Meet The Trainees - Rebecca Taynor

My name is Rebecca Traynor and I am 16 years old. I am from Barndarrig County Wicklow close to Brittis Bay Beach. I first got an interest in horses from a very young age about 5 years old then I began to learn to ride. When I was about 10 years old I began competing in the likes of hunter trialing and showjumping. Around the same time, I got a Connemara pony who thought me more than I could ever have imagined but let me tell you he was no walk in the park!! I started hunting three seasons ago on my 14.2 and we quickly found that hunting was both his and my favourite pastime. A close friend of my Dads and family friend, Loran Donnelly,  took me under his wing like a daughter of his own about 4 years ago when he saw me galloping around hunter trail courses flat to the boards with little steering and no brakes to be found!

 From there I developed as a person and a little rider, my confidence grew as I was riding out up the gallops and down Brittis Bay Beach every weekend and early mornings through hail, rain and snow. It was what I looked forward to every weekend. I enjoyed going racing from time to time as well.  Last year I got my own thoroughbred ex-polo pony which I evented as a four and five year old. Caberenet gave me many thrills and spills and he’s now enjoying his year off, as I’m typing this, with his head buried in the grass. I hope to bring him back into work next summer.
I enjoyed being part of showjumping and hunter trialing but riding out up the gallop had my heart.  For a stage I had the nickname of being “little Rebecca” and I thought I’d never grow or be able to hold a horse but I did. From then on I knew I wanted to be a National Hunt Jockey. I’m naturally a thrill seeker and I enjoy nothing more than jumping a fence.

At the moment in R.A.C.E it’s still early days in the course but my knowledge has grown leaps and bounds. I’ve made new friends as we all share the same interests. I really enjoy working strong at fitness as I play a lot of football when I’m at home. I used to dread school everyday, waking up to walk in the school doors and stare at books full of information that will never be of any use to me. I now jump up out of bed every morning as I know everyday I’m one step closer to being where I want to be!!  At the moment I have been placed with Tracey Collins on the Curragh and I am really enjoying it.

In the future I want to take out a Conditional Licence and hopefully go from there and be race riding at a high level in the National Hunt circuit. I know that National Hunt racing in Ireland is still very male dominated but that doesn’t put me off or phase me even in the slightest. I look up to National Hunt jockeys, the likes off Nina Carberry and David Mullins. I haven’t fully made up my mind yet what I want to do after R.A.C.E but I hope to get placed with a good trainer, work hard and hopefully for my career to go in the right direction after that.
 
Rebecca was placed with Tracey Collins as part of the first group to be placed on the 21st of November 2016

Rebecca (in front) heading out to Maddenstown Gallops in October 2016