COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Texas A&M women's equestrian team (1-1), currently ranked No. 9 in the country, will return home to the Thomas G. Hildebrand DVM '56 Equine Complex to host the South Dakota State Jackrabbits (2-2) in a meet beginning at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25.
“We are looking forward to competing back home,” Aggie head coach Tana McKay said. “It looks like it will be great weather and with a Saturday meet it should be a great time for children and families. We will have a lot of activities surrounding the competition and hope to have a great crowd at our beautiful facility.”
Saturday's meet is “Give Cancer the Boot” or the “Pink Meet” as fans are encouraged to wear pink and show their support for breast cancer awareness. Buttons with “Give Cancer the Boot” will be handed out while supplies last and fans can enter to win several prizes including Adidas gear and gift cards to local sponsors.
The Junior Aggie Club will host Fall Festival activities for kids 12 and under beginning at 10:00 am on Saturday. The fun will include pumpkin decorating, crafts and activities, candy and a bounce house. The first 200 children will also receive a Junior Aggie Club drawstring backpack.
Under McKay's tutelage, the Aggie equestrian program has won 11 national titles including the 2012 NCEA Overall National Championship as well as the 2012 NCEA Western National crown.
The Jackrabbits, from Brookings, South Dakota, are 2-2 and have faced ranked opponents such as No. 2 Kansas State, No. 6 Oklahoma State and No. 10 New Mexico State. The hunt seat coach for South Dakota State is an Aggie former equestrian student-athlete Ellie Wilkins '14.
Part of the first phase of an $80 million equine initiative project, the Hildebrand Equine Complex becomes the premiere collegiate equestrian facility in the country. The Aggies' new home includes locker rooms, offices, a concession building, a 50-stall barn, two covered warm-up arenas and two covered competition arenas, one for western and one for hunt seat.
Each of the four SEC equestrian programs are ranked among the nation's Top 10 in the latest NCEA rankings announced on Tuesday. The Aggies will host the SEC Championships Mar. 27-28, 2014.
To learn more about Texas A&M equestrian, log on to 12thMan.com and follow @AggieEquestrian on Twitter.