Minnetonka High’s Taylor Landstrom prepares to compete for top college equestrian program

The road to an athletic scholarship differs for each high school athlete. For Minnetonka’s Taylor Landstrom, it’s a journey unlike any other.

Most Minnesotans who travel south in the winter do so for a round of golf or a nap on a poolside lounger — not for weeks of national-level equestrian competition.

Landstrom’s annual escape to Florida has a special purpose. She spends nearly a quarter of each year living near Palm Beach and riding horses. She’s a rare Minnesotan on the national equestrian show circuit and the only reported Minnesota senior to sign with a Division I equestrian program this year.

It’s not just any equestrian program, either. In November, Landstrom officially accepted her scholarship to compete for the 2022 national champion Oklahoma State Cowgirls.

“To anyone, this sport is a novel concept, unless you’re truly riding,” Landstrom said. “Even my parents don’t understand it, to a full extent.“

No one in her family knew much about horses — her dad is even allergic to them — but Landstrom had her first horse riding lesson at age 4, and it stuck.

“It’s just incredible to create a bond with a horse,” Landstrom said. “To be able to go into the ring and have this animal with its own mind ... and be able to compete.”

As she progressed, however, Landstrom required a more competitive barn than those that existed in wintery Minnesota. In middle school, her family contemplated using Three Ships, a barn nine hours away in Indianapolis but known for producing national champions.

The Landstroms debated the merits of their daughter moving closer to the barn’s trainers and enrolling in school in Indiana. Her dad, Jason, couldn’t leave his job, and Taylor always called Excelsior home.

“We did consider it,” Jason said, “but it was brief.”

Instead, they opted for a life in motion.

“What I really enjoy the most about the sport is seeing how my daughter has really matured into a wonderful young woman,” Jason said. “She understands the responsibilities and expectations it takes to do what she’s doing.”

Landstrom competes in two shows per month, meeting the barn’s trainers and horses at competitions across the country. Other riders at Three Ships, who live in various parts of the United States, do the same.

She’ll spend three months in Florida and another summer month in Michigan, competing for several weeks straight.

Each year of high school, Landstrom completed the fall semester at Minnetonka before shifting to online classes for three months, then re-enrolling at Minnetonka in the spring. Eventually, Minnesota friends turned into temporary penpals.

“I have to leave behind my high school friends and miss out on a lot of things, but I have great friendships on the road,” she said.

Friendships weren’t the only thing Landstrom found on the road. There were medals, too.

She placed first and earned a $10,000 purse in the 1.35-meter event at the 2024 North American League junior-amateur finals, and she earned the silver and bronze medal at last year’s North American Youth Championships.

Time on the road has made Landstrom more independent and mature, her father said. She’s quick to text back, touch base with Minnetonka teachers and give her parents a call in a way most teenagers sometimes forget.

Landstrom’s parents view the extensive travel as a way of supporting their daughter. “This is our way of supporting [our kids], letting you guys know we’ll always, always support you and do everything possible to achieve your dreams,” Jason said.

“But with that, there’s sacrifices,” Jason said.

Her mom, Carrie, typically travels with Landstrom, while Jason remains in the Twin Cities. Her older brother is in college in Connecticut.

“It was hard on all four of us to try to accept and understand,” Jason said. “You question sometimes, is this worth it? We’ve grown to adapt and understand how to keep this family intact, and communicating, and supporting each other.”

Landstrom and her parents took official visits to four colleges — Oklahoma State, Southern Methodist, South Carolina and Texas Christian — all ranked among the nation’s top six equestrian programs. TCU was the chosen program of Orono’s Estelle Atkinson in 2023.

Landstrom revealed her choice by walking down the stairs at the family house wearing Oklahoma State merch, already having emailed each of the four programs' coaches with her decision.

College riding will be its own adjustment. Landstrom typically competes with three horses — Elite, Kai and Tiny — having built a relationship with each over the years.

At college competitions, riders randomly draw one of the host college’s horses, then are given two minutes to familiarize themselves with the animal before showing.

“All the coaches told me, when you come to college riding, you become humbled pretty immediately,” Landstrom said.

Being away from Minnesota won’t be an adjustment. At competitions, Landstrom is often the only Minnesotan on a list of 200 riders, her father said.

“She’s learned to appreciate home more having been gone,” Jason said. “She’s a proud Minnetonka girl.”