Glen Lake senior awarded NCAA equestrian scholarship

Rachel Reid, 18, of Rochester and Maple City, Michigan, has been awarded an NCAA Division I equestrian scholarship to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas where she will attend as a freshman this fall. An honor student and student council member at Glen Lake High School, Reid graduated in June.

“Rachel brings great experiences from all over the country to SMU’s Equestrian team,” Head Coach Haley Schoolfield said. “She is also an optimistic and energetic team player who I am certain will excel in our program.”

Rachel has been riding since she was eight and competes on the national level with her horse “Blossom”. For the past five years she has attended the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida, the world’s largest and longest running equestrian competition. This year she placed fifth in the Amateur Owner Classic and third in the Low Amateur Owner division by
navigating a series of courses with jumps as high as 4’3. These classes are judged on a combination of speed and the “fewest faults”, or knock-downs, and featured as many as 80 horse and rider pairs.

After applying to and visiting several NCAA universities, Reid was sold on Southern Methodist.

“I fell in love with the school: the curriculum, the campus, and of course the equestrian program. I’m thrilled to be a part of the team and start my college career in such an exciting way”, Reid said.

Rachel is the daughter of Alexis and Jim Reid of Rochester and Maple City. She trains with hunter/jumper professional Melissa Hirt, owner of Northern Pines Farm in Maple City.