Baylor Equestrian: Schedule, Tickets, and What Students Need to Know
Most Baylor students walk right past the Willis Family Equestrian Center without realizing what happens inside. There's a nationally ranked collegiate equestrian program competing at the Big 12 level — and every home meet is completely free to watch. If you've never been to a college equestrian competition, the Baylor equestrian team is one of the most impressive things you can catch on a weekday afternoon without spending a dime.
What NCAA Equestrian Actually Is
NCAA equestrian is a team sport that combines Western and English disciplines. In each meet, Baylor sends individual riders to compete head-to-head against opposing riders across four events: horsemanship, reining, fences, and flat. Judges score each pair, and the team with more points wins that discipline. Points accumulate across all four events to determine the final meet score.
Think of it like a swimming dual meet, but on horseback. Each rider earns points for their team, and the team with the most points across all disciplines wins. Baylor competes with an 80+ athlete roster — one of the largest in any college sport — fielding competitors across both Western and English events at a high level.
What makes it accessible for first-time spectators: the format is structured. You don't need a background in horses to follow what's happening. Discipline-by-discipline scoring is announced throughout the meet, which creates natural drama as point totals shift and individual matchups unfold. Most meets run two to three hours.
Baylor Equestrian's Record and Head Coach
The program has been one of the Big 12's most consistent equestrian programs for over a decade. Head coach Casie Maxwell, now in her 10th season at Baylor, has led the team to four Big 12 Championship titles (2010, 2015, 2017, 2019) and a NCEA Hunter Seat National Championship in 2012. Before arriving in Waco, Maxwell spent seven seasons as head coach at Kansas State and holds a degree in Animal Science from Texas A&M.
The 2025-26 season featured standout individual performances despite a 3-9 overall record. Pratt earned Big 12 Reining Rider of the Year honors — a significant individual award in the Western discipline. Multiple riders earned All-Big 12 recognition: Reid, Mitchell, Fuller, Mainwaring, and Clausen all received conference accolades. Individual quality has remained high even in rebuilding years.
The 2026-27 season opened with a statement. Ranked No. 9 nationally, the Bears upset No. 8 Fresno State 11-9 at the Willis Family Equestrian Center in October 2026. That result gives the program momentum heading into the spring Big 12 slate, when competition intensifies.
2026-27 Schedule
Fall Home Meets (Willis Family Equestrian Center, Waco):
- September 17 — vs. South Dakota State
- October 9 — vs. Fresno State (won 11-9)
- October 23 — vs. TCU
- November 6 — vs. Auburn
Spring Home Meets:
- January 30 — vs. Minnesota Crookston
- February 6 — vs. Oklahoma State
- February 26 — vs. Georgia
Away Meets:
- November 13 — at Oklahoma State
- February 20 — at Fresno State
- March 5 — at TCU
Big 12 Championship: March 26-27, 2027 — Waco, TX
NCEA National Championship: April 15-17, 2027, World Equestrian Center, Ocala, Florida
For current schedule updates and any rescheduled meets, check baylorbears.com/sports/equestrian.
The Big 12 Championship Is Coming to Waco
This is worth highlighting on its own. The Big 12 Equestrian Championship is scheduled for March 26-27, 2027 at the Willis Family Equestrian Center — Baylor's home facility. The last time the conference championship came to Waco was in 2017, when Baylor won the title on home turf.
Hosting the 2027 championship gives Baylor students a rare chance to watch every Big 12 equestrian program compete right on campus, over a full championship weekend. Teams from Fresno State, TCU, Oklahoma State, Georgia, and others will converge on Waco for what's typically one of the most competitive two-day stretches in collegiate equestrian. This kind of access — a conference championship, free to attend, on your campus — doesn't come around often.
How to Attend: Free Admission, No Ticket Required
All home meets at the Willis Family Equestrian Center are free to the public. No ticket purchase, no Baylor student ID scan, no registration. Just show up.
The Willis Family Equestrian Center is on Baylor's campus. Arrive 20-30 minutes early to get comfortable positioning in the viewing area before judging begins. A few things to know before you go:
- Dress in layers. Arena temperatures can drop significantly in the fall and spring, especially in the evenings. Check the meet start time and plan accordingly.
- Arrive early to watch warmups. Seeing riders prepare gives first-timers useful context for what the judges are evaluating during competition.
- Parking: The equestrian center sits near the edge of Baylor's campus. Street parking along adjacent roads is typically available; check Baylor's campus map before arriving.
The crowd at equestrian meets is smaller and more knowledgeable than at football or basketball games, which means you can actually see what's happening and learn the sport in real time. If you go once, you'll understand why the format creates genuinely competitive moments.
Why Equestrian Is Worth Discovering
Baylor offers a lot of athletics programming that students overlook. The acrobatics and tumbling team is a dominant national program that's also free to watch. The volleyball team and women's basketball team consistently compete at a high Big 12 level. But equestrian is arguably the most technically unique sport on campus — and with fewer than a thousand people in the stands for a typical home meet, there's no barrier between you and the action.
The Big 12 Championship in March 2027 brings a different level of stakes. For students who want to say they watched the conference championship live on Baylor's campus — free, with the best seats available — the spring slate is the window to do it.
If you want to stay plugged into the season, follow @BaylorEQ on X (Twitter) for live meet updates and behind-the-scenes content. The full roster and schedule are at baylorbears.com/sports/equestrian.
Living Close to Everything Baylor Offers
Getting to a 2 PM equestrian meet and back to your desk by 6 PM for a study session is easier when you live within walking distance of Baylor. Centre Apartments, located at 1901 S 11th Street in South Waco, puts residents close to campus without fighting for a parking permit or relying on transit for every trip. As a gated community with parking included for every resident, Centre simplifies the kind of flexible, in-and-out schedule that makes it practical to actually show up for things like Tuesday afternoon equestrian meets.
If you're planning housing for next year and want easy access to everything Baylor offers beyond the classroom, explore our floor plans or schedule a tour to see what's available at Centre.
The Big 12 Championship is coming to Waco in March 2027. That's the kind of thing that's free, on campus, and worth your afternoon.
