story by Skylar Wright
Montana Landis has only been rodeoing for 4 years but has spent most of her life around horses and riding. The 16 year old from Kamas, Utah, followed in her mother’s footsteps and grew up riding English.
Her mom, Sandy, taught her how to ride as a kid. “Riding English really breaks down every element of the horse and is a great way to learn to ride,” she said. Though Montana rodeos now, her mom continues to show dressage horses and puts on clinics as well.
She didn’t always know rodeo was what she wanted to do but she knew she had to pick. After one year of Junior High rodeoing she took a break. “I knew I wanted to keep riding but I didn’t know how I was going to choose between rodeo and English.” After sleeping on it for a while she knew “in her gut” that rodeo was where she belonged.
Her step dad, Kurt, has held a big role in her rodeoing career. “He taught me how to rope,” she said. Her biological father lives in California and is supportive of her goals in rodeo. “When I go to California. I miss my horses but I get a chance to play beach volleyball which you can’t really do here,” she said.
She has made it to state in breakaway and goats and ended up third in the first performance. She competed at the Dixie Six and had the fasted times in the breakaway roping. “That was my biggest accomplishment, it felt good to rope that well against some really talented ropers.”
Montana wants to continue to rodeo in college if she can and would like to stay in state so she can stay close to home. She plans on majoring in the medical field and has an idea of what she would like to be when she graduates. “Its between a nurse, a vet tech or a physical therapist, but I’m not really sure yet,” she said. If a rodeo scholarship doesn’t come along then she would like to try and play basketball in college. She has been playing since her freshman year and would like to see where the game could take her.
