“It feels awesome,” said Frydenlund, 18. “I am so excited. It was my absolute dream school, so it worked out perfectly.”

And more importantly, Frydelund enters one of the fastest rising equestrian programs in the nation. TCU, in just its third year of existence, already are three-time national qualifiers.

In 2008, the Horned Frogs won the Varsity Equestrian Western National Championship in just their second campaign. In 2007, TCU became the first school in Varsity Equestrian history to reach the postseason in its first year.

“I’ve been looking to live in Texas for pretty much my entire life,” Frydenlund said. “Just between the heart of horse country, and I fell in love with Texas Christian because the campus is incredible and they have one of the best business schools in the nation. The last two years, TCU has been my No. 1 school.”

Frydenlund said she considered other schools such as Baylor, Kansas State and Auburn, but knew TCU was the school she wanted after visiting this past November and meeting coaches Gary Reynolds and Haley Schoolfield.

“I feel lucky to go down there and be on the team,” she said.

Frydenlund said last summer was when she made a name for herself at the Pinto Horse World Show, where she earned three world championship titles.

Her resume included a world championship in hunt seat equitation, a reserve world title in showmanship and a third-place finish in horsemanship.

Frydenlund plans to compete in horsemanship, and possibly reining, at TCU.

“That was definitely where I knew I could take it to the next level because it’s just an entirely different atmosphere,” she said of the Pinto Horse World Show. “The arenas are so big and there are so many people, it’s just so much stress. I feel like if you can handle that sort of field, beating out 70 girls with everybody watching, then you can step to the college level and hopefully succeed.”

At Wilsonville, Frydenlund qualified for state in stock seat this past season and placed 17th overall. In her junior year, she was a state-qualifier in multiple events.

At TCU, Frydenlund hopes to break into the lineup of college equestrian where her biggest challenge will be adjusting to riding a horse for the first time in competition.

“It’s just getting used to that feel and getting as much experience as you can get on brand new horses you’ve never been on,” she said. “I just want to get in the show arena. I’m obviously going down there with some of the best riders in the nation, and so I feel a little bit over my head in that aspect. But I’m also trusting their coach will get me prepared to step out there and get me ready to go out there and actually compete.”