For the Fresno State equestrian team, 2012 was, arguably, only a small tease for 2013 — when the team will be competing through the end of March in preparation for the NCEA championships.
Another sneak preview came during the Bulldogs’ Jan. 12 interscrimmage, their second of the season. Fresno State also held one on Oct. 27.
Riders in Western and English events have made equal improvements, first-year coach Collins Daye said.
“I think everybody’s doing pretty well across the board,” Daye said. “There’s not any one area where we’re a lot stronger than the other. I think we’re pretty even across the board.
“I think the biggest difference is we know the horses a little bit more. This is my second time having a competition here. So (they’re) learning how I run my horse shows, which is a little different than they’ve done it in the past.
“We’ve definitely improved on the timing, the organization. I think all of the girls have gotten stronger and deeper in their riding. I’ve seen a big difference in (them) especially the freshmen.
Crivelli rising to top in horsemanship
Junior western rider Lauren Crivelli established herself among the best in the nation in horsemanship in the first part of the season.
Crivelli, a Visalia native, made it to the final round of the inaugural American Quarter Horse Association Collegiate Horsemanship Challenge.
The competition featured 16 of the top collegiate horsemanship riders in the country. Crivelli finished in the top four.
Fresno State faced winner Carey Nowacek and Texas A&M on Nov. 12 in a 17-6 loss. Crivelli earned both her points in reigning and horsemanship, scoring a competition-best 74.5 in the latter event.
In her sophomore year, Crivelli won 10 of her 13 horsemanship competitions, her first season riding for Fresno State.
Program ushers in 2013 as host to Daye’s alma mater
For Coach Daye, Fresno State’s first home competition comes against a familiar face.
The Bulldogs host Georgia, where Daye rode collegiately, on Jan. 26 at the Student Horse Center.
As a (Georgia) Bulldog, Daye was part of a team that captured the overall team national championship in 2003. She was part of the Georgia coaching staff for two seasons, as well.
“They’re probably one of the best teams in the country. That’s going to be a really important one to have a good showing at,” Daye said.
“I’m super excited about it. I adore Georgia, and I get along really well with the coaches — all of that sort of stuff. So it’ll be a lot of fun one way or the other. But I also know what kinds of riders come from there.
“We do well against Georgia; we do well against anybody, that’s for sure.”
Home field advantage?
In this part of the season, Fresno State will play host to other competition for the first time in the season — having traveled to Texas for shows against Southern Methodist, Baylor and Texas A & M.
But with that “home-field advantage” comes extensive planning and preparation for a competition.
“It’s a lot easier to go visit (for a competition), because you just show up and get a list of horses and get on,” Daye said.
“From a coaching standpoint, it’s a lot easier for me to go somewhere.”
Familiarity with the horses that riders practice with throughout the entire season, though, is the main advantage of staying at home.
“I think that’s probably the biggest piece,” Daye said. “We do know these horses. Having a little bit more familiarity can really make a difference.
“It’s going to be busy. Horse shows are hard to put on. They’re a lot of work on the girls. But I think it’ll be nice to be at home. We’ve got some really tough competition coming here, so we’re going to have to bring our A-game for sure.”