By John Frierson
Staff Writer

Liza Cram wears many hats beyond the riding helmet she sports as a member of the Georgia equestrian team. She’s a very busy student as an Accounting and Finance major who recently added the Certificate in Legal Studies program to her workload. She also tutors on campus in a variety of subjects.

As if all of that wasn’t enough, the junior Jumping Seat rider from Aiken, S.C., has also started her own equine wellness business. 

“It’s definitely busy,” Cram said of her schedule, “but I really like what I’m doing.”

Cram didn’t start college on her current academic path. The original plan was to go the Pre-Vet route in the College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, with the goal of becoming a veterinarian. “I wanted to do Pre-Vet because I love helping horses feel better,” she said. But she later changed her mind on her major for a variety of reasons, including how difficult it is to get into UGA College of Veterinary Medicine, which has an acceptance rate of around 10%, according to various online resources.

“I also kind of wanted to enjoy my horses, if that makes sense, and not make them my work every day,” Cram said.

Cram already gets plenty of time with horses as an equestrian rider and through her business, Cram Equine Magnawave, which she started in August 2024. Her business uses multiple technologies, from electromagnetic pulses to red light therapies, to address specific needs like improving circulation and accelerating recovery.

Because of the other demands on her time, Cram said she doesn’t do her side business too much during the season. She worked at it often during the summer, and she has hired someone who is certified to do the work to help out when she’s swamped with her many other responsibilities.

As to whether her business is something she will continue after she graduates, Cram hasn’t decided yet.

“If I did that, I definitely would not go and get a big corporate job. I just don’t know if that’s what I want to do. … I really do have a passion for finance and accounting, so I do want to see where that takes me,” she said.

Georgia head coach Meghan Boenig said Cram has always been “very driven,” so her packed schedule outside of school and riding isn’t a surprise.

“I think she’s always had that. She’s somebody that, from family and from her own input, has always been very driven and finds a way to make things happen,” said Boenig, who has led the Bulldogs to eight national championships, including last spring. “And the answer is always, just do more work and you will get there. It’s a trait that we don’t see very much anymore, and it is a trait that actually really results in so many things being possible.”

One thing is clear about Cram: she’s not afraid to put in the work. “I’m definitely addicted to adding things onto my plate,” she joked.

Most days, that plate includes early-morning strength and conditioning workouts, her classes, her tutoring sessions, practice in both Jumping Seat disciplines, Fences and Flat, and then whatever else she has to get done each day. It’s a full load, one that she didn’t expect to have when she came to college.

“I definitely did not envision doing this much, and successfully,” she said. “There are definitely times when I’m like, this is a lot, but it’s always worth it.”

Last season, she competed against SMU in Fences and against Lynchburg in Flat. During the Bulldogs’ Red and Black scrimmage last month, Cram, riding Carino, scored a career-high 88 in Fences to win Most Outstanding Performer honors in the event. 

“She is very adaptable to a lot of different courses and situations, and it’s been really fun now to see her particularly blossoming in the Flat event,” Boenig said. “She’s always been very good at everything, but this is a little different from what she may have grown up doing, and so seeing that attention to detail, what she brings to that, is really exciting.”

That attention to detail also helps Cram as a tutor. She works with students who need help with calculus, accounting, business courses, finance, marketing, and more. “Pretty much any class I’ve taken at UGA, I can tutor people in it. There’s a need for it, and I enjoy doing it,” said Cram, who was recently named the Lead Tutor of the Month by the UGA Office for Student Success and Achievement.

Boenig has coached all kinds of women since she helped launch Georgia’s equestrian program in 2001. Some are like Cram and are at their best when they’re busy all day long, and others thrive with a less congested schedule.

“I think every single one of them is different. I think you want them to recognize and realize this unique part of their life and to be a little more where your feet are in the sense of enjoying friendships and all these other opportunities that come along with it,” Boenig said. “However, there are some people that I think are so much better when they’re doing a lot and staying busy. …. And Liza is definitely one of those kinds of people. I think she is happy to be like, Yeah, I killed it on this, this and this. And now I do have the time to go do something with a friend, or something of that nature.”

Cram and the Bulldog open their season on Friday afternoon against Baylor at the UGA Equestrian Complex in Bishop. 

Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men’s Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.