The No. 2 Texas A&M equestrian team will make its regular season debut against No. 8 TCU on Friday at the Student Horse Center in Fresno, California. The game will technically be a scrimmage, but it will be run like a regular season meet.
The Aggies will strive to live up to last year’s performance at the NCEA Championships. Including All-American players Alex Albright (Horsemanship), Ashley Davidson (Horsemanship) and Haley Redifer (Fences), A&M will return 11 starters total.
The Aggies participated in the Maroon & White Scrimmage on Sept. 27 at the Hildebrand Equine Complex in College Station.
“The horses have been getting back in shape, the girls have been getting back in shape, so this was a really good test for them to come out here and have some pressure on them, and we saw some great rides,” A&M head coach Tana McKay told 12thman.com.
A&M assistant head coach Abby O’Mara said she was pleased with the way the young players performed in the scrimmage.
“It’s exciting to see some of our freshmen put in some good rides in front of a judge for the first time and for our returners to also put in some great runs,” O’Mara told 12thman.com. “I was super happy with a lot of the rides. Lauren Reid had an awesome ride over fences, scoring an 85. Mali Selman had an awesome flat ride and got 90, so that was the highest score of the day.”
A&M’s last matchup against TCU resulted in a 2-2 tie, with its total record against TCU being 11 wins to three losses. The Aggies have a home record of 6-0 against TCU, with their longest winning streak against them being seven games. A&M holds 133 points total over TCU, averaging 9.5 points a game.
No. 8 TCU equestrian is off to a great start after shutting out Texas Tech 20-0 at Diamond Creek Ranch. This was the first shut-out performance in program history for the Frogs. Misty Redd and Courtney May led the Frogs in the exhibition, and earned the honor of Most Outstanding Performers. Ten TCU freshmen saddled up for their collegiate debut. TCU also dominated in its first regular season meet against South Dakota State, winning 17-3.
During the South Dakota State meet, the Frogs swept in Flat and Buchanan won the MOP.
A&M will compete against TCU in Fresno, California on Friday, with the meet time set for 10 a.m.