The No. 2 Auburn Equestrian team (102) defeated the No. 7 Baylor Bears (8-6) 14-4 Saturday.
Auburn began the meet by taking all five points in Hunt Seat over Fences.
Sophomore hunt seat rider Maggie McAlary said she feels great about the team starting out so strong.
"I think we all looked confident," McAlary said. "We knew the plan. We went out there and we accomplished our goal and it was a great way to start the day."
Sophomore hunt seat rider and MVP over Fences Grace Socha said having the good start helped with the rest of the meet.
"It was really nice to have a big lead going into the second half," Socha said. "You have to keep on top of yourself, but knowing that you've already gotten all those points relaxes the second half and you have to make sure you don't give them any points, but mentally it's nice to know."
Western Horsemanship won 2-1, Hunt Seat Equitation on the Flat won 4-1 and Western Reining won 3-2.
Auburn head coach Greg Williams said the Hunt Seat team carried the Tigers to the victory.
"We had just an incredible day on Hunt Seat and we nearly swept them," Williams said. "We had one point we didn't pick up and they're riding really well. Our MVPs on Hunt Seat, Lindsey Portella on the flat and Grace Socha over fences were just phenomenal."
Auburn hosts No. 1 University of Georgia (9-1) Saturday at 10 a.m. at the AU Horse Unit on Wire Road. The Tigers fell to the Bulldogs in the fall in a meet at UGA. "When we went there in the fall, Western pulled out a win and Hunt Seat barely lost, but we'll be itching to win again," Socha said. "We won last year at home for the first time and that was a huge win and we're definitely going to want to do that again."
McAlary said the Baylor meet was a great matchup to get the team ready to face UGA.
"Every time we ride against Georgia, we know they're really competitive and have a really strong overall team, so we just have to be ready and I think we are," McAlary said.
Socha said she expected a tough week of practice to prepare for the top-ranked Bulldogs.
"Coach will definitely push us," Socha said. "Both for our riding technique and skill and for mental push. She tries to test us and it really does help."
Williams said he will try and keep his riders loose and ready for this weekend, while looking forward to post-season competition.
"We may be looking to April, they're just going to want to beat Georgia," Williams said.
The equestrian team will have a kid's corral with a junior jump course, pony rides, paint-a-pony and a Moon bounce for fans at the UGA meet.
Auburn will host the Southern Equestrian Championships the weekend after the UGA meet.
Other than Auburn and UGA, the University of South Carolina is a part of the Southern Equestrian Conference.
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