Empowering you with the knowledge and the skills you need to Lead the Change, reach your goals, and create the relationship of your dreams with your equine partner.​
Our Mission
At De Frates Horsemanship, our mission is to provide a safe haven where EVERYONE can live their best lives through the practice of Horsemanship.
We have spent over four decades in the saddle: riding, training and competing in a variety of English and Western disciplines and hold prestigious certifications in both the equestrian and EAL industries.
Our extensive backgrounds in corporate leadership and organizational development training and construction management have inspired us to design a program that utilizes trusted methods and theories from the scientific and equestrian communities paired with the best leadership and organizational development techniques usually reserved only for use in the world's largest corporations.
​This unique blend allows us to empower our clients, create meaningful and lasting change, build confidence in horse and human alike, and even restore joy to broken relationships, all of which ensures your success. ​
Dana De Frates
Dana started riding before she could walk and grew up dreaming of a career in the equestrian industry. The realities of life in the S.F. Bay Area initially took Dana into the corporate arena, but her equine arena dreams never died.
After a couple traumatic events all
but destroyed her confidence on horseback, Dana used her corporate education expertise and paired those concepts with horsemanship ones to rebuild what she had lost. Once successful, she made it her mission to help others facing similar challenges. Dana uses this unique blend of concepts to help her clients 'Lead the Change' and achieve success, no matter what their equestrian dreams entail.
Jason De Frates
Jason grew up riding steel horses but never had any interest in the real ones. All that changed when he met Dana, and he quickly grew to share her passion for horses. The study of Horsemanship gave Jason a new outlook on life until a horrific accident left him hospitalized and threatened to not only strip him of his new found hobby, but also his confidence.
By utilizing their 'Lead the Change' Principles Jason overcame his fear and regained his confidence, achieving incredible success both in and out of the saddle. Jason felt that this unique blend of theories was so powerful that he convinced Dana it was time to stop dreaming and make her dream of a business in the equine industry a reality.
WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY
“Several years ago, I purchased an Arabian gelding thinking he would be a great 2nd endurance
horse. At the time, I really didn’t have much time to put into Cricket because of all the
competition I was doing, but, when I did take him out to ride the trails, his sheer strength
overwhelmed me. He wouldn’t stand still at the mount, and his separation anxiety made every
ride feel like a wild sprint straight out of the Pony Express. Even though he seemed to enjoy the
trails once he stopped rearing at the mount and we were able to move forward, I felt it was just
a matter of time before he would bolt off and I’d end up quite dead. I became nervous, unsure,
and honestly, a little scared to try again. At 70 years young, I don’t bounce like I used to, so he enjoyed 7 years of early retirement in pasture. But I knew he deserved more than just hanging out so I asked around, and my veterinarian office told me about Dana and her husband, Jason.
Now, Dana has changed everything and Cricket and I are on our way! Through patient and
thoughtful ground training, she taught me the essentials of safety and communication. She
didn’t just train Cricket—she trained me to understand him. Dana helped us rebuild trust from
the ground up, and now I feel confident, calm, and connected every time I work with him.
Through the years, I’ve had several other so-called trainers try to work with Cricket and they
failed him miserably.
Because of Dana, I’m discovering the joy of riding Cricket and I am enjoying the bond I am
building with him. We have more to learn – especially me – but I’m confident that we will keep
getting better. I’m deeply grateful for her expertise, kindness, and unwavering support and
expect to be a student of hers for a long time. If you’re looking for a trainer who truly
understands horses and empowers riders, Dana truly is the one.”
Sheilah Serradell - San Jose, California
