Lydia Harrison has always been around horses. The bonds, the commitment and the experiences have positively affected her development.

"When I first started (as an equestrian), I wasn't very focused," said Lydia. "In school, I wasn't the best student. Through safety and a love of the sport, I've had to learn how to focus, and it taught me I had to do the same with school as a student. I've learned a lot about patience. I've gotten injured, and I've had to work very hard to get back. With horses, sometimes its two steps forward and five steps back."

A senior at Lancaster Mennonite School, Lydia has been riding horses competitively since she was 6.

"I definitely believe horses are spiritual animals," said Lydia. "They pick up on human emotions very well. You need to remain calm and composed when you're around them, and they've taught me that too."

In February, Lydia and her horse, Archer, are competing in the prestigious HITS Ocala show in Ocala, Fla., a United States Equestrian Federation-sanctioned international competition. Over the past year, she has competed in about 15 shows in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, Virginia and Florida with varying levels of success.

"Practice, practice, practice - that's the key to success," said Lydia. "I practice every day and I'm at the barn every day, working on jumps and messing with heights. I think it helps me get around the ring successfully."

"There's a lot of adrenaline at shows," added Lydia. "I do get nervous sometimes, but I have to be focused. I have to know what I'm doing. It's a mental game for sure. It takes a lot of resilience and focus."

Lydia trains and practices at Foxfield Farms, which is located at 230 Holtzman Road in Reinholds. Her preparations include working with trainers Becky Weik and Larissa Fischer.

"Being able to apply my skills to an arena and showing it off is fun," said Lydia. "I get to show the progress I've made, and that's very, very rewarding. Since I started competing, I've kept progressing."

"There are shows every other weekend, and sometimes it does interfere with my school schedule," Lydia continued. "Showing and competing is just as important to me as school. I think what a lot of people don't realize is the connections you make as an equestrian."

Archer is a 9-year-old gelding from the Oldenberg breed of jumping horses. Lydia and Archer are still in their first year of competing together, but their bond has begun to blossom.

"At first, it was a little scary because he's very big," said Lydia. "He had a hot temper at first, and I didn't connect with him immediately. I had to work a lot with him. We connected after some time, and we're really connected now. I've figured him out for the most part."

"Archer is the funniest horse I've ever been around," continued Lydia. "He's very mouthy. He's not mean, but he does bite. He's very friendly, and he has a lot of energy."

It was time spent at a horse camp 12 years ago that first ignited Lydia's interest in equestrianism. Not long after that, riding lessons followed.

"I fell in love with it completely," said Lydia. "When I sit in a saddle, I'm not thinking of anything else. It's just the horse and me. It relieves stress, and the exercise helps a lot too."

Lydia, who serves as the vice president of Lancaster Mennonite School's FFA chapter, has future plans that include both college and horses. She has plenty of time to work out the details.

"My hope is to take a gap year after high school, go to Florida, train with Archer and compete," said Lydia. "Then I'll go to college for automotive engineering. I haven't figured all of it out yet. I think I'm going to want to keep competing, but depending on what my job is, it could look different."