Trio of Bulldogs Named SEC Rider of the Year, Highlight All-SEC Honors

Trio of Bulldogs Named SEC Rider of the Year, Highlight All-SEC Honors

April 09, 2026 | Equestrian

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – Three Georgia equestrians were named Southeastern Conference (SEC) Riders of the Year, highlighting the annual postseason awards, the league announced Thursday.

Seven Bulldogs received All-SEC honors, including three Riders of the Year, four All-SEC, four All-Freshman Team and one Community Service Team honoree.

Senior Raegan Shepherd became the 24th Bulldog to receive SEC Rider of the Year honors, the eighth in Reining. The Clayton, North Carolina native posted a 9-3-1 record this season, including a 5-3 mark against conference opponents. The SEC Rider of the Month for October tallied three wins against top-five ranked opponents this season, including notching a career-high score of 73 against No. 2 South Carolina. Shepherd led all Georgia Reiners in wins, fueled by a seven-meet win streak to open the season. This is Shepherd's first career conference Rider of the Year award. The senior also landed a spot on the All-SEC Team.

A pair of newcomers, Ava Hathaway and Avery Taylor were recognized as Freshmen Riders of the Year in Horsemanship and Reining, respectively.

Hathaway became a mainstay in the Georgia Horsemanship lineup, competing in all meets for the Bulldogs. The Co-Horsemanship Freshman of the Year totaled a 6-7 record. She was 4-1 against conference opponents on the road while averaging a score of 73.93 on the year. The Bronson, Michigan native collected two Most Outstanding Performer (MOP) honors, against Baylor to open the season and at No. 3 Texas A&M, where she scored her career high of 76.5. Hathaway is the fifth Bulldog to earn this honor. She also received All-Freshman Team nods.

Taylor is the seventh Bulldog to receive Freshman Reining Rider of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team. The Statesboro, Georgia native opened the season with a four-meet win streak, including a career-high score of 74 against No. 2 South Carolina. She also tied her career high later in the season at No. 2 Auburn. Taylor recorded her first career MOP in the SEC opener against South Carolina.

Four Bulldogs were named to the All-SEC Team in their respective events. Joining Shepherd in this honor were junior Tessa Downey for Fences, senior Maggie Bresch in Flat and junior Abbey Zawisza in Horsemanship.

Downey posted a 9-5 record on the season with a team-leading four MOP honors. Two of her four honors came against SEC opponents, both against Texas A&M – once in the regular season and one at the SEC Championship. The SEC Rider of the Month for October recorded two of the top-five scores for the Bulldogs in Fences this season. Her season high of 89.5 came against UC Davis in nonconference competition. This marks the Houston, Texas native's second SEC annual honor, as she was named Freshman Fences Rider of the Year in her rookie season.

Bresch inked her name into the Georgia Equestrian record books this season, scoring a 92.5 in Flat to launch herself into the top-10 overall scores in program history. The Barrington, Illinois native started the season with a 6-1 record and received back-to-back MOPs against Centenary and UC Davis. The senior averaged a score of 78.56 on the year and posted a 7-4 overall record.

Zawisza went 6-2 against SEC opponents to fuel her 9-3-1 season record. The junior earned three MOP this season, at Delaware State, against UC Davis and No. 3 Texas A&M. Her score of 78 against Delaware State marked a career-high and was the highest score of all Bulldogs in Horsemanship this season. The Findlay, Ohio native averaged a 74.76 on the year and was undefeated in the SEC Championship.

Three freshmen were recognized for their efforts in the arena. Joining Hathaway and Taylor, Kingsley Dey received All-Freshman nods in Flat.

Dey worked her way into the Flat lineup for the Bulldogs in her rookie season. The Kailua, Hawaii native posted a 5-5-2 overall record. She averaged a score of 78.92 on the season with a 3-3-2 SEC record. Dey notched the second-highest score in Flat this season with a career-high 92 twice against No. 2 South Carolina and No. 9 UC Davis.

For the second consecutive year, Tessa Brown has been named to the SEC Community Service Team. She is responsible for organizing service opportunities for the team to give back and connect with the Athens community.

In the Fall of 2023, Brown created an initiative to become more involved with the Athens youth surrounding the UGA community though a PenPal Program. This project includes 10 fourth grade students at Barrow Elementary School. With a group of Georgia student-athletes, Brown has worked to create a relationship with the community.

In addition to the letters, she has been teaching lessons about health, balance, respect, happiness and what it means to take care of your mind and body. This goal of the program is to unite and empower young minds through a relationship that works toward growing each day.

The defending national champion Bulldogs are seeded third for the NCEA National Championship taking place at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida. The Bulldogs will face sixth-seed Oklahoma State in the first round on Thursday, April 16.

Rider of the Year
Raegan Shepherd (Reining)

Freshman Rider of the Year
Ava Hathaway (Co-Horsemanship)
Avery Taylor (Reining)

All-SEC Team
Tessa Downey (Fences)
Maggie Bresch (Flat)
Abbey Zawisza (Horsemanship)
Raegan Shepherd (Reining)

All-Freshman Team
Kingsley Dey (Flat)
Ava Hathaway (Horsemanship)
Avery Taylor (Reining)

SEC Community Service Team
Tessa Brown

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