The equestrian team hopes to bounce back from a weekend loss against Southern Methodist University and gain some momentum for the National Championships as they take on the New Mexico State University Aggies this Saturday in Mansfield.

It will be the first time the team has faced the Aggies, and head coach Gary Reynolds said his riders are looking forward to competing against them because they have a great team and could be a great rival for TCU.

The No. 7-ranked team lost to SMU last weekend 3-8, despite strong performances from sophomores Milana Trimino and Jessica Hagen in equitation on the flat.

“The last game was an eye opener for us but it gave us inspiration to work even harder and kick it into gear,” said Taylor Frederick, a freshman member of the English team.

Reynolds said the riders were not very sharp in their last competition and are working on improving their focus and mental preparation in executing their patterns.

“We are coming off of a big road trip and we had a lot of games in a row,” Reynolds said. “We had some mistakes happen all at one time but we will work those out at practice this week.”

Carrie von Uhlit, a senior member of both the English and Western teams, said the riders are approaching their difficulties differently by reviewing previous rides through videos and discussing their previous performances more.

Reynolds said it has been a long, hard run for the team the past couple weeks but he is proud of how hard the riders have worked this season. He said they are pushing to make the last 10 days of the season before the championships the best ever.

Frederick said the team has matured and grown a lot since the beginning of the year. She said they have finally learned how to buckle down and get the job done.

Reynolds said the team is looking forward to the next two competitions, taking time off and gearing up for nationals in April.

The team will host against Oklahoma State University March 8 in its last competition before nationals.