BROOKINGS, S.D. – The No. 5 Texas A&M equestrian team opens the 2021-22 season at South Dakota State on Saturday at 8 a.m. at the DeHaan Equestrian Center.
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Following its quarterfinal appearance at the National Collegiate Equestrian Association National Championships last season, Texas A&M returns 21 Aggies that saw competitive action from a year ago. Leading the group are 2021 NCEA First Team All-Americans Caroline Dance (Flat) and Hayley Riddle (Horsemanship). Dance finished the campaign 7-2 in Flat to earn All-Southeastern Conference Flat Team honors. Riddle had a 9-1 record, including a five-meet winning streak to close out the season before earning SEC Co-Horsemanship Rider of the Year.
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"It's early in the season so we're going to rely on our upperclassmen, the ones that have been around and have had a lot of hours in the saddle competing collegiately," head coach Tana McKay said. "All but one of our starters from last season's national's team returns, so we have a lot of depth and experience. We also have a really great freshman class, so I'm excited to see what this team can do as whole. They challenge each other on a daily basis and that will only make us better as the year progresses."
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Other notable returners include Lisa Bricker (Reining), Cori Cansdale (Horsemanship), Ariana Gray (Reining), Marissa Harrell (Reining), Nicole Leonard (Flat), Kaitlyn Lovingfoss (Fences), Taylor Masson (Reining), Emmy-Lu Marsh (Reining), Rhian Murphy (Flat), Ella Petak (Horsemanship), Haley Redifer (Fences), Shelby Reine (Reining), all who ranked in top five team high scorers in their respective disciplines.
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The Maroon & White are 7-0 all-time against the Jackrabbits, including a 3-0 record when traveling north. In its last visit to Brookings in 2019, A&M defeated SDSU, 14-5. Redifer (Fences), Riddle (Horsemanship) and Bricker (Reining) each earned Most Outstanding Performer honors in their respective disciplines.
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"This will be new territory for most of our athletes," McKay said. "It's a one arena facility and is totally enclosed. It's different horses that we are not familiar with. Sometimes, we get comfortable being in the SEC and are familiar with a lot of the horses, so this will be a really good test."
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Live scoring and live video coverage of the meet can be found at GoJacks.com. A subscription for the live video coverage is required. Fans can also follow @AggieEquestrian for up-to-date results.
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To learn more about Texas A&M equestrian, log on to 12thMan.com or follow @AggieEquestrian on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
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Following its quarterfinal appearance at the National Collegiate Equestrian Association National Championships last season, Texas A&M returns 21 Aggies that saw competitive action from a year ago. Leading the group are 2021 NCEA First Team All-Americans Caroline Dance (Flat) and Hayley Riddle (Horsemanship). Dance finished the campaign 7-2 in Flat to earn All-Southeastern Conference Flat Team honors. Riddle had a 9-1 record, including a five-meet winning streak to close out the season before earning SEC Co-Horsemanship Rider of the Year.
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"It's early in the season so we're going to rely on our upperclassmen, the ones that have been around and have had a lot of hours in the saddle competing collegiately," head coach Tana McKay said. "All but one of our starters from last season's national's team returns, so we have a lot of depth and experience. We also have a really great freshman class, so I'm excited to see what this team can do as whole. They challenge each other on a daily basis and that will only make us better as the year progresses."
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Other notable returners include Lisa Bricker (Reining), Cori Cansdale (Horsemanship), Ariana Gray (Reining), Marissa Harrell (Reining), Nicole Leonard (Flat), Kaitlyn Lovingfoss (Fences), Taylor Masson (Reining), Emmy-Lu Marsh (Reining), Rhian Murphy (Flat), Ella Petak (Horsemanship), Haley Redifer (Fences), Shelby Reine (Reining), all who ranked in top five team high scorers in their respective disciplines.
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The Maroon & White are 7-0 all-time against the Jackrabbits, including a 3-0 record when traveling north. In its last visit to Brookings in 2019, A&M defeated SDSU, 14-5. Redifer (Fences), Riddle (Horsemanship) and Bricker (Reining) each earned Most Outstanding Performer honors in their respective disciplines.
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"This will be new territory for most of our athletes," McKay said. "It's a one arena facility and is totally enclosed. It's different horses that we are not familiar with. Sometimes, we get comfortable being in the SEC and are familiar with a lot of the horses, so this will be a really good test."
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Live scoring and live video coverage of the meet can be found at GoJacks.com. A subscription for the live video coverage is required. Fans can also follow @AggieEquestrian for up-to-date results.
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To learn more about Texas A&M equestrian, log on to 12thMan.com or follow @AggieEquestrian on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.