The Sunday Mail
Veronica Gwaze
WHEN she turned 15, Castle Tankard champion trainer Debra Swanson was given a horse by her parents as a birthday present.
Little did they know that two decades later, their daughter would become one of the country’s best horse trainers.
Swanson was the star of this year’s edition of the Castle Tankard, after she provided the top three horses that made a podium finish at the Borrowdale Race Course.
Her stable fielded six thoroughbreds and Ideal View, Down to Business and Dindingwe grabbed the top three positions in that order in a tightly contested 14-horse race.
The feat, Swanson said, took her back in time.
Having developed some love for animals, particularly dogs and horses, as a young girl, she never imagined taking it seriously one day.
However, her parents’ choice of gift sparked the urge to pursue horse riding and training as a career.
“I just loved animals but never thought it would be this serious one day but I guess my parents noticed the passion in me before I personally did,” she said.
She was staying in Greendale at that time.
But the family home did not have enough space for the horse to stay on their premises, hence a family friend had to take it in.
This meant that Swanson had to visit her friend daily to feed and play with the pony.
After completing her secondary education, she moved to the United Kingdom, where she got a year-long mentorship as a horse trainer. She was under the guidance of a renowned trainer — John Dunlop, now late.
Dunlop, the 1995 British flat racing champion trainer, is celebrated for his record of training winners of 74 Group One races, including 10 British Classics, with over 3 000 winners in total. During that year, Swanson believes she learnt a lot in training horses and managing a stable.
When she returned, she met her husband, who was also a reputable horse trainer.
“I then joined him as he was still growing his yard and we are blessed with two sons,” said Swanson.
“We loved horses. Back then, it was lucrative, so we focused all our energy on that, but as the industry changed, he (husband) left to focus on farming.
“I carried on with the horses. It was no longer that profitable but we did not want our employees to be jobless or to lose our stable, so we had to keep it running.”
Swanson — who, at some point, contemplated quitting — recalls how her husband kept motivating her to continue despite the struggles.
At times, she recalls sinking into debt to run the stable.
However, she was not aware that her moment in the sun would come.
Even when she got a chance to feature in the Castle Tankard, she did not anticipate she would make a name for herself, as one of the country’s top trainers.
“Getting a chance to participate in that big race was special. It came as a surprise but having three of my horses grab all the silverware was just phenomenal,” she said.
“I did not expect it. I recall the feeling, standing at the finish line. Watching my horses gallop to the end was ecstatic.”
Currently, she has 25 horses in her stable.
Being a trainer with a big yard, Swanson believes she needs a lot of passion and dedication to stay afloat.
“Over the years, I have learnt that being a full-time trainer needs dedication because it involves a lot of hours every day, and you possibly put everything that you can into it,” she added.
“My day starts at dawn and ends late at night but my employees have to take shifts and work round the clock. This is how demanding it is but passion just has to push you.” Swanson will be fielding six horses again at the OK Grand Challenge, which is pencilled in for the Borrowdale Race Course on June 3.
Dindingwe, Ideal View, Tulip Way, Raining Again, Vernvica and Jacky Sparrow will be part of the 16 horses scheduled to battle it out on the day.
“I am expecting a tougher race this time. Unfortunately, one of my best jockeys just left after securing a new job elsewhere and that is a blow for me,” she said.
