Oct. 3, 2003

Columbia, S.C. – The Gamecocks came out strong in the English Equitation competition but were still not able to defeat the Georgia Bulldogs on Friday at the Animal Science Area in Athens. It was an evenly matched meet with the victor decided in the last class of the day. The Bulldogs edged by with a final score of 1072-1053.25.

South Carolina gave Georgia more than the Bulldogs had originally bargained for. The Gamecock Hunt Seat Equitation riders had a successful pinning day. Sophomore Tara Brothers lead the flat class event with a score of 78 points. The combined efforts of the English Equitation USC undersaddle riders defeated Georgia with a strong score of 271-259. In the Equitation over fences class Laura O’Sullivan and Brothers both placed strong for Carolina. The concluding score for this division was a five point deficit with UGA earning 272 points and USC earning 267.

The Western competition, though still competitive, was the deciding factor in the outcome of the intercollegiate meet. It was a close call in the Western Horsemanship division with a score of 271-269 favoring the Bulldogs. Rachel Sternoff pinned the highest for the Gamecocks in the Reining and Horsemanship classes. It was in the final class of Western reining that the South Carolina team fell to Georgia, losing 246.25 to Georgia’s strong score of 270. The Gamecocks’ next competition will be held at Berry College on October 18-19 in Rome, Georgia.