Feb. 4, 2013
FORT WORTH, Texas - The No. 8 ranked TCU equestrian program will open its spring season Friday night hosting No. 7 Baylor underneath the bright lights of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo.
The two-day meet will begin on Friday in Fort Worth and continue through Saturday at Turning Point Ranch in Springtown.
"We are excited to host Baylor for the first time at the annual Fort Worth Stock Show," said Western head coach Kindel Walter. "It is a great event and we have always had a lot of spectators and TCU fans who come out to support us. The girls have been working really hard and are ready for Baylor come Friday."
Friday's section between the two conference foes will consist of only five Western riders from each team and start at approximately 6:00 p.m. CT at John Justin Arena. On Saturday, the two teams will wrap-up competition with Hunt Seat action at 2:00 p.m. CT.
Follow The Horned Frogs
A full recap and final results will be available following both days of competition on GoFrogs.com. During the meet, live results will be made available at the official TCU equestrian twitter page. Fans are encouraged to follow @TCUWEquestrian.
All-Time Series
The Horned Frogs and Bears will battle for the 10th time in program history this weekend. Baylor leads the all-time series at 5-4, but TCU has won two out of the last four, including a 5-3 decision at nationals last spring.
Welcome Back
TCU closed its fall campaign against Baylor in Waco. Despite outscoring the Bears in November, the Horned Frogs dropped a 12-8 decision at the Willis Family Equestrian Center. TCU battled Baylor to a 5-5 draw in Western, but was able to move to 4-1 on the year by capturing 753.5 points compared to 682 for the Bears.
In all, the Horned Frogs outscored Baylor, 1,501.5-1488.0. The Frogs also captured two Most Outstanding Player honors in Waco as sophomore's Demi Stiegler and Katelyn Gray both earned accolades, respectively.
Stock Show History
In 2010, former Frog great Ashley Aikman helped TCU secure a 5-3 victory over defending National Champion and nationally ranked Texas A&M. Aikman secured the Horned Frog victory on the final ride of the night in front of 1,623 spectators inside John Justin Arena.
Last year, No. 8 TCU battled No. 3 Texas A&M in front of an electric crowd of 2,104 spectators, but narrowly fell to the defending National Champions at John Justin Arena, 5-3.
Scouting TCU
TCU comes into Friday's Big 12 showdown looking for its fourth win of the season. The Horned Frogs are currently No. 8 in the national polls and are 3-3 on the season overall and 1-2 in league play.
The Frogs are 4-1 in Western, while Hunt Seat squad has posted a 2-3 mark heading into their spring schedule. Several individuals have scored impressive victories during the 2012-13 campaign.
On the Western side, Kolby Simonson and Alexie Estrada will look to go to 5-1 on the season this Friday in Reining and Horsemanship, respectively. Both are 3-0 on the season against Big 12 competition.
Several student-athletes have also shined on the Hunt Seat side as the Frogs head into Saturday's competition. Caitlin Ader and Demi Stiegler have earned two MOP honors on the year in Equitation on the Flat and over Fences, respectively. On the Flat, Stiegler remains perfect on the year with a 5-0 mark, while Ader will look to improve to 4-1-1 on the year in Equitation on the Flat.
Scouting Baylor
No. 7 Baylor is currently 7-3 overall and 1-2 in conference action. The Bears began their spring season this past Saturday with a 14-5 victory over New Mexico State. Baylor, who swept MOP honors against the Aggies, hasn't lost since October and has won four-straight meets.
On the year, sophomore Samantha Schaefer has collected Big 12 Rider of the Month accolades twice. Schaefer went a perfect 3-0 in Fences in November and helped lead Baylor to a 3-0 record in the month with wins over Fresno State, South Carolina and TCU.
Last spring, the Baylor Hunt Seat program captured their first National Championship, with a thrilling and stunning victory over Texas A&M at nationals.
A First Time
For the first time in the three-year history of the Stock Show Dual, the Hunt Seat program will also be in competition. The squad will begin action in Springtown Saturday at approximately 2:00 p.m. CT. The 2013 version of the meet will also mark the first time in program history that TCU will play a conference foe in competition.
Picking Up Big 12 Honors
Sophomore Demi Stiegler and senior duo Alexie Estrada and Kolby Simonson each earned Big 12 Rider of the Month accolades for the final month of the fall campaign.
Stiegler went 3-0 during the month of November against Big 12 schools in Equitation on the Flat to remain perfect on the season at 5-0. In all, the California native went 5-1 for the month between the two Equitation disciplines, while claiming two MOP awards.
Estrada, who was Co-Big 12 Horsemanship Rider of the Month, went 3-0 during the month against Big 12 schools. She scored the lone point for the Frogs in the discipline against Kansas State and recorded her first MOP honor at Oklahoma State.
Simonson, a Colorado native, went 3-0 against Big 12 schools during the month in Reining. She holds a 4-1 overall record in the discipline with one MOP.
Stiegler Selected for Equitation Challenge
Sophomore Demi Stiegler will kick start action for TCU on Friday at the Fourth Annual Collegiate Equitation Challenge in Wellington, Fla. The meet, which is held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, will begin at 1:00 p.m. CT. It will be conducted utilizing the NCEA head-to-head bracketed format with the top 16 collegiate riders from across the country.
Directions To The Stock Show
West Parking Lot and Western Heritage Parking Garage
Located west of the Amon G. Carter Jr. Exhibits Hall, the lot and garage are accessed from Lancaster Avenue for both east and west bound traffic.
Museum Parking Lot
Located at the northeast corner of Montgomery Street and Harley Avenue south of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame, the lot is accessed on the north side of Harley Avenue for west bound traffic only.
Harley Avenue Parking Lot
Located at the southeast corner of Montgomery Street and Harley Avenue, the lot is accessed on the south side of Harley Avenue for east bound traffic only.
Camp Bowie Parking Garage
The University of North Texas Health Science Center Parking Garage is located north of Camp Bowie Boulevard (one block north of the Will Rogers Complex) and is available for parking on Friday nights and weekends, the lot is accessed from Camp Bowie Boulevard.
Up Next
TCU will continue action on Friday, Feb. 15 against Fresno State in Springtown. Competition will begin at approximately 12:00 p.m. CT.
