Daily Skiff

The equestrian team, who will face off against rival Southern Methodist University this weekend on their home field in Mansfield, is hoping that a win will give the team momentum to finish off the season strong.

Head coach Gary Reynolds said the hunt seat team has been on a roll the past several competitions and is finally beginning to perform well. He said there has been leadership on the team from sophomore Milana Trimino, who is 7-1 on position on the flat this year.

Kelsey Huffman, a sophomore member of the Western team, said she's looking forward to competing against SMU again.

"Last year when we competed against SMU it was a very good matchup because they were a strong team and there was a friendly rivalry," Huffman said.

Reynolds said the team won the last matchup against SMU and that if the team executes its patterns well, it will come out on top again.

The competition was originally going to be in Dallas this weekend, but SMU didn't have enough horses at their barn for the competition, Reynolds said.

Only TCU's English team will be competing this weekend because SMU does not have a Western team.

Huffman said even though the Western team was not competing this time, they would support their fellow teammates.

"The whole Western team will help the English team girls get their horses ready, help them remember their patterns on the flat and even help them clean their boots," Huffman said.

Reynolds said the atmosphere of the team has been filled with excitement and the team is working hard to get in extra practices and improve its strength and conditioning.

"The team dynamic is really excellent," Reynolds said. "I'm really excited about the future of this team."

The team will face its next opponent, New Mexico State University, on Feb. 28 at their home field in Mansfield in their second to last competition before the National Championships.

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