On Friday, the No. 3 Texas A&M equestrian team powered into the final event of the day’s meet and downed the No. 6 TCU Horned Frogs at the Turning Point Ranch in Springtown.
A&M head coach Tana McKay said although this was big win on the road, they still have to work out some kinks before getting on the road again to meet with South Carolina.
“I am very proud of our whole team effort today,” McKay told 12thman.com. “We had some really great rides and TCU was extremely tough. We are excited to get a road win, which are not easy to come by. … We have another challenging meet ahead of us next weekend at South Carolina, so we have to get back at it in practice and correct some of our mistakes.”
In Reigning, the only point for the Aggies came from sophomore Shelby Reine’s 73.5-71.0 win over TCU’s Claire Dittrich.
In the Western arena, points were earned for the A&M side in Horsemanship as junior Ashley Davidson edged out the Horned Frogs’ Jamie Cook 76-75.5. A&M senior Sarah Orsak also earned a point for her team after defeating Josie Mootz 74.5-74.
A&M secured the first three points in Equitation over Fences with senior Rebekah Chenelle’s 82-78 win against Alex Beneson to start it off. Sophomore Rhian Murphy’s 70-68 triumph over Kathleen Harrigan earned the Aggies their second point, and freshman Grace Boston’s 79-75 defeat of Raegan Rast closed it up. Meanwhile, sophomore Caroline Dance and Elizabeth McKim held a draw at 66 in this event.
Going into Equitation on the Flat with TCU holding a 7-6 lead, A&M came back to claim three points that would give them the win. Chenelle opened the event earning an 81-67 win against Niki Barns. Murphy then got the best of Brooke Matson, while Dance and Janelle Henningsen drew a tie at 82. Senior Brianna Peddicord followed with an 81-66 victory over Alex Beneson in the final ride of the day to clinch the victory for the Aggies.
With this win, the Aggies move to a 2-0 record for a strong start to the season, while TCU moves to 1-1.
The Aggies will face South Carolina for their first conference action of the season on Friday, Oct. 12 at One Wood Farm in Blythewood, South Carolina.