#3 Rebecca Maker

Versailles, KY

From the show ring to the racetrack and back again, Thoroughbreds have been a constant in Rebecca Maker’s life, and she feels it as both a responsibility and an honor to give back to the breed that has given her so much. Growing up in Metamora, Michigan, Maker was an avid equestrian from an early age, but once she discovered the racetrack she knew it was where she belonged. Maker worked her way up from hot walker to exercise rider to assistant trainer, eventually taking out her trainer’s license and making a name for herself as a graded stakes-winning conditioner, galloping her own horses each morning. In 2009 she made the decision to step away from training and re-focus her business on racehorse rehabilitation. At her Shantara Farm in Versailles, Kentucky, Maker has brought the likes of Echo Zulu, Epicenter, Jackie’s Warrior, Whitmore and countless others back to top form. Recently she has taken on a new challenge, retraining her first off-track Thoroughbred, Inis Gluaire, for the jumper ring. “I’ve always appreciated the bond you build with horses when you care for them day-in and day-out. You get to know their personalities, their likes and dislikes, and you truly see them as individuals,” said Maker. “The horse I’m riding this year is the first one I’ve taken from the track and trained for a new career. It has allowed me to appreciate the versatility and athleticism of Thoroughbreds in a whole new way, and the bond I’ve built with Iniseo is different than that I’ve had with any other horse. I’ve been having so much fun with this new adventure and look forward to taking on this unique and meaningful challenge with him in The Real Rider Cup!”