Ride with us
Located at Bridlewood Equestrian Center in Suffolk, VA, SunFire Equestrian offers fun, supportive horseback riding lessons for all ages and skill levels. Our experienced trainers teach balanced seat riding across all disciplines, with a focus on hunter/jumper, dressage, and eventing.
Build confidence, improve your skills, and develop a strong partnership with your horse in a welcoming environment. No matter if you're a beginner or an advanced rider, we’re here to help you reach your goals!
Our Lesson Program
At SunFire Equestrian, we offer expert riding lessons in both English and Western disciplines, taught by instructors with decades of experience. We pride ourselves on flexibility, providing lessons seven days a week at times that fit your schedule. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced rider, our program ensures personalized instruction to help you reach your goals.
Who
we are
At SunFire Equestrian, our team of trainers are lifelong equestrians with a deep love and respect for horses—many have been passionate about riding since before they could walk or talk. With expertise across all disciplines, our trainers are committed to developing riders with a focus on balanced seat and equitation.
Meet the Team
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Fay Strasel
Owner, Trainer, & Instructor
Fay’s love for horses began before she could walk or talk. She took her first ride at a Girl Scout camp in Suffolk (Camp Matoaka) and never looked back. At just 19 she was running her first barn and in 1998, she founded her first horse business, Sunny’s Corner.
Equitation is her favorite discipline to teach, but she has competed in nearly everything—from equitation and side saddle to barrel racing. Fay is also passionate about rescue and breeding, having delivered over 100 foals.
Fun fact: She bought her first pony, Sunny, at age 12 and worked at the barn to pay for board!
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Dahlia Jensen
Owner, Trainer, & Instructor
Dahlia has been riding her entire life, starting in hunter/jumper before discovering her passion for dressage at age 12. A USDF Bronze Medalist and member of both USDF and USEF, she’s also SafeSport certified and dedicated to professional, thoughtful instruction.
Her teaching style focuses on confidence, fundamentals, and individualized learning — she believes every lesson should fit the rider and horse in front of her. Dahlia loves helping riders understand the “why” behind their training and works to give young horses a strong, correct foundation so they can succeed in any discipline.
Fun fact: Dahlia has trained under renowned clinicians such as George Williams, James Koford, and Lauren Sprieser.
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Christa Strasel
Instructor & Trainer
Christa has been riding for over 20 years, focusing on hunter/jumper with experience in dressage, eventing, and fox hunting. She’s been part of SunFire Equestrian since the beginning, bringing both competitive experience and a deep understanding of horse behavior to her teaching and training.
Christa specializes in retraining OTTBs and green horses, using patience, groundwork, and consistency to build confidence and trust. As an instructor, she works primarily with intermediate to advanced beginners, helping riders refine their communication and connection with their horses.
Fun fact: She loves reining and hopes to try cow cutting in the future!
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Clare Lynam
Instructor
Clare has been riding for over 24 years and holds a BS in Animal and Poultry Sciences from Virginia Tech. While at school, she worked at the breeding barn, gaining hands-on experience in foaling, training, and caring for young horses.
She has experience across nearly every discipline, but her true passion is polocrosse. Most recently, she’s been competing in upper-level polocrosse tournaments, though her background also includes eventing up through the Preliminary level. As an instructor, Clare focuses on beginners and riders who want to build confidence, balance, and a solid foundation.
Fun fact: Clare traveled to Germany, where she earned a bronze medal in international riding!
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Tasha Meade
Instructor
Tasha has been riding for over 40 years, primarily in hunter/jumper with some dressage experience. A lifelong horsewoman and career classroom teacher, she naturally transitioned into riding instruction eight years ago and has been with SunFire Equestrian since its beginning.
Her teaching style focuses on balanced seat riding, confidence, and problem-solving — whether helping a young beginner gain confidence or guiding advanced riders to refine their technique. Tasha loves those “lightbulb moments” when a rider takes her feedback and everything clicks.
Fun fact: Her granddaughter shares her love of riding!