a profession, it is a lifestyle. The situation is extra challenging because I also own my own facility along with my training business. I feel really lucky to live on the property, but it is a 24/7 business and sometimes I find it hard to draw bound- aries between my personal life and the business. I have a great team of grooms and my assistant, Sara Estel, helps me keep every- thing organized and running smoothly. As long as my dogs and horses are with me, I am happy on the road. I have a fifth wheel RV that is very comfortable. It has a fireplace and a big shower, so I really enjoy staying in it. My grandmother and I both live on
the property at Sunnybrook Ranch; she has always been a huge supporter of my riding career. Living on the property is the perfect situation for both of us, my grandfather passed away about six years ago, so we keep an eye on each other. I have my own apartment and she lives in the main house but when I am home, we have a cup of tea together at night. My parents live about 10 minutes away from the ranch and are very helpful and sup- portive. My brother, Spenser, just turned 21, and recently graduated from Chap- man University. There are two sides of me. One side is the barn brat that loves
jeans, cowboy boots and country music. I try to pick concerts in conjunction with the horse shows. Surprisingly, the other
side of me is a bit of a glamour girl. I love getting dressed up with the make-up, the clothes, the jewelry, and the heels, and going out to the clubs and dancing the night away with my friends. I enjoy be- ing pampered by getting manicures and my hair done. Facials and massages are two of my favorite things and Cabanna’s poolside are the best on my very rare days off. I think what makes those kinds of treats so much fun is that it is the opposite of my usual life at the barn and at horse shows. Those kinds of luxuries remind me that I can still be a girly girl without always having dirt under my nails. I am also a compulsive cleaner. I can’t leave the house without my bed made and ev- erything put away… for real!! The great thing about living and train-
ing in Santa Barbara is that it is so beauti- ful and has a great climate. Some people feel that it is too laid back but I love the life style. I have a full ocean view from my riding ring and being so close to the ocean, the weather never gets too hot or too cold. The fog keeps it cool, while LA is cooking. I love taking the horses out on trails and to the beach (which is lo- cated right out the back of my ranch). The tough part of being located in Santa Barbara is that it is hard to get buyers up to look at sales horses. For some reason, people have the perception that it is much farther away than it really is. Luckily we have two rigs, and usually just haul the sales horses down to LA or San Diego for
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buyers to look at there. It takes a little more organization and time to travel to get to the horse shows but it is so nice to come home to Santa Barbara, it is well worth it!!! As far as being thankful, Mary, Patrick,
and Kim gave me my foundation and I love them dearly, they are family. There are others who have been supportive also, Tanya Hardy up in Victoria, BC. Rob Gage has always been very support- ive and helpful. Helen McNaught sold me my first junior jumper and helped me with the jumpers over the years before she moved up North. Nick Karazissis Jr. and Mike Edrick are so helpful and supportive; they help me on the ground at the shows with the jumpers. Nick is great and is the first one to push me out- side my comfort zone, which is a good thing..I think... He is always the first one to make me laugh and not take things too seriously. What makes Rebecca “tick”? I would
say that what makes me “tick” is my pas- sion for my horses, my family and my friends. I have a very strong work ethic and I am very loyal to the people I am close to. Sunnybrook’s motto is “Having fun while striving for excellence” and I think that really describes who I am and what I am about.
Clockwise from Upper Left: Rebecca at HITS Thermal, 2011, Photo © Flying Horse Photography; Rebecca(left) with clients, Brittany Martindale and Gigi Hadid winning year end PCHA Awards in Las Vegas 2008 with Sara Estel; Family ski trip at the Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switerland, 2004.
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