Auburn Equestrian Begins Its New Season, and a New Era

Jessica Braswell oversaw her first scrimmage as new Auburn head coach, preparing her team for the upcoming season.

In most cases, competitive equestrian is a zero-sum gain. In order for you to win, the other riders must lose. But college equestrian emphasizes something different.

In this format, a rider and her 40 teammates win or lose together. This shared journey is a major draw for the top riders who choose to forestall their professional careers to be part of a team - a team with everyone riding toward the same goals.

And no program is better set up for this kind of single-minded pursuit than Jessica Braswell’s Auburn Tigers.

A New Head Coach Takes Over Familiar Reins

When then-head coach Greg Williams announced his retirement after last April’s national championship tournament, it didn’t take long for Auburn to name his replacement. Athletic Director John Cohen remarked during Braswell’s formal announcement that “"There is no one more prepared to lead Auburn equestrian,” and he’s right.

For at least the past half-decade, Braswell has essentially been Auburn Equestrian’s Head-Coach-In-Waiting. The former Auburn rider has spent her entire coaching career on the Plains learning from the man who helped invent the sport.

In his introductory remarks at Friday’s Heritage Club dinner, Williams beamed at the idea of Braswell taking over his former role. Auburn’s Head Coach Emeritus remarked that of all of Auburn Equestrian’s National Championships, the one he’s most looked forward to is the one that would come after his retirement.

Braswell’s comments echoed that desire to sustain Auburn’s winning history in the sport, and highlighted the mindset needed to achieve it. She shared that among her favorite duties as head coach are opportunities like these that bring together the athletes and their families, the coaches, the alumni, and the donors in pursuit of the same goals.

The coaching staff Braswell has assembled further proves her commitment to this unified mindset.

While it’s commonplace for other schools to hire staff who’ve ridden or coached at multiple programs, only Auburn Equestrian has a staff with riding and coaching experience exclusive to one program - its own program at that.

The Scrimmage

So with that uniquely singular approach, Auburn Equestrian made its final preparations for the 2023-24 season, hosting Thursday’s Annual Orange and Blue Scrimmage.

The purpose of the preseason scrimmage is twofold. The first is to get used to live competition with the complete run-through of a meet before the new season begins. The second is to give the talented group of Freshmen a chance to shine in their first experience riding in the team format.

Both purposes were met.

The competition was exciting for the fans and families in attendance. The forecasted showers stayed away, and all four of the meet’s events progressed smoothly and promptly.

Auburn’s Blue Team won the day, but that frankly doesn’t mean much. What really matters is that seven Auburn Freshmen won their points, and all of them came against more experienced upperclassmen riders.

Auburn’s victorious freshmen consisted of Emily Clee, Reilly Gogul, Avery Glynn, and Molly Segars in Fences. Riley Parker won her point on the Flat. And in Horsemanship, Sydney Swallom and Alexis Potts scored for their squads.

The meet also featured most of Auburn’s returning All-Americans: Ava Stearns, Ellie Ferrigno, Sophee Steckbeck (Fences), Mary-Grace Segars (Flat), and Alexia Tordoff (Horsemanship). These five, along with Reining’s Isabella Tesmer, will lead the Tigers lineup this upcoming season.

UC Davis at Auburn

And the Tigers won’t wait long for the new season to commence. This Saturday, September 23 at 11 am, Auburn will host a non-conference meet with visiting UC Davis.

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