By Tom Worgo
Carly Genovere is still in high school, but she’s already learning all about the daily grind. Genovere, an accomplished equestrian, commutes two hours every day round trip from Edgewater to McDonogh School in order to participate in an elite riding program at the Owings Mills School. The senior also handles a full plate of academic and extracurricular activities that she balances with the sport.
“The riding is six or seven days a week,” says Genovere’s mom Kassie, noting her daughter gets up every morning at 5:30 a.m. and doesn’t get home until after 7 p.m. “She is really good at time management.”
Indeed. Genovere’s schedule seems dizzying. She runs her own business, Bridle Broadcasting photography, taking pictures at horse shows (she’s earned about $3,500 since 2013) and helps operate Operation Halloween Candy Collection, which collects sweets for troops overseas.
Genovere also completed a regulatory science internship with the Federal Drug Administration this past summer. In the classroom, she carries a 4.6 grade point average. She’s been named a U.S. National Chemistry representative, tutors McDonogh middle school students, and was recognized with an Excellence in Mathematics Award by her school. Genovere even works with young riders as a counselor at summer camps.
“It’s a lot of stuff and not a lot of time,” she says. “Balancing things is a skill I have picked up. It’s something I have been pretty good at most of my life. When I have free time, I put it to good use and try not to waste time.”
Her true love is equestrian. She started competing in the sport at age five and wants to continue for decades to come. “It’s something I have always really liked to do since I was little,” says Genovere, whose grandmother, Shirley Thorne, and uncle Terry Thorne, were Western Riders. “It’s just something I am so passionate about.
“I am riding five days a week at school and going to horse shows on the weekend,” she adds. “I have worked really hard and have been very dedicated to get where I am.”
Proof of this is in the level of the competitions she participates in.
Genovere competed in both the Washington International Horse Show at the Verizon Center and the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in New Cumberland last October. She considers the two national-level events as the highlight of her career. Genovere placed fifth in the Washington show.
“They take the top 20 or 25 riders from across the country,” says Genovere, who has participated in national events since September of 2015 and regional events for eight years. Genovere’s dedication is what stands out to McDonogh riding co-coach Amy Moore.
“She really doesn’t have any time off during the year,” Moore says. “She is up here every day at school during the summer and during fall, winter and spring eak. She travels on the weekends and the summer to shows. She’s also responsible for the care and fitness of her horse as well as herself.”
Genovere is one of Moore’s favorite riders to coach. She raves about her character, unselfishness, and work ethic. “She is very low-key about everything she does,” Moore says. “You really have to ask her about everything she does. She is extremely modest and does not like attention.”
Genovere will continue to compete in equestrian in college, but there are a limited number of schools that offer it as a sanctioned Division I sport.
“Riding will always be part of her world,” Kassie Genovere says. “But she’ll pick a college based on academics versus picking a college based on the level of riding. She will be doing the club level in college.”
Duke, Vanderbilt, and Wake Forest top her list of schools. “I’d like to do something in math and statistical work and see where that takes me,” Genovere says.
Moore knows Genovere will be a high achiever in college and in whatever career path she chooses. “They had to start a new math class for her at McDonogh because they didn’t have a high enough level class to put her in,” Moore explains. “She is a very gifted academic student. She is very well-rounded with all of her activities, and I don’t know anybody else that can pull off everything that she does.”