Erica Svendahl

Erica Svendahl hails from Plymouth, Minnesota, a Minneapolis suburb where she attended the same high school as both of her parents. With lots of lakes, horses, and kids around, it was a wonderful place to grow up. Erica jokes that her parents made the mistake of sending her to pony camp as an 8-year-old, after which she immediately started pestering them for one. While she never found a pony hitched to the tree on Christmas morning, she is very grateful for all the lessons and leases with great mentors, which led to a number of fulfilling working-student positions, as well as showing on the Midwest Hunter/Jumper circuit.

When Erica first arrived on the Santa Clara University campus, it was sunny and 60 degrees, while it was well below zero back home. Minnesota winters meant riding in “real” indoor arenas, so Erica reports having been a bit confused when she first heard Californians referring to covered arenas as “indoor.” She graduated magna cum laude, having earned BS degrees in both Chemistry and Environmental Science. She also rode on the IHSA (Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association) team, coached by Nicole Dicorti Bush.

Erica has always been interested in veterinary medicine. After having spent the two years after college in a lab at a startup all day, Erica is now excited to have the opportunity to blend her technical background in chemistry with her love of horses and their care, as a veterinary assistant at Steinbeck Peninsula Equine Clinics. She intends to wrap up the few remaining courses she needs to apply to veterinary school, while soaking up as much learning as possible on the job.

It’s been a while since Erica has stepped into the show ring, but there’s no shortage of horses in her life. Between her part-time lease on a sweet, senior OTTB named Weasley and helping friends with their horses, she gets her fill. When not working or at the barn, Erica likes to read and get outdoors with her biking-enthusiast boyfriend, Penn. She also likes to travel with her family and, when back in Minnesota, spend days on the lake. She says that’s what she misses most in California: ”While the ocean is great, you just can’t beat a good lake!”