No. 4 Texas A&M equestrian failed to come out on top of this high-stakes Southeastern Conference matchup, as the No. 2 South Carolina Gamecocks put on full display a case to be the highest-ranked team in the nation with an astounding 14-6 victory over the Aggies.
Fences give the Gamecocks the edge
South Carolina was quick to draw first blood against A&M, with junior Grace Rabb riding Nino to a score of 93, quickly followed by A&M junior Kate Egan riding Egen to even the score, 1-1. However, the tie wouldn’t last long, as the Gamecocks came up with three unanswered points on the equine backs of Rio, Marty and MJ to cap off Fences with an early advantage, 4-1.
Horsemanship prevails
While the Aggies came up short in the end, things were not totally lost in Columbia, South Carolina, as the Maroon and White won the Horsemanship discipline by a narrow 3-2 margin. The event kicked off with freshman Adasyn Kallay riding Sparky to a score of 73.75, securing a quick point for the Aggies.
Junior Kaylynn Heitman and Stanley’s 74.5 score performance earned another point for A&M, putting it within shooting distance of South Carolina, 4-3. But before too long, the Gamecocks added two more points, allowing the Aggies to narrow the gap on the scoreboard heading into the next event, 6-4.
Falling flat
The Flat event was a similar story to the Aggies’ earlier struggle in Fences, ultimately ending the individual event 4-1 in favor of the Gamecocks again. The quartet of Fenway, Major, Mo and Dento performed admirably alongside their riders to give South Carolina a four-point lead before Egan on Tanner closed out the Flat discipline with A&M’s lone point.
Despite the defeat, Egan displayed grit and integrity for the Fightin’ Farmers as she was the only Aggie to score in both the Fences and Flat events.
South Carolina, reining supreme
The Gamecocks’ control over the contest continued to build in the Reining discipline, resulting in the third 4-1 frame for South Carolina of the afternoon. Sophomore Olivia Cardi on the back of Kinzie led the way with a score of 71.75, while their Gamecock counterparts combined for three more points to end the highly anticipated SEC matchup.
Senior Gracie Casebolt was the Aggies’ lone point-earner for this discipline, outscoring graduate student Haley Turner on Sparky with a final score of 67.25 to 66. That would be the final point of the day for the Maroon and White as they ultimately fell short, 14-6.
The Aggies are now 1-1 following the steep loss to South Carolina, and will look to get back in the win column against the Auburn Tigers at the Hildebrand Equine Complex on Friday, Oct. 24.
