Meghan Boenig came to Georgia in October of 2001 as the first head coach of the Georgia equestrian program. During her time with the Bulldogs, Boenig has led the program to unprecedented heights including six National Titles, six Southern Equestrian Championships, seven reserve championships, three Southeastern Conference titles, and a 67-6 dual-meet regular season record at home. Boenig also helped lead the charge of restructuring Varsity Equestrian to the National Collegiate Equestrian Association in the fall of 2011.

Under Boenig’s leadership in the 2021-22 season, Sophomore Jordan Toering and junior Caitlin Lyons were named SEC Rider of the Year for Flat and Reining, respectively. Jillian Stopperich was named Freshman Co-Horsemanship Rider of the Year while Jax Bound was named the Freshman Reining Rider of the Year. Eight Riders garnered 11 All-SEC honors and seven riders claimed eight NCEA All-America honors.  The team finished the season in the quarterfinal round of the NCEA National Championship with a 8-6 overall record and third place finish in the SEC. Ranked sixth in the nation, Georgia upset No. 1 Auburn, 13-7 at home.  It marked the first win against Auburn since the 2018 SEC Championship, and the first at home since 2016.  It was the largest margin of victory over the Tigers since 2015 in the first round of the SEC Championship. Additionally, Bulldogs shattered records under Boenig’s watch. Toering scored a 97.5 in Flat in the regular season finale against UT Martin, which is the fifth highest in program history.  Sara Lewis broke an SEC Championship record in Horsemanship, scoring a 231 for her ride, which tied with Auburn’s Olivia Tordoff at the conclusion of the championship weekend. The previous high score of 225.5 was set in 2019.  Jax Bound’s score of 219.5 is the best Reining score recorded in SEC Championship history.  The previous high score was a 215.5, also set in 2019.  

During the 2020-21 season, Boenig led the Georgia equestrian team to the program’s seventh National Championship. The team’s accomplishments earned her NCEA Coach of the Year recognition. After finishing a conference-only regular season with a 3-3 dual-meet record, the Georgia equestrian team earned a second-place finish at the Southeastern Conference Championship. Under Boenig, five riders were named to the All-SEC teams, five freshmen were selected to the SEC All-Freshman team and Jordan Toering was named the SEC Freshman Fences Rider of the Year. Under her guidance, three riders landed spots on NCEA All-American teams, while 13 earned a place as NCEA Academic All-Americans and another 27 were named to the NCEA Academic Honor Roll. Boenig also saw senior Ali Tritschler crowned as the Most Valuable Players of the NCEA Championship in Flat, as well as eight riders named to the NCEA All-Championship team.

Before the 2019-20 season ended abruptly due to COVID-19, the Bulldogs went 6-6 in regular season action, finishing the season ranked sixth overall.  In the final event rankings, the reigning Fences national champions finished this year ranked third and defeated all Southeastern Conference opponents.  The Flat squad finished sixth with eight wins.  On the Western side, Horsemanship checked in at No. 8 and Reining ranked tenth. 

Five Bulldogs received All-America recognition from the NCEA. Senior Ali Tritschler named to the second team for both Flat and Fences, while junior Jordan Carpenter was tabbed to the second team for Reining. Sophomore Sara Lewis (Horsemanship), senior Grace Bridges (Flat), and junior Hayley Mairano(Flat) were all given Honorable Mention for their respective disciplines. Additionally, Tritschler garnered All-SEC awards for both Fences and Flat, while senior Bridges was recognized for Flat.  Carpenter received the honors for Reining. 

Under Boenig’s direction in 2018-19, the Georgia equestrian team finished as the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) Reserve National Champions and claimed four out of seven event national titles to complete the season. Georgia won national titles in Horsemanship, Reining and Equitation Over Fences at the 2019 NCEA Championship. The Bulldogs were also crowned overall Western discipline champions.

Senior Graysen Stroud earned SEC Reining Rider of the Year on top of Courtney Blumer and Sarah Lewis receiving SEC Freshman Rider of the Year accolades for Reining and Horsemanship, respectively.  Numerous riders received All-SEC NCEA Ariat All-America recognition across all events. Additionally, at the conclusion of the academic year, Emma Mandarino was a Top 30 nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year award.  

In 2017-18, four-time SEC Coach of the Year, Boenig and her team defended their SEC title and rode to a Reserve National Champion finish at the NCEA National Championship.  Georgia claimed four SEC and two NCEA Rider of the Year awards in addition to seven Bulldogs earning nine NCEA Ariat All-America honors.  Boenig also coached her squad to a NCEA Equitation on the Flat National Championship. 

In 2016-17, Georgia was crowned SEC Champions and NCEA Reserve National Champions after riding to a 9-4 regular season record.  Under Boenig’s direction, Meg O’Mara was named SEC Rider of the Year and Sydney Hutchins was named SEC Freshman Rider of the Year for both Hunter Seat events.  Georgia had four riders claim six spots on All-SEC teams and five riders earned seven NCEA All-America honors.

For the 2016-17 season, the Bulldogs finished second as hosts of the 2016 SEC Equestrian Championships and went on to finish tied for third at the NCEA National Championship.  Five riders were named SEC Rider of the Year and one earned All-Championship Team honors at the SEC and NCEA Championships for Equitation on the Flat.  

Georgia claimed the Southeastern Conference Championship with Boenig at the helm during the 2014-15 season. It was the program’s first ever-SEC title since the sport was adopted by the conference in 2013. At the SEC championship, Boenig had two riders named to the SEC All-Championship team. The Bulldogs then rode to a reserve championship finish at the 2015 NCEA National Championship after posting a 9-4 record in the regular season. Under Boenig, Georgia put eleven riders on All-SEC teams and claimed six of a possible eight SEC Rider of the Year honors. Boenig also had seven riders earn NCEA All-America honors and 13 named to NCEA Academic All-America Teams. At the national championship, Boenig saw two riders earn Most Outstanding Player awards and three riders named to the NCEA All-Championship team.

During the 2013-14 season, Boenig led the Georgia equestrian team to the program’s sixth National Championship. After finishing the regular season with a 9-3 dual-meet record, the Georgia equestrian team earned a second-place finish at the Southeastern Conference Championship. Under Boenig, seven riders were named to the All-SEC teams, two freshman selected to the SEC All-Freshman team and two riders were named as the SEC Riders of the Year. Under her guidance, six riders landed seven spots on NCEA All-American teams, while 12 earned a place as NCEA Academic All-Americans and another 19 were named to the NCEA Academic Honor Roll. Boenig also saw two riders crowned as the Most Valuable Players of the NCEA Championship, as well as three riders named to the NCEA All-Championship team.

Boenig is a 1999 graduate of Berry College where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology. Prior to her arrival at Georgia in October of 2001, she spent two years as an assistant coach at Texas A&M during which time she also earned a Master’s Degree in Animal Science.

Her two seasons at Texas A&M were deciding factors in her hiring as the Bulldogs’ inaugural head coach. Georgia sought a coach with the knowledge of working hand-in-hand with a university’s Animal Science community in forging a new equestrian team, something the Aggies had enjoyed during her tenure there.

A native of Powder Springs, Ga., the former Meghan Nolan is married to Markus Boenig. They are proud parents of two sons, Josef and Mathew.

Anna Becker was named assistant coach for the Georgia equestrian team in June 2018. She is primarily responsible for coaching the Equitation Over Fences squad as well as recruiting for the English discipline.  

In her fourth season with the Bulldogs, Becker led Georgia’s Fences squad to a 10-4-1 record. Sophomore Jordan Toering and senior Hayley Mairano received All-SEC recognition, while Catalina Peralta was named to the SEC All-Freshman team.  Additionally, three Fences riders received NCEA All-America recognition under her direction. Toering and Mairano earned Second-Team honors, while junior Rachel McMullen received Honorable Mention.  

During the 2020-21 season, Becker assisted the team to the program’s seventh National Championship. The team’s accomplishments, and specifically her Fences squad, earned her NCEA Jumping Seat Coach of the Year recognition. After finishing a conference-only regular season with a 3-3 dual-meet record, the Georgia equestrian team earned a second-place finish at the Southeastern Conference Championship. Under her direction, Jordan Toering was named the SEC Freshman Fences Rider of the Year. Senior Hayley Mairano was recognized with All-SEC honors for Fences. Both Toering and Emma Reichow were named to the SEC All-Freshman Team for Fences. Additionally, Becker coached Mairano to NCEA All-America Honorable Mention honors and saw two of her riders take home NCEA All-Championship team awards.

Before the 2019-20 season ended abruptly due to COVID-19, Becker assisted the Bulldogs to a 6-6 record in regular season action during her second year with the team.  In the final event rankings, the reigning Fences national champions finished ranked third and defeated all Southeastern Conference opponents. 

Under Becker’s direction senior Ali Tritschler earned NCEA All-America honors and was named to the All-SEC Team for Fences.  

In her first year with the Bulldogs, the Equitation Over Fences group claimed the 2019 NCEA National Title. Maddy Darst earned NCEA Ariat Second-Team All-America honors for Equitation Over Fences and Honorable Mention for Equitation on the Flat and All-SEC accolades in both Hunter Seat events. Ali Tristschler (Flat- October) and Haley Mairano (Fences- January) earned the NCEA Rider of the Month awards during the season.  

Becker came to Georgia after being a Hunt Seat coach at Kansas State from 2013-2015. She helped coach the team to back-to-back undefeated records at home as well as a Big 12 Reserve Champion finish in 2015.  She has coached several riders to All-Big 12,  Big 12 Rider of the Year, and NCEA All-America recognitions. 

A collegiate rider herself, Becker contributed to two SEC Championships, two Hunt Seat National Championships, and two team National Championships at Auburn University from 2010-2013.  She graduated Cum Laude with a degree in marketing. 

Prior to college, Becker trained with Julie Becker, Michael Dowling, Stacia Madden/Beacon Hill, and Emil Spadone/Redfield Farm as a junior.  She has top finishes at USEF Medal Finals, ASPCA Maclay Finals, USET Finals, and the Equitation Championship at Capital Challenge, including a third place finish at the 2008 USET Finals East in the Gymnastics Phase and a third place finish at the Marshall and Sterling Finals in 2007.

Most recently, Becker has worked for the Washington International Horse Show as an Operations Manager in Washington, D.C. and received a master's degree in Sports Business from NYU. 

Georgia alumni McKenzie Lantz Breuker joined the coaching staff as Western Assistant Coach in June 2021.

After finishing the most successful reining rider career in Georgia history, Lantz Breuker began her coaching career as a Volunteer Assistant for the Bulldogs in 2015. She then moved on to Fresno State and SMU before coming back to coach at her alma mater.  While away she helped grow both the Fresno State and SMU programs to prevalence, including being named the National Collegiate Equestrian Association Western Assistant Coach of the Year following SMU's first-ever national championship finals appearance and Reserve National Champion finish in 2021. 

In her first year as Western Assistant Coach for the Bulldogs, Lantz Breuker led Georgia’s Horsemanship squad to a 10-3-1 record while the Reiners went 6-7-1.  Under her direction, junior Caitlin Lyons was named SEC Reining Rider of the Year. Jillian Stopperich was named SEC Freshman Co-Horsemanship Rider of the Year while Jax Bound was named the SEC Freshman Reining Rider of the Year. Additionally, Stopperich and senior Sara Lewis were named All-SEC for Horsemanship, while Lyons and Bound were recognized for Reining. Stopperich (Horsemanship), Bound (Reining), and Isabella Hehr (Reining) also received SEC All-Freshman recognition in their respective events. On top of those accolades, Lyons was named to the NCEA Second-Team and senior Courtney Blumer and freshman Jax Bound received Honorable Mention for Reining. Additionally, Bulldogs shattered records under Lantz Breuker’s watch. Sara Lewis broke an SEC Championship record in Horsemanship, scoring a 231 for her ride, which tied with Auburn’s Olivia Tordoff at the conclusion of the championship weekend. The previous high score of 225.5 was set in 2019.  Jax Bound’s score of 219.5 is the best Reining score recorded in SEC Championship history.  The previous high score was a 215.5, also set in 2019. 

In her four seasons at SMU, Lantz Breuker helped coach the Mustangs to the program's first-ever United Equestrian Conference championship in 2018 and then again in 2019 and 2021. The horsemanship and reining squads had their best seasons in history during her first year at the helm.  Her rider was the first at SMU to be recognized as an NCEA First Team All-America and be named NCEA Reining Rider of the Year. The following season, Lantz Breuker's reining squad advanced to the event finals at the NCEA National Championship.  After COVID-19 cut seasons short, Lantz Breuker's squads ranked second for horsemanship and third in reining to finish the year.  Rounding out her time at SMU in 2020-21, Lantz Breuker added two more NCEA Riders of the Year to her repertoire. 

As a Bulldog, Lantz was a two-time NCEA All-American and SEC Rider of the Year.  She has numerous All-SEC nods as well as NCEA and SEC Rider of the Month recognitions. As a team captain, she shined in the classroom with many selections to the UGA, SEC, and NCEA honor rolls as well as NCEA All-Academic recognition on top of being named a two-time UGA Western Most Valuable Player and a National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Futurity Finalist. Lantz Breuker was appointed to the Non-Pro National Reining Horses Association committee and has established beneficial contacts in both the NRHA and American Quarter Horse Association.

The daughter of respected reining trainers from Michigan, Lantz Breuker is married to Chris Breuker.  The couple welcomed a son, Riggins Matthew Breuker, in February 2021. 

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