DALLAS (SMU) - SMU Equestrian announces its schedule for the 2026-27 season on Thursday, July 30, which includes seven away, two neutral and five home meets on the Hilltop.
 
The Mustangs' regular-season slate will feature ten contests against opponents who finished within the top 10 in the NCEA last season. SMU is coming off another successful season, finishing fifth in the rankings.
 
SMU opens up competition with a dual meet at South Carolina on Oct. 1, then competes against TCU on Oct. 2 in Columbia. The Mustangs will stay on the road for two more meets against Auburn (Oct. 3) and Texas A&M (Oct. 29), before returning to the Hilltop.
 
SMU will host Georgia on Nov. 6 for its home opener. This will be the first time the teams will face each other since the 2024-25 NCEA Championship. The Mustangs will close out the weekend taking on Oklahoma State the following day on Nov. 7.  After a week off, the team will travel to Fresno State Nov.14 before the winter break.
 
The Mustangs return to action by hosting Minnesota-Crookston on Jan. 29, which will be the first time the two teams have ever faced each other. On Jan. 30, the Mustangs will compete against the Aggies for the second time this season, this time on the Hilltop. 
 
All of February will be contests on the road, starting with South Dakota State on Feb. 13. Oklahoma State will host the Mustangs for their second meeting of the season a week later on Feb. 20. SMU will compete two days in a row in Martin, Tenn., where they will battle Delaware State (Feb. 26) and UT Martin (Feb. 27). It will be the first time since the 2019-2020 season that SMU has had two neutral site meets during the seam season.
 
For the final meet of the season, SMU will host Auburn on March 5. The Mustangs and Tigers have competed at least twice every season since the 2021-22 season. Within that time, each team has five wins apiece. 
 
SMU returns 24 riders from last season and brings in seven newcomers, including transfer Abby Budd, who had five Most Outstanding Performer (MOPs) between her sophomore and junior seasons. Sophomore Madison Rafacz comes back after a stellar freshman season. In Reigning, she earned 4 MOP honors and did not lose a single head-to-head match.
 
Full Schedule:
 
October 1 - at South Carolina
October 2 - vs. TCU at South Carolina
October 3 - at Auburn
October 29 - at Texas A&M
November 6 - vs. Georgia
November 7 - vs. Oklahoma State University
November 14 - at Fresno State
January 29 - vs. University of Minnesota - Crookston
January 30 - vs. Texas A&M
February 13 - at  South Dakota State
February 20 - at Oklahoma State
February 26 - Delaware State at UT Martin
February 27 - at UT Martinn
March 5 - vs. Auburn