A weekend trip to the state of Texas brought K-State equestrian their first road competition of the season. However, the step away from their home of Timbercreek Stables proved to be a costly one.
The Wildcats suffered back-to-back losses to TCU and Baylor and now sit at 4-2 on the season. They’ll look to rebound with a trip to Fresno, California to face Fresno State and Auburn on Friday and Saturday.
A trip to Fort Worth, Texas on Friday was up first for the Wildcats, but they fell 13-5 to the Horned Frogs. Of the five points that K-State scored, team captains Madison Wayda, Savannah Smith and Danielle Kemper scored three of them.
In Equitation Over Fences, K-State fell 4-1. Their only loss in Equitation on the Flat this season came with a 3-1 score. K-State’s point was won by sophomore Christina Martinelli. In Horsemanship, the Wildcats tied 2-2 with the Horned Frogs.
In Reining, K-State dropped its third category of the day with a 4-1 score. However, Smith’s point gave her a 4-1 record this season.
“(Friday) was a very tough loss for our team,” head coach Casie Maxwell said in K-State Athletics’ weekend release. “Being on the road for the first time was definitely a big test for us. We made some errors that resulted in some lost points, but then we also had some really good rides that just did not go our way.”
On Saturday, the Wildcats traveled south to Waco, Texas to take on No. 1 Baylor. The road once again brought K-State trouble as it dropped a 13-7 decision to the Bears. Despite the loss, Maxwell said she believes it was an improvement to the meet at TCU.
“Our team rode much better and carried out great energy against a very tough Baylor team,” Maxwell said. “We have to hand it to Baylor for riding very well today.”
In Equestrian Over Fences, Baylor won 3-2. The points were scored by sophomore Taylor Schmidt and Wayda, who earned her 10th win with the finish.
However, K-State held the edge in Equitation on the Flat with a 3-2 victory. This was returning to the theme of the rest of the season, showing its loss in Equitation on the Flat to TCU to be a rarity.
The Wildcats then lost in both Horsemanship and Reining, settling with a score of 4-1. The single point in Horsemanship was won by senior Kelsey Sousa. The single point in Reining was won by junior Nicholle Hatton.
