MEET DANA HART CALLANAN

Dana Hart Callanan has been the owner and trainer of Hart Farm for more than 20 years.

Dana grew up as a top athlete in many sports, but horses took her heart. After participating in various athletics throughout her teen years, Dana always had to be near a horse to put her mind at ease. So, she decided to continue her education in riding. Dana worked for many top equestrians in the hunter, jumper, equitation, and polo industries, and also worked as a vet tech before finally opening Hart Farm in 2001.

The aspect that truly sets Dana apart is the importance she places on the care of the horses. The love of horse has always driven her in this industry, along with the competitive nature that has helped her reach the highest levels of the sport. Dana thrives on finding the perfect horse/rider combination and helping them to be successful at top national and international shows. Nothing is more important to Dana than ensuring that every horse is happy and loves their job and home!

As a professional rider, Dana has shown successfully at nearly all the premier shows in America, including placings in many National Horse Shows. She has also coached multiple success stories to top placings at Devon, Harrisburg, WEF, WIHS, Nation Cups, and many more. Dana loves the journey of taking a horse and rider to the top, and feels like each horse in the barn is her own. On an average day, you will often find Dana just walking up and down the aisles of her barn, making sure everyone is happy and munching their hay as they should!

When she’s not showing with clients, Dana works as an “R” judge. She also writes a Q&A column for Horse Network in the hope of getting readers to open their eyes to the truth of the horse industry—good and bad—while also trying to make all people more knowledgeable.

After running Hart Farm on her own for many years, Dana is very excited to welcome her daughter, Emma Callanan, back to the business. Emma will act as Head Rider and Trainer at Hart Farm, while Dana will be there to help fill in the gaps, training and managing at home while Emma travels with clients to horse shows. With Emma back in the fold, the “brand new” Hart Farm can offer additional options for their clients and the best of both worlds at home and on the road.

Dana is a mom of two children, Hart and Emma Callanan. She is married to Sean Callanan, and they all live on the property. In that way, Hart Farm is truly a ‘family place,’ with many animals of all kinds and clients being an important part of the Callanans’ “extended family.” On a normal day, you might find Hart playing with the dirt, Emma loving the animals, and Sean working on the tractor; this is what makes Hart Farm such a unique and special place. There is never a day that one of the Callanans isn’t putting love into their property and the horses. Dana is a mom at Hart-whether it is to a four-legged creature or a two-legged one-and that's what makes Dana who she is! 

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