Dragonfly Run Equestrian Center and Training LLC

Dragonfly Run Equestrian Center and Training LLC Hunter/jumper/dressage facility and training programs located in Sparta, Wisconsin. We also offer hauling and farrier services.

Had a great ride on Riley today....Ann sure has a nice horse and I'm grateful I get to work him
05/27/2026

Had a great ride on Riley today....Ann sure has a nice horse and I'm grateful I get to work him

Arena mirror cleaning day....thanks for the help Kristie! The 2 giant mirror sets done....the 3 smaller ones will get do...
05/25/2026

Arena mirror cleaning day....thanks for the help Kristie! The 2 giant mirror sets done....the 3 smaller ones will get done tomorrow

Great lesson back for Maggi and Panda!
05/23/2026

Great lesson back for Maggi and Panda!

05/11/2026

As riding instructors we spend a lot of time managing the gap between what new students expect riding to be and what it actually is. Most of that gap could be narrowed significantly with one honest conversation before the first lesson ever happens. So here is everything I wish every new student and every new riding family walked in already knowing...

1. Riding is harder than it looks
This is the one that surprises people most. Watching a good rider looks effortless but it is not effortless. It is years of muscle memory, feel, balance, and body awareness built through consistent work over a long time. Your first lessons will feel awkward and uncoordinated and that is completely normal. Every rider you have ever admired felt exactly the way you feel right now when they were starting out.

2. The horse is not a bicycle
It is a living animal with its own personality, its own opinions, and its own good days and bad days. It does not always do what you ask the first time and that is not always your fault but it is always your responsibility to figure out the communication. Learning to work with a horse rather than on top of one is one of the most valuable things riding teaches and it starts from the very first lesson.

3. Progress is not linear
Some weeks you will feel like you have jumped forward three levels. Other weeks you will feel like you have forgotten everything you learned last month. Both are completely normal parts of learning to ride. The students who improve consistently are not the ones who never have bad lessons but they are the ones who show up anyway and keep working through the frustrating ones.

4. One lesson a week is a start but not a program
A single lesson per week gives you exposure to riding. Two lessons per week builds skill significantly faster. The riders who progress quickest are the ones who ride consistently and frequently enough that their muscles and nervous system have time to develop real memory around what correct feels like. If budget allows for more than one lesson per week it is worth it.

5. Your position will feel wrong before it feels right
Correct position in the saddle feels deeply unnatural to most people at first. Heels down feels like you are pushing your foot through the floor. Sitting tall feels like you are leaning back. An independent hand feels like you are doing nothing. Trust the process and trust your instructor. The things that feel strange now become automatic eventually but only if you commit to doing them correctly rather than defaulting back to what feels comfortable.

6. The time around the lesson matters as much as the lesson itself
Grooming your horse before you ride. Learning to tack up correctly. Understanding how to read your horse's body language in the cross ties. This is not the boring part before the real lesson begins. This is horsemanship and it makes you a better rider than an hour in the saddle alone ever will.

7. Bad rides happen to every rider at every level
Including the ones you look up to most. A bad lesson does not mean you are not cut out for this, it just means you are learning something hard and doing it on the back of a living animal that is also having a day. Come back next week and it will be different.
Your instructor is on your side.

8. Every correction we give is in service of your progress and your safety
We are not pointing out what is wrong to make you feel bad but we are pointing out what needs to change so you can get where you want to go faster and more safely. The students who improve fastest are the ones who hear a correction as information rather than criticism and apply it without taking it personally.

9. Riding changes you in ways you will not expect
The patience it builds, the confidence that comes from communicating with an animal ten times your size and being understood. The resilience that develops from falling short of a goal and coming back for it anyway. The community you find at the barn. None of that shows up in the first lesson or even the tenth but it will show up at one point. For most riders it becomes one of the most significant things in their life and not just what they do on Tuesday afternoons but part of who they are.

If you are a riding instructor share this with every new family who walks through your gate. If you are a new student or a parent of one - welcome. You picked something genuinely worth doing!

What do you wish someone had told you before your very first riding lesson?

Another awesome transport for awesome customers! Thank you Lexi and John for trusting us with taking your beauties to yo...
05/09/2026

Another awesome transport for awesome customers! Thank you Lexi and John for trusting us with taking your beauties to your new home!

This is how a rehabbed problem horse stands kindly on cross ties. Captain was one of the worst problem horses that has c...
05/09/2026

This is how a rehabbed problem horse stands kindly on cross ties. Captain was one of the worst problem horses that has come through my program in a long time. He was mean, he was angry, he wanted nothing more than death, destruction and to take names. But, in between the outbursts of rage, there were glimpses of his goofy side. The side his owner loved. His fun, loving, cuddly side. Nothing was fast with Captain. In fact, he was also probably one of my longest rehabs. Slowly he figured out that life is beautiful. He is now a willing partner for his owner, stands respectfully while waiting for his grain bucket (biggest danger area with him), stands beautifully on cross ties (one of his bigger danger areas), gives pony rides to my toddler and babysits my 9yr old. He is a wonderful civil citizen and his owner is making absolutely amazing strides with him and having fun again......she's also now teaching him to pick up and squish a rubber chicken!! His owner had done everything right with the experience she had. His behavior was a product or factors well out of her control and almost all the factors were put in place before she even owned him. He is a joy to have on the farm and he makes us laugh almost daily with his clownish personality! And yes, we took the stirrups off the saddle because Stetson didn't like them!

Always nice when I get to go see horses that were in my program! Tammy reports that Traveler is a dream for her ❤️ they ...
05/09/2026

Always nice when I get to go see horses that were in my program! Tammy reports that Traveler is a dream for her ❤️ they also added Journey, a DHH filly! And let's just take a moment to appreciate Atlas' mane!!

Spots still available! Please reach out and let’s get you signed up!
05/06/2026

Spots still available! Please reach out and let’s get you signed up!

05/06/2026

Come listen to me talk!

If you've ever hired me for a fitting, you know my favorite thing to do is share saddle education. Learn about saddle trees, panel construction, flocking methods and come prepped with questions.

Looking forward to seeing you!

Address

Sparta, WI
54656

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