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A spirit that is not afraid

Tigers face the Bulldogs in crucial SEC equestrian meet

After defeating UT-Martin in the opening meet of the spring season, the No. 2 Auburn equestrian team is preparing to ride in a crucial away meet against Georgia.

The Tigers' match against their No. 1 rival determines team ranking and which teams will compete in the SEC Championship.

Coach Greg Williams said winning on the road is particularly hard, and since the Bulldogs have one of the best equestrian programs, his team will have its work cut out for them.

Williams said intensity is a key component of preparation for the match against Georgia.

"Our girls probably look forward to this meet more than the others," Williams said. "We will have to take a victory from UGA at their place because they sure won't just give us one."

Williams said his team is looking for a win with solid rides in Hunt seat and Western.

The Tigers knocked Georgia out of the saddle with a 13-6 win at the Auburn Horse Unit in the fall.

The Tigers are hoping to claim their first win on Georgia territory at the upcoming meet.

"It will be a tough one for us, but we will bring our 'A' game and will be ready for anything," said Stephanie Rucci, a freshman who competes in Western reining.

Rucci earned MVP at the meet against UT-Martin and said the team morale helped them win reining that day.

Bailey Dymond, senior who competes in Western horsemanship, said the team is riding tough horses, incorporating conditioning and strengthening practices and reviewing videos, score cards and judges' comments in preparation for the meet.

Dymond said the team is always working to ride better and smarter.

"We go in with a plan for which horse we draw," Dymond said. "We see if we can get that much more out of the horse than the last rider."

Dymond said it helps the team is familiar with Georgia's horses and riders.

"We're coming stronger this year," Dymond said. "If they want a good meet, they'll have to bring it."

Anna Schierholz, senior who competes in Hunt seat equitation over fences, said the team needs must be as mentally prepared as possible to secure a win.

Schierholz said she and her teammates will ride hard and participate in workouts that test their mental and physical limits during the next few weeks.

"The workouts make us mentally tough," Schierholz said.

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Schierholz said the team will be prepared to beat the Bulldogs if they continue to compete with the intensity they had in the previous meets.

"Tennesse-Martin was a tough win for us, and showed how much we rely on one another," Schierholz said. "If we go into the next meet with the same mentality, we'll be prepared to beat them."

Schierholz said during her time at Auburn, the team has won the National Hunt Seat Championships and the SEC Championships, and she would like a victory at Georgia to be added to the list.

She said a win on the Bulldog's territory would be an accomplishment she and her fellow senior teammates would always remember.

Auburn's equestrian team saddles up for a showdown with the Georgia Bulldogs Feb. 12 in Bishop, Ga., at 1 p.m.


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