Get to Know Dana Johnson

Ocala REALTOR® with Showcase Properties of Central Florida

 Article by Cynthia McFarland

Some girls outgrow their horse obsession. Not Dana Johnson.

Born and raised in Minnesota, Dana’s first riding experiences were on her best friend’s farm where she learned to ride bareback in the pasture. From an early age, she begged for a pony every birthday and Christmas.

She was thrilled when her parents finally gave in and bought her first horse when she was 12. That older Quarter Horse mare named Dandy was the perfect starter horse. Dana rode Western and joined 4-H.

“Then my mom got ‘jealous’ and decided she wanted to have a horse, so we got an Appaloosa, and it grew from there,” laughs Dana, who is the youngest of three siblings.

From competitive trail riding and local shows, Dana and her mom, Terry, got more involved in the horse scene. Eventually Dana began riding with a dressage trainer.

“All I wanted to do was ride. I’d started eventing on our Appy but I wasn’t brave enough and didn’t want to continue in eventing. I really loved dressage and the levels approach. At about 16, I started riding dressage fulltime,” recalls Dana, who’d graduated to a Trakehner/Thoroughbred gelding named Sand Dollar at that point.

When she headed off to college at Colorado State University, Dana continued to ride. After graduating in 2001 with her bachelor’s degree in international studies (Spanish), she became a teacher.

Teaching opened many doors and for seven years Dana taught international baccalaureate programs in three different countries, including Turkey, Thailand and Barbados.

Although she took a break from competitive riding while living and working overseas, Dana always made time for horses.

“Even when I was living in Bangkok, I found a trainer with German sport ponies to ride. They were palominos, which was unique from the typical German-bred warmbloods. When I came back to the U.S., I got back into horses. It’s something I really love, and I didn’t want it not to be part of my life. My mom had a Grand Prix dressage horse named Diego and needed a rider for him, so I decided to do that,” she says.

Dana’s introduction to the Sunshine State came during those years as they routinely traveled from Minnesota to South Florida for shows in Wellington.

“When covid hit, I decided I didn’t want to keep going back and forth. I wanted roots. I’d been to Ocala to show at WEC in the winter so that was an incentive. I moved to Ocala permanently in 2022,” she notes.

After 12 years as a teacher, Dana spent 8 years as a program manager in the tech world. When she settled in Ocala, she was ready to pursue a different career. Ocala was the ideal spot for that to happen since it allowed her to continue her passion for equestrian sport while working in real estate. Her father is a commercial real estate broker, and her sister is an agent in Seattle.

“I was always interested in real estate, but it wasn’t until I got rooted in Ocala that it was the time to get into it,” says Dana, who relished the opportunities she’s found in Central Florida.

“A big part of being connected to this community is being connected with the horse people. I feel like everything in real estate is based on relationships and the main relationships I’ve developed here are in the equine community,” says Dana, who became a REALTOR® and joined the Showcase team at the beginning of 2025.

When working with equestrian properties, Dana’s personal knowledge of horse husbandry is a big plus. Her skills at organization, management and communication also come into play.

“I’m happy to sit down and talk with clients so they understand everything step by step,” says Dana, who handles residential and historic homes in addition to horse farm properties.

When she’s not working with buyers or sellers, Dana is usually horseback. As a competitive Grand Prix dressage rider, Dana has earned gold and bronze medals in USDF Rider Awards.

She is now training at 4th level and hopes to soon be Prix St. Georges. She competes regularly at WEC and recently received her bronze medal on Feroz, her newest mount, who is a PRE Spanish riding horse, a breed most people know as Andalusians.

“My horse is at Persaud Legacy Farms in Reddick. I’m at the barn every single day and usually ride early in the morning. I ride my horse and a couple friends’ horses and about a year ago I started playing polo,” says Dana, who practices twice weekly at Ocala Polo Club. Weekend matches take place at Florida Horse Park.

Polo might seem a bit on the wild side for a dressage rider, but Dana loves the challenge.

“I wanted to meet more people. I went to a match and saw they were giving introductory polo lessons, so I went. It was neat to have an opportunity to try it, and I stuck with it. I’d never played a team sport before and really enjoy it,” she says, adding that learning a new sport has made her better in other areas—including real estate.

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