The No. 7 equestrian program (5-5-0) will host the University of Tennessee-Martin on Saturday for the team’s only true home event of the spring season.
Head coach Gary Reynolds said the Horned Frogs will move forward into the spring season without Chloe Baker, who graduated in the fall.
“Just keep on going, that’s all you can do,” Reynolds said. “I’ve told the girls that Chloe was one of our great riders and was on the national championship team. We wish her the best. She’s meant a lot to TCU while she was here, and we were glad to have her for that time.”
Baker’s departure has opened up an opportunity for new riders to step into her role, Reynolds said.
“We’ve got some great new talent, like (sophomore) Lyndsi Hardin who is having a great year in Horsemanship,” he said. “We are looking for some new things for the spring. It’s an opportunity for them to step into that role and show us what they’ve been working on the last couple of years.”
Fort Worth isn’t the program’s home, however. Fieldstone Park, located in Mansfield, has been the home of the equestrian program since its inaugural season and is about a half-hour drive from campus.
The team will have a home event in Fort Worth at the Fort Worth Stock Show Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. against Texas A&M in Will Rogers Coliseum.
While Reynolds said his team is as good away as it is home, it’s always nice to be home, he said.
“We’ve been off for about three months so we are really anxious to get back going,” Reynolds said. “We haven’t had very many home events this year; some people feel that there’s a home field advantage. If the weather’s decent we’ll have a pretty large home crowd.”
TCU lost its last decision 13-6 to No. 10 New Mexico State, while UT Martin, which has received votes to be nationally ranked, won its last decision 11-4 against Delaware State.
Even with the loss of Baker, the Horned Frogs currently have four riders ranked in the top 10 of their respective events.
Senior Carrie von Uhlit currently sits at No. 3 in reining and No. 4 in horsemanship, while senior Chloe Baker enters Saturday’s event at No. 10 overall in reining. Junior Kelsey Huffman is ranked at No. 9 nationally in horsemanship. Junior Jessica Hagen is currently ranked at No. 8 in equitation on the flat.
TCU vs. Tennessee-Martin
When: 10 a.m. Saturday
Where: Fieldstone Park
7528 Dick Price Rd.
Mansfield, Texas 76063