Former AHSA judge in hunters, equitation, jumpers is now training CNY horses and riders for excellence, sportsmanship and fun.

Dana's first amateur owner competition, Jacksunville Classic, 1978

Do you LOVE horses and learning?

Dana Johnston, pictured below, offers horse training, and semi-private and private riding lessons for children and adults at YOUR home.

Dana’s primary focus is on pleasure riding and Equestrian Sports, specifically Show Hunters, Jumpers and Ponies, with all breeds of horses, and enthusiasts, welcome.

Riding lessons for adults and children ages 6 and up are often scheduled for after school, early evenings after work, and on weekends. Riding lesson gift certificates are available for riders of all ages.

Dana Johnston is available to judge unrecognized horse shows.

For additional information
call (704).562-5008.
Or e-mail Whinnyatya@yahoo.com

Dana Johnston is a former American Horse Shows Association recorded judge of Hunters, Jumpers and Equitation, with more than 20 years experience competing, training, and winning at some of America's most prestigious horse shows. Formerly trainer and manager at Tulsa Riding Club in Oklahoma, and The Horse Nursery, in Montgomery, NY, Dana is the author of numerous articles which have appeared in such magazines as Horse Play, Practical Horseman, Horse And Rider, and Sports Illustrated.

Dana Johnston trains horses and riders using not just traditional hunter/jumper techniques, but also a variant of clicker training, which closely approximates SATS (SynAlia Training System). These training techniques utilize operant conditioning training, the kind of gentle, collaborative training used so successfully with marine mammals.

Dana's started dozens of riders like this.

Horseback riding is
total body aerobic exercise that enhances gross motor skills,
improves posture,
encourages responsibility,
builds discipline, and instills
self-confidence.

(Kids love it.)

Dana Johnston provides instruction and training primarily in suburbs of Syracuse, in the central part of the state.

Nothing is more beautiful.

PS, A SPECIAL NOTE TO ADULT RIDERS

Winston Churchill said: There is nothing so good for the insides of a man as the outsides of a horse.

Now is the time for you to learn to ride, the way you've always wanted to. There are no deadlines to meet, no expectations except your own, no goals save those you set for yourself. You can trust that your body will learn and adapt, and that you can still grow and discover new capabilities. You'll delight in the new experiences you'll be able to enjoy. Horses are wonderful, loving, forgiving and beautiful creatures. You don't need to impress them, they're there for you no matter what you look like, or what career path you've followed, as long as you treat them with kindness.

One in series of articles for HorsePlay by Dana Johnston
Click on image to download PDF of article Show Savvy: Showing Selectivity published as part of a yearlong series for HorsePlay.

One in series of articles for HorsePlay by Dana Johnston
Click on image to download PDF of article: Show Savvy: Learning From The Judge's Cards