Kerry Holihan
Staff Reporter

Laden with academic and extracurricular responsibilities, GBS students are hard pressed to find a moment of free time. Nor do these students have much free space in the developed North Shore area.

Despite her schoolwork and role on the varsity soccer team, senior Lisa Snider manages to find both free time and space to indulge in something she loves.

After over nine hours combined of school and soccer, Snider drives almost an hour to Libertyville to satisfy her love of horseback riding.

“It’s worth all the running around,” Snider said. “I enjoy just being on the horse and being one with it. The whole world seems to be focused on you and the horse and you’re just flying through.”

Snider was seven when her parents’ passion for riding first sparked her interest. Snider’s father rode horses recreationally at his father’s ranch, while her mother rode on a thoroughbred in the same type of competition as Snider – “jumps”.

There are two different classifications of horseback riding: one is a race against the clock and
the other consists of jumping hurdles. Snider competes in the latter.

“I guess when I was little and I tried it, I just kind of fell in love,” Snider said.

Snider drives to Liberty Farms at least four times a week to practice about an hour with her dark brown Warmblood, Kody.

At lessons, Snider practices maneuvering Kody through the course and launching him over hurdles constructed from large metal poles. Snider competes in shows about once a month, beginning in January and continuing through September.

Recently, Snider was crowned champion of the Modified Children’s Division at the Ledges Tournament. In the Modified Children’s Division, participants 18 and under compete with jumps 2 feet 9 inches tall. Snider competes in the “B Show” level of competition, which is the third level, but expects to be competing in the higher level “A Show” by the end of this year’s show season.

“I feel like [the competition] is kind of like when you’re talking in front of people,” Snider said. “It goes by really fast and I just have to try and clear my mind and focus.”

In addition to winning the Ledges tournament, Snider was crowned champion at two previous tournaments.

“I think I do well because I don’t get nervous. I figure that I’m just going to go out there and have fun because whatever happens, happens.”

Snider expressed that it is exciting to win but that she must give credit to her horse and likes to congratulate him afterward on a job well done.

“After the competition you are supposed to groom the horse, take off his saddle and other equipment,” Snider said, “It takes about a half-hour but he deserves it.”

In college Snider hopes to continue to ride horses.