The girl from Knapdale taking on the world
“She was a kid from the Waikaia Pony Club, she didn’t go over with any flash horses. Just a suitcase full of riding clothes really.”
Delve into the story of Hollie Swain and you can’t help but be impressed.
Her eventing journey started at Waikaia in Southland as a kid, under the guidance of Helen Christie.
It now has her lining up on arguably the biggest stage in the sport - the Badminton Horse Trials in England.
She is one of six Kiwis taking part in the prestigious event at the moment.
Swain’s mother Amanda isn’t aware of any other Southlanders who’ve competed in at Badminton and naturally is proud to be able to watch on from Eastern Southland.
“I think going under those big arches at Badminton was a pretty surreal moment for her. Badminton is the pinnacle of the eventing world.”
Robin and Amanda Swain are prominent horse trainers based in Knapdale in Southland, but Amanda says they never pushed Hollie towards horses. She largely discovered the passion on her own.
Hollie’s story is one built around hard work and a willingness to have a crack in life.
During her days at university in New Zealand, she juggled study, riding, and part-time jobs. In 2010 Swain finished with a Geography major with a specialisation in Environmental Science.
When she graduated, Kiwi Olympic bronze medallist and Badminton winner Jock Padget asked if Swain wanted to join him in the UK as a working pupil.
The Southlander departed ready to take on an eventing adventure that just over a decade on is still playing out.
“She was a kid from the Waikaia Pony Club, she didn’t go over with any flash horses. Just a suitcase full of riding clothes really.”
After a couple of years working for Padget, it was her turn to go it alone.
The now 34-year-old managed to produce a horse and sell it which provided some money to rent a stable and the rest has just been down to hard work.
Swain and her horse Solo competed at Burley before Swain decided to have a crack at Badminton - a long way from those early days at the Waikaia Pony Club.
They competed in the dressage on Saturday morning [NZ time] and while finishing down the table they put a score on the board.
The horse - Solo - does suffer a bit from anxiety which makes it tricky when it comes to the big crowds of Badminton, with plenty of cameras and big screens on hand, on hand for.
Next up is the cross-country with Swain and Solo expected to take to the course in the early hours on Monday morning.
Solo has a reputation as being a good cross-country horse with the hope some of that anxiety that surfaced in the dressage will disappear.