Hi! I'm the owner and founder, Danika Bastarache (17) from Ontario, Canada!
Horses were supposed to be a one‑time birthday gift — a simple ride to celebrate turning eight. But the moment I sat in the saddle, something clicked. That “one ride” never ended, and it quietly became the beginning of the life I have now.
Thanks to my supportive parents who saw the eagerness I had, I started as a lesson kid. Spending every spare minute at the barn, learning, watching, and falling deeper in love with the sport. By twelve, I started with my current trainer where I began leasing and part‑boarding, and that’s when riding shifted from a hobby to a passion that shaped who I was becoming.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of riding and loving some incredible horses thanks to my coach who has been the foundation of how I ride and who I am today with horses; she has shown me what it means to have genuine horsemanship and how to love horses with every part of you.
At thirteen I leased a fresh OTTB, Slew (pictured at the top) — the horse who changed everything. Slew was my heart horse. Not only did we grow up together, but we grew together. He taught me patience, resilience, responsibility, and what it means to work hard for something you love. He taught me how to train, how to trust, and how to grow. A few years ago he sadly passed, it was my first heartbreak, but knowing he will always be a part of me is what has helped me get to where I am today. Slew is the reason this brand exists.
He showed me how much I loved the process — the training, the bond, the transformation — and that’s why I bought my current horse, Daphne, when she was just three months old. She was born at the farm, and from the moment I met her, I saw pieces of Slew in her. The same spark. The same softness. The same potential. Training her has been a continuation of everything he taught me, and a reminder of why I fell in love with this world in the first place.
DB Equestrian was born from that love — from the lessons, the heartbreak, the joy, and the belief that the equestrian community is something truly special. Slew made this dream a reality, and everything I create is a tribute to the horse who started it all.
