Southern Regional Junior Named NJ Equestrian Of The Year

Riley Chenoweth-Hafner began riding lessons when she was 8. She became the New Jersey 4-H First Runner-up for Equestrian of the Year in 2019 and the Ocean County Equestrian of the Year in each of the last four years. The Southern Regional junior reached a new accolade Sunday, becoming the 2019 New Jersey Equestrian of the Year.

In this position, Chenoweth-Hafner will attend functions hosted by the New Jersey Equine Advisory Board and represent the board at events.

"Most of the people who were competing for this honor, I know them personally and I know how good they are and I knew it was going to be a very, very hard contest against very good people," she said in a statement. "I was very surprised when I did win.”

Chenoweth-Hafner has been involved in the 4-H Horse Program since Age 9. She also participated in the National 4-H Roundup Communications and Horse Judging Teams. The 17-year-old had judged the New England Regionals Communications Competitions the last two years, as well as the American Quarter Horse Congress and is President of the Equine Science 4-H Club in Ocean County.

She previously volunteered as a ring steward for Olympic Qualifiers at the Horse Park of New Jersey and worked on the ring crew for Central Jersey Horse Shows.

“Riley’s distinguished work with horses in a dedicated and compassionate manner shows why she has been chosen to represent the industry as the Equestrian of the Year," New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher said in a statement.

Chenoweth-Hafner participates in several activities at Southern Regional. She has played goalie for the soccer team and is a member of the German and science clubs. She hopes to attend Stockton University and eventually become a veterinarian.

Photo provided by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture