About Dana Hokana

Dana Hokana is one of the top female trainers in the Quarter Horse industry. Dana has trained multiple Youth and Amateur Western Pleasure, Horsemanship, Western Riding, Trail and Reining champions at both the All American Quarter Horse Congress and the AQHA World Show, as well as many circuit and futurity champions. Dana’s daughter Brook has won the Congress four times, conquering the Horsemanship title two years in a row. She also won the All-Around Champion title one year and was Reserve All-Around Champion the next! Dana’s younger daughter, Bree, is a two-time Reserve Congress Champion in the Reining and was the AQHA Year End High Point Champion in 2010, 2011, and 2012! At the prestigious new AQHA Novice World Championship Show, Dana’s rider was an impressive 6th out of 108 in the Amateur Western Pleasure.

It was Dana’s success in the show ring that led to her desire to share her knowledge with the equine community, and this is how the “Winning Strides” series was born. Dana currently has nineteen DVD titles available. These DVDs have something to offer every rider at any level and in every discipline. These series’ are designed to educate horse owners and riders from the fundamentals of horse handling and horsemanship to becoming a World Champion in the show pen, in any event.

Dana also travels the world speaking at expos, equine affairs and clinics. She has been a clinician at the Mane Event in British Columbia and Alberta, Canada, and at the Equine Affaire in California, Massachusetts and Ohio. She has been a clinician at the Western States Horse Expo in Sacramento, California and was the featured speaker at the South Dakota Horse Faire. Dana has given clinics at Montana State University, the 320 Ranch in Montana, and also books many private clinics for ranches and trainers across the nation. Dana also writes training articles for some of the largest horse publications in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, including PleasureHorse.com, the California Horsetrader, Horse Circuit News, Bit and Bridle, Horses Magazine, Cowgirls in Style, Western Horse U.K., Saddle Up Magazine, as well as many articles in the Quarter Horse Journal.

My Story

As an only child of a single parent, who spent a lot of time alone, I became very close to God. I would reach out to God, and talk to Him and pray to Him. I had so many lonely times, full of so much fear that He became my refuge and my strength. I felt hope for a future when I was in His presence. I would envision a future with horses as I was very clear that my life would be connected with horses. In fact, my mother said my said my first word was, “horse.” As a child I would say that I will be a horse trainer and an artist someday when I grew up.

I started my career in my teens and often struggled with how to get through a problem with a horse. In those days there was no internet or DVDs to learn from. I found every books and article that I could get my hands on because I craved knowledge. I worked for a couple of good horse trainers but they couldn’t give me the knowledge that I was seeking. I literally had no where to go but to God. I would finish my day sometimes in tears. Tears because I could not figure out how to make this horse do what I was teaching him to do. I have no idea if I had talent or not, but I had a tenacity that just wouldn’t quit. I wouldn’t quit. I wanted to be a great trainer and horseman so bad. I wanted my horse to feel like one with me and I struggled for many years. I wanted to do it the right way. No gimmicks, no tricks. It took me years to learn how to teach a horse to bridle their head without a training air or cavesson.

I would ask God for help, sit out in the arena on my horse and just ask God to help me. Soon answers would just start rising up on the inside of me. Subtle answers to try this or that. Ideas would come to me that I never learned from anyone, but creative ideas that contained my answers! It was exciting and I know God has helped me. As books and articles came out I started reading and studying all I could. I also went and learned from some wonderful trainers. Trainers who were so kind to me and shared their knowledge. But none of this came close to what I learned from that still small voice, that voice that I know was God.

Through good times and bad, it is such a comfort to know that God is with me. He has helped me out of some hard times and has given me the desires of my heart!

Prayer Requests

We would be honored to pray for your specific needs. Please fill out the prayer request form if you would like to request that we pray for you.

"For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

- Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

- Jeremiah 29:11

Office Hours

Mon - Fri: 8:00am - 4:00pm

Saturday: 9:00am - 3:00pm

Sunday: Closed