The Texas A&M equestrian team took on the position of the hunter when it opened the season with a win over then-No. 2 SMU on Oct. 3. On Saturday, with the No. 2 ranking in hand, the Aggies became the hunted as they fell to No. 6 Georgia in Bishop, Georgia for their first loss of the season.

Both teams reached nine points through the four events, but the Bulldogs beat the Aggies with a raw score of 1,592.5-1,574.5. Sophomore Kate Egan set a program record with a 93 and MOP honors in Fence while junior Kaitlyn Bloom took home the first MOP of her career in Horsemanship.

A&M faced an early deficit through Reining as Georgia claimed the first two points, but junior Gracie Casebolt and senior Mattie Gustin evened the score with rides of 71.5 and 70.5, respectively. Sophomore Isabelle Gonzalez narrowly beat out her opponent, 70-69.5, to push the Aggies ahead, 3-2.

Georgia bounced back in Flat, though, with a 4-1 performance to snag a 6-4 edge. Senior Brooke Brombach contributed the lone point for A&M with a ride of 88. Fifth year Jordan Toering put up the best ride for the Bulldogs at 92.

The Aggies added a couple of points in Horsemanship thanks to a 77 from Bloom and a 76 from sophomore Kendall Dirksen, although the Bulldogs notched two points of their own. Senior Hanna Olaussen’s 78 was matched by Georgia senior Jillian Stopperich.

Trailing 8-6, A&M evened the score at 9 after a 3-1 showing in Fences to round out the action. Sophomore Alida Treuting scored an 89 before Egan’s record ride of 93. Junior Alexa Leong captured the final point with a 92.

A&M continues its top-10 competition when it hosts No. 8 South Carolina at the Hildebrand Equine Complex at 12 p.m. Friday.