On The Plains: Caroline Fredenburg

Caroline Fredenburg has ridden her way from Straughn, Indiana, to being one of Auburn equestrian’s top Horsemanship specialist year after year.

With SEC accolades, clutch performances that have helped keep the team charging toward national contention, and her explosive start as a freshman with some of the highest scores, Caroline has embodied the grit, precision and team-first spirit that define Auburn's powerhouse equestrian program.

Coming from a family that raised cattle, Caroline grew up with horses. She began riding at a local lesson barn at age 6 and started showing horses at age 7.

“My family raises cattle and so we had land growing up, and my dad built a barn where we keep our horses now,” Caroline said. “I have a favorite horse back home named Joaquin. He’s a pony, and he got me from the beginner times of riding to more serious.”

Raised in a horse-loving family with ample land and three younger brothers, Caroline grew up riding as second nature. She stepped into a leadership role, mentoring her siblings and particularly helping her brother Elden develop his own love for showing horses.

Now as a leader for her younger teammates, Caroline reflects on her goals and aspirations for her final season at Auburn.

“I want to help our team win the national championship,” she said. “And being an upperclassman this year, I want to be able to make an impact on some of the younger girls so that when we graduate, they feel confident and comfortable being leaders.”

The effort and the hard work of those around her is what made Auburn stand out to Caroline in the first place, and she wants to make the same impact on those coming behind her.

“The appeal for me to come to Auburn was the team environment,” she said. “Everyone talks about the Auburn family and for me it's this team and the people in Auburn. These girls work really really hard and that was very apparent to me.”

While any top equestrian team can excel in skill and amenities, what truly matters is the people, and Auburn has the best, says Caroline. Dedicated, hard-working teammates who build a supportive family that drives success.

“I think the team culture here is awesome,” she said. “We have around 40 girls on our team and we see each other all the time and we have learned to really get along and work well together. We also all work together for our team goals rather than just our individual goals.”

As Caroline looks ahead to her final postseason, there are so many bittersweet moments. Final meets, last memories with her teammates, and finishing her time here in Auburn.

“Usually my favorite parts of the week are meet days and it's bittersweet to think that these are some of our last ones,” she said. “I think meets are so much fun for me, especially at home, because we get to be at our place, ride our horses, and enjoy having family and the fans come out.” 

With everything coming to a close, Caroline looks back to her first days when the excitement of being at a new school and riding with a team was so fresh.

“My freshman year was really special, just being the first year having all of those experiences, it felt kind of magical,” Caroline said.

Pressing forward in her career, Caroline is finishing a degree in biomedical science with a pre-medical concentration. 

“My main goal is to go to medical school and become a doctor,” she said. “I have shadowed radiology and neurology and I think those areas would be really cool.” 

She plans to take a gap year after graduation to figure out what path she wants to pursue in the medical field. Caroline shared that her time outside of riding is mainly filled with studying and preparing for the MCAT, with a side of going to Auburn football and basketball games. 

“I really enjoy the football games in Auburn, they are some of my favorite things in the world,” she said. 

Wrapping up her time riding for Auburn, Caroline is finishing her senior season with the same fire and determination that defined her journey when she arrived. Her leadership, work ethic and contributions will be remembered and felt by the Tigers for years to come.