DREAM RIDER

Twenty-one years ago, a pony named Spot and a 9-year-old named Anita Mont got along as well as a mechanical bull and a first-time rider might.

Not very well.

“Spot bucked me off every day,” Mont, now 30, fondly recalls. “He’d been under saddle for only 60 days when I first rode him. It wasn’t unusual for me to hear from several people, ‘So, how many times did you get bucked today?’”

But Mont kept getting back up. And back up. And back up again. Her love of horses never wavered even as she devised, on the fly, ways to land without snapping a bone or 22.

Today Mont is riding high—and staying in the saddle—as owner/trainer of Dare to Dream Farm. The venture, launched in April 2022, is located within Old Barrington Farm, a 60- acre, state-of-the-art equestrian facility in North Barrington. Featuring nine horses and eight stalls,

Dare to Dream provides quality, full-service hunter/jumper lessons, equine care, and training for clients ranging from young bucks to top-notch horsemen. Dare to Dream Farm’s mission is to help riders grow, develop, and reach their personal goals. Every training and teaching program is entirely customized whether it be for a beginner seated on a pony hunter or a competitor astride a grand prix horse.

“I am super grateful to be where I am right now,” Mont says of Old Barrington Farm, owned by David and Joyce McArdle. “I want to be a boutique option for riders, both adults and children. There were times at my previous jobs when I’d have to skip lunch because I was so busy. Here, I get to take my time with the horses and take my time making decisions about the horses. I can create my own system.”

“I still can’t believe I’m here,” adds the Wisconsin native, who now calls Gurnee and North Barrington home. “It’s like I hit beyond the jackpot.”

Mont can trace her love of horses to an unlikely source—her childhood Sunday paper route. “It all started when my siblings and I delivered papers as kids,” Mont says. “We’d bag the papers and go to church on Sunday morning. The papers contained coupons for riding lessons; I’d clip those from the paper my family read each Sunday.”

Mont’s parents, Carlos and Linda, later bought a 25-acre Wisconsin farm that contained 23 stalls. For a spell, 25 horses neighed and whinnied there.

Mont couldn’t believe her good fortune.

“They have been incredibly supportive of my passion for horses since my time with Spot,” says Mont, who qualified to compete at a pair of United States Equestrian Federation finals (Pony and Junior Hunter) in 2009 and received a $15,000 Riders’ Grant from the North American Riders Group in 2014.

She turned pro at age 19 and shrugged off the torn tendons she’d sustained at a show.

“‘Live out your dreams,’” she adds, “has always been what my parents wanted me to do.”

Those dreams took her to a career that included time spent with three greats of the show jumping world. Mont worked for Olympic gold and silver medalist Chris Kappler and two-time Olympic silver medalist Kent Farrington. She also trained with Anne Kursinski, a two-time Olympic silver medalist.

But she needed a break from the demanding training/teaching/ barn manager jobs—many of which found her living in the horse-hotbed of Wellington, Florida—so, in the spring of 2016 she took one.

Mont bought a Jeep and drove it to Los Angeles. She found her way to The Dream Center, an aptly named resource center for those affected by homelessness, hunger, and lack of education.

During her stint as a Dream Center gym teacher and camp counselor, Mont discovered a new passion for working with teenagers and adolescents.

“I loved working with teens and teaching teens,” she recalls. “That was such a great experience for me in Los Angeles, getting to connect with and mentor young people.”

Now, Mont relives those satisfying moments during her riding lessons. “When I teach kids at Dare to Dream Farm, there’s nothing as joyous for me as the instant a rider experiences a light-bulb moment,” she explains.

“It’s about using my talents and skills to help others. My goal for the future is to give back to the sport and help young riders and young professionals grow, succeed, and meet their goals—live their dreams.”

“Dream” and “Anita Mont,” just try to separate them.

Dare to Dream Farm is located at 26059 West Scott Road, North Barrington. For more information, visit daretodreamfarmllc.com.