The equestrian team is sending two of its top-ranked riders to the third annual collegiate equitation challenge at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla.
Auburn has had success at the WEF in the past, with senior hunt seat rider Maggie McAlary placing first in the competition's inaugural year and second last year.
Sophomores Christine Lin and Jennifer Waxman will ride south for this year's Feb. 10 challenge.
Lin said the competition is different than the team's average meets.
"It's about the same caliber, but it's a little bit different," Lin said. "It's not really like our nationals, per se, because I'm not here with my whole team, but I am representing my school. It's special."
The competition consists of riders from 16 U.S. universities.
New to the tournament this year is equitation on the flat, or flatting, in which only four schools--including Auburn--were chosen to participate.
Flatting is judged on how well an athelete handles her horse on the ground with no jumps.
"It's actually new to the tournament this year," Lin said. "Before it was all jumping, and there's 16 schools that are participating. The four schools that are doing the flatting are randomly selected for this year because its a new format they want to try it out."
Waxman will compete in equitation over fences, which consists of jumps up to 3-feet-6-inches high.
"It's a little nerve-racking," Waxman said. "The course will probably be a little harder than our regular competitions, but the one thing that makes me feel better is that the people we're going against are in the same position.
"It's hard for everybody. It's not just hard for us."
Waxman has been riding for 14 years and credited the coaching staff for the team's continued success.
"Our coaches do a really good job on stressing the importance of the team," she said. "And we know wherever we go we always have each other's back, and it's always nice to know that everybody is working hard."
Coach Greg Williams began the equestrian program in 1996, with Varsity status coming in 2002.
Lin said the coaching staff has motivated them all year, and working as a team has been a cornerstone of their success.
"We're putting in a lot of hard work. We're also really working together as a team," Lin said. "You do ride for individual points, but at the end of the meet they all go toward the team.
"We're all just trying right now to put in as much practice as we can. We're riding when we're outside of school. We do as much riding as we can."
Riding on unknown territory is something Lin and Waxman are familiar with, as the team competes in similar situations at regular competitions.
"We get on and ride a course that we have never ridden before," Lin said, "so there is only so much practicing that we can do because we've basically been doing this our whole lives."
The competition follows the National Collegiate Equestrian Association head-to-head, bracketed format, and the first round will start at 2 p.m.
The eight losing teams from the first round will compete in a consolation bracket.
The overall winner will receive a trophy sponsored by the South Florida Hunter Jumper Association,.
The competition will be held at the International Arena of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center.
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