is a person who is having suicidal ideations and VET brings them in free of charge.
There are a few types of services with costs, and those help support the VET mission to do free intervention and therapy programs.
- Trail rides are $75 an hour.
- Night rides are $130 a person.
- Riding lessons are $110 an hour.
- Sponsorships.
There aren’t any prerequisites or restrictions aside from a 250-pound weight limit to ride horses, and an age restriction of 10 to 11 years old to ride by themselves.
“Wear jeans and good sturdy boots,” Place said. “Just come out with an open mind, and we’ll teach you everything you need to know about riding.”
For more
For additional information, go to the Veteran Equine Time website, call 931-401-4646, or email info@veteranequinetime.org. Contact them ahead of time, but they’re located at 330 Davis Lane.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988. Calls are free, confidential, and are answered 24/7.
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