Get to Know Auburn Equestrian

The success of Auburn University’s Equestrian Team has been decades in the making.

Auburn Men’s Basketball is not the only #1 ranked team here at Auburn University. Auburn’s Equestrian team is also ranked #1! And I, being curious, set out on a task to learn the reason behind the outstanding success of the program. To learn more, I interviewed Head Coach Jessica Braswell and two graduate students, Olivia Bradley and Ellie Ferrigno.

After conducting interviews with the coach, the players, family members, and fans, I have found the success of the program is due to a number of reasons including the fan base, the player’s individual faith, the people behind the scenes, and the team’s unity.

The Jungle

With every Auburn sport, “The Jungle” fan base shows up. Auburn has a reputation for its strong culture, and the support, energy, and presence of the fans at the equestrian meets greatly influence the team’s performance. I attended the last two home meets of the season against South Carolina and Georgia and can verify that the Jungle truly shows up! Coach Braswell even stated that there is indeed a home-field advantage with the home meets being the loudest environment of all schools. Both Olivia and Ellie mentioned their love for watching the cars drive down the dirt road and park in the field every Saturday as the meet nears its start.

At every meet, there are the regulars. The parents of the Equestrian girls attend all meets no matter how far away from home they are. Throughout the blog, you’ll see the recurring theme of unity. Unity of “The Jungle” fan base as one, unity of the riders, and the unity of the parents. I learned in my interview that the parents are extremely involved in all aspects of the team, helping with donations and assisting the coaches when necessary. And of course, they are the #1 fans of their daughters, supporting them through the team’s ups and downs.

At every meet, there are also the newcomers. What surprised me when visiting the meets was the number of kids present, and fairly so. First of all, kids (of all ages) love horses. At the meet, there was pony riding, a bouncy castle, cornhole, Aubie, tie-dying shirts, and more. I even took some time to play Aubie in a quick cornhole game. (I won, by the way, in case you were wondering.) Not only are there fun events to keep the kids engaged, but the kids are also in awe of the horses and their riders. The girls are celebrities to them. Every week before a meet, the team visits elementary schools in the Auburn-Opelika area, handing out flyers encouraging the kids to attend the meet. This causes the other siblings and parents to come and learn more about the sport and even inspires the future generation of equestrians.

Faith as a Motivation

Faith, not solely in themselves and their abilities, but in their Christian religion influences some of the athletes. A group of the girls self-organize bible studies and prayer groups throughout the week and before each meet to recenter their pride, attitude, and motivations of why they do what they do and why they work so hard.

The Stagehands Working Behind The Scenes

With every great production, there are numerous people behind the scenes making everything possible. Behind the Auburn Equestrian team are the individual riders. They are the ones who set up for the meets and practices and prepare the horses and equipment. To help them is the professional support staff composed of Director of Operations and Logistics Morgan Dyck, Barn and Facilities Manager Katie Renfroe, Athletic Trainer Karen Stanton, as well as dietitians taking care of the “two-legged athletes,” Director of Equipment Brad Rapacz, Director of Communications Kendra Willard, and all the student managers. This group of superheroes makes meet day and everyday practice possible by taking care of the health of the horses, riders, property, facilities, equipment, schedules, interviews, and more.

The coaching staff includes Head Coach Jessica Braswell, Coach Mary Meneely over the western events of horsemanship and reining, Coach Emma Kurtz over the jumping seat events of flat and fences, and the legendary Coach Emeritus Greg Williams. All of whom are fundamental to the success of the team. Without the coaches, there is no one to point out areas of improvement for each rider creating better riders and a better team.

The coaches promote excelling in what they call the 5 A’s. The 5 A’s include Arena, Attitude, Accountability, Academics, and Athletics. All of these are controlled only by individual members of the team. Each girl is prompted to excel in the arena, perfecting their performance for meet days. In their attitude, coming to practice and meets with a positive and respectful attitude ready to work hard and learn harder. In their accountability, being on time for their responsibilities and completing tasks. In their academics, maintaining their GPA. And finally, in their athletics, improving in the weight room, in practice, and in their health.

Additionally present are the Team Pillars- be grateful, find joy, team 1st, and earn it. All of these, as well as winning the SEC and National Championships, are pinned on the team’s “vision board” for the 2024-2025 season in the team room. The combination of all that goes into what makes the team successful and shows the deep devotion each of the individuals has to the program over the years. Most, if not all, of the coaching and support staff have been involved in other areas of the team before their current position. Whether they were coaches in other areas or riders themselves, they were willing to stick around as they truly believe in the program and its legacy.

The Team’s Drive to #LeadALegacy

Absolutely fundamental to the team’s history is Coach Greg Williams. He brought the Auburn University Equestrian Club in 1996 to a threatening D1 varsity program by 2002, winning the National Championship only 4 years later.  Grounded in the Auburn value of work, hard work, he taught the girls everything he knew and pushed them to improve in all they do. During his 28 years of coaching, he led the program to 6 national championships and 6 Southeastern Conference championships before stepping down as Head Coach in May 2023.

He is eloquently quoted with saying, “Be willing to plant a seed for a tree you will never shade under.” These words influence everything that the program stands for today as on every social media post they include the hashtag #LeadALegacy. Not only to leave a legacy but to lead one. A call to have leadership that makes an individual sport about the team. That is the key to the unity of the team. That is how they point all 45 student-athletes in the same direction. It is all about the future generation of equestrians. That’s why the girls visit elementary schools to promote their meets and have events geared towards kids and have summer equestrian camps for older kids interested in the sport. The past and current success of the program gets their attention, and the culture and feel of the Auburn Family pulls them in as recruits to continue planting a seed. Continuing to attract “The Jungle.” Continuing to be faith-centered. Continuing to have a superhero level of support staff. And continuing to be an Auburn institution believing in hard work, education, honesty, and truthfulness. Because of all these things, the Auburn Equestrian program has mounted great success and continues to thrive today.

I want to extend a huge thank you to Coach Braswell, Olivia Bradley, Ellie Ferrigno, and the Equestrian parents and fans who were willing to take the time and answer a few of my questions. I want to thank Ms. McRae Clay for allowing me to join her group on a tour of the barn to learn and take photos. And most of all I want to thank Ms. Kendra Willard for helping me set up and schedule the interview and allowing me to take photos at the meets.

Be Well, Auburn.