Cyndy Hetzell selected as APHA’s 2025 Distinguished Service Award winner
The late Cyndy Hetzell of Bridgeton, New Jersey, is being honored posthumously with APHA’s 2025 Distinguished Service Award. She will be recognized June 26 at the APHA Hall of Fame & Awards Ceremony in Fort Worth, Texas.
Cyndy’s passion was youth development, and it’s there she left her greatest impact on the Paint Horse community. She was the longtime Youth director for the Garden State Paint Horse Club, leading generations of young equestrians to develop life skills in and out of the saddle. Her impact extended beyond the APHA realm as well; Cyndy was a long-serving volunteer and program director for her local 4-H program. Cyndy’s own children, grandchildren and countless others felt her impact long after they left her tutelage.
“Cyndy was an inspiration to youth across several organizations in New Jersey and beyond. She demonstrated the epitome of public service and volunteerism,” AjPHA Past President Anna Lia Sullivan said; she was mentored by Cyndy as part of the Garden State Paint Horse Youth Club. “Her demonstration of these qualities allowed the youth she led to carry volunteerism and empathy into their current and future lives, spreading positivity and giving back to their communities. Cyndy was not only a leader, but a role model and hero for those in the equine community.”
Cyndy died in November 2023, and the Cyndy Hetzell Dream Foundation was established in her memory. The non-profit organization awards higher-education scholarships to students.
“Nothing gave Cyndy more joy than to see a child develop his or her love for a horse. Cyndy was an inspiration, not only to the youth of New Jersey but to any individual who was blessed to have crossed paths with her,” her award nominators wrote. “Distinguished service is by definition a decoration awarded for exceptional meritorious performance of duty. There is no better person that embodies this definition than Cyndy Hezell.”
Service Highlights
- APHA member for nearly 25 years
- Paint Horse owner and breeder
- Volunteer leader in various organizations for 47 years
- Garden State Paint Horse Club vice president and Youth director
- AjPHA Youth Club of the Year in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022 & 2024
- AjPHA From the Heart award winner in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022
- Established the Garden State Paint Horse Club youth scholarship fund and associated fundraisers
- Engaged club youth in events like the Texas A&M Horse Judging Camp, AjPHA Youth World Show horse judging competition and Youth Team Tournament
- Organized events, community service projects and educational/outreach opportunities, including the No Bling Fling show and clinic, youth clinics and club banquets
Celebrate
Join us in honoring Cyndy and other standouts at the 2025 APH Hall of Fame & Awards Ceremony, taking place June 26 at 6 p.m. in the Round Up Inn in the Amon Carter Building at Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas. The ceremony takes place in conjunction with the APHA World Championship Show.
2025 APHA Hall of Fame & Awards Celebration
June 26, 2025
Round Up Inn, Will Rogers Memorial Center
Fort Worth, Texas
Save the date—tickets will be available soon!
Event Details: Email Jennifer Crites at jcrites@apha.com
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About APHA
The American Paint Horse Association is the world’s second-largest international equine breed association, registering more than a million horses in 59 nations and territories since it was founded in 1962. APHA promotes, preserves and provides meaningful experiences with Paint Horses.