[1] She began riding at age five, and her father was involved in horse showing and owned a farm in Howard County, Maryland.[2] After retiring from racing, West became involved in the retraining of thoroughbreds and in the horse showing circuit, where she competes in hunters and jumpers.[6][7][8][9] In 2017, her and her horse Truckin' Gold won Maryland's Dark Hollow Farm Open Hunter Classic.[13][14] As commissioner, West is the current chair of the Maryland Bred Race Fund Advisory Committee.[15][16] West's granddaughter Kaitlyn Nicely-Harvey has followed in her grandmother's footsteps as a professional equestrienne, winning the 2019 Laura Pickett Award and 2018 MHSA Hunt Seat Medal.
Maryland's Laurel Park Racecourse, the site of West's final professional race as a jockey.
