[break] The No. 5 Georgia equestrian team defeated No. 4 Auburn 10-9 Saturday afternoon at the Auburn University Horse Center in Auburn, Ala. With the win, Georgia improves to 6-4 on the season with a 3-2 record in the Southeastern Conference. Auburn moves to 4-4 and 1-3 in SEC play.

 

“It was a great competition against a great team,” said head coach Meghan Boenig. “I’m extremely proud of the way we rode today. We had to fight for every point we earned. While there were a lot of good things that happened today, we have to be able to look at each ride and find ways to continue to improve. We will now shift our focus to preparation for Texas A&M.”

 

Highlighting the meet was an MOP-earning performance from Paige Stawicki. Stawicki earned the honors after scoring an event-high 74.5 over Griffin Knight’s 70.

 

The Bulldogs jumped to a 3-2 lead over the Tigers in Equitation Over Fences. Auburn’s Demi Stiegler grabbed the first point before Leylan Gleeson defeated Megan Bifano 85-79. Auburn’s Megan Bifano earned the next point. Kylie Arbuckle evened the score with an 86-82 decision over Halie Robinson. Megan Southam sealed the win for the Bulldogs, defeating Ashley Foster 81-79.

 

Georgia’s Horsemanship squad used strong performances to defeat Auburn 4-1. Rachel Kolb led the charge, defeating Hannah Loseke 74-72. Stawicki used a MOP-earning, event high 74.5 to outscore Knight’s score of 70. Bailey Anderson took the third-straight point for the Bulldogs with a 72.5-67 victory over Katie Buff. Lucy Igoe then earned the lone point for the Tigers. In the anchor position for Georgia, Sara Parr earned a 71-67 decision.

 

Georgia dropped a 3-2 decision to Auburn in Reining. Hailey Munger grabbed the first point for the Tigers before Kyndall Harper rode to a 67.5-66 victory over Katsy Leeman. Auburn picked up the next two points with winning rides from Alexa Rivard and Allie Dusha. Lauren Garmon was able to grab the final point for Georgia, defeating Knight 66.5-65. Georgia led Auburn 9-6 going into the final event of the day.

 

The Bulldogs fell to the Tigers 3-1 in Equitation on the Flat. Auburn’s Elizabeth Benson earned the first point. Arbuckle answered with an 84-81 decision over Jennifer Delman. Finsness rode to a 87-point tie with Tory Hoft. Auburn’s Foster and Stiegler were able to capture the final two points to win the event, but the Bulldogs were able to hold on in overall score 10-9.

 

The Georgia equestrian team will be back in action Saturday, Feb. 28 when it hosts Texas A&M. During the meet, the senior class will be honored in their final home competition. ​