story by Lily Weinacht
“Rodeo is definitely challenging, and it pushes me to be better in everything throughout my life,” says Taylor Algrim, the 2017 KHSRA Barrel Racing Champion. “It’s very humbling, and it’s a great experience to be around all the wonderful people that rodeo. You get to ride amazing horses, and it’s a great sport – it’s taught me a lot throughout my life.”
The persistence Taylor, 18, has acquired through rodeo paid off at state finals. She won all three rounds of the barrel racing, along with the year-end, while she was one point off from winning the year-end in pole bending. Taylor was the state pole bending champion last year, and the KJHSRA Barrel Racing Champion in eighth grade. “My horse was running really good, and she pretty much makes a consistent pattern every time. I wasn’t even too nervous about it – I felt really confident in her and her runs. I like my events equally,” she adds. “In the barrel racing, I really like the competition, and the speed is pretty fun. I like the poles because you have to think throughout your entire run and it’s really a challenge because there are more obstacles than barrels.”
Taylor entered her first rodeo when she was three, and especially looks up to her mom, Tamra. “She has hauled me everywhere and taken me since I was very young, and I also look up to Carol Tracy. She’s a lady I ride with a lot, and she’s helped me to learn, and ride different horses, and she’s been very helpful throughout my rodeo career. I’ve had a lot of support from my grandparents and all the rest of my family. My grandparents, Martha and Perry Arnold, travel to all of my and my cousins’ rodeos, and my great-grandpa, Jim Arnold, still drives his motor home and comes to our rodeos.” Taylor is also joined at her rodeos by her step-dad, Scott, her dad, Kirk, and her step-mom, Ashley.
Taylor rides her 11-year-old mare, Tootsie, in barrel racing and pole bending, along with her other two horses, Boomer and Tee, which she alternates riding depending on the arena. “My main horse is Tootsie, and I’ve been riding her since she was six. She was my very first horse. My grandparents Perry and Martha raise horses and they picked her out specifically for me and I got to start with her from the very beginning.” Taylor’s family also has several dogs, including her dog, Frankie, who travels to rodeos with them. Taylor’s seven-year-old brother, Kole, goes to all of her rodeos and enjoys dummy roping, and he hopes to start junior rodeoing this year.
A freshman this fall at Oklahoma State University, Taylor is majoring in bio chemistry and molecular biology, with a minor in Spanish. “I want to be an orthodontist,” she explains. “There are five or six dentists in our family, so I’ve been around it a lot and find it very interesting, and I think it’s something I would like to do as a career.” Throughout high school, Taylor was very involved in Student Council and FFA, along with cheering on the varsity cheerleading team. Her team competed at regionals and state all four years of high school, and won reserve at state in 2014.
Taylor is considering competing on the OSU rodeo team, and if not, she plans to continue rodeoing and barrel racing as much as possible. Her goal for the summer is placing in the top five of the IFYR and NHSFR. “I definitely think that I have the horses right now to achieve those goals. I want to thank my family for all their support – they have done a lot for me throughout my lifetime. It’s definitely been a life changing experience and I would not be the person I am today without rodeo.”
