"I had two weeks here at Thunderbird in August, and then I was in Spruce [Meadows] for three weeks, and he had a break during that time," Swail said of his mount. "This is just his first show back. He finished off [his last competition] very well. He won the CSI4* Grand Prix at Saugerites, and he had a very well-deserved break. He’s come back feeling better than he was before. I’m really chuffed."
The jump-off proved to favor the early riders, as the first two returning combinations would ultimately claim the top two placings. Holmes' shortened track was characterized by sweeping turns and angled lines that came up quickly. Swail gave credit to his mount's carefulness, which allowed him to take risks with confidence.
"It’s fun to ride [him]," he said. "He’s so careful; he doesn’t want to knock jumps down. So, it makes it very easy for riders whenever you can be a bit far away, a bit too close, a bit slow, a bit too quick, and it doesn’t matter. Good horses hide riders’ mistakes, and I feel he’s a very good one."
Vital Chance de la Roque will be Swail's mount in the week's feature, the $150,000 CSI4*-W Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Vancouver, the opening leg of the 2021–2022 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ North American League, in which riders strive to qualifying for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final next April in Leipzig, Germany. While Swail has only been partnered with his mount for a short time, having purchased half of the gelding in January, he is excited about the horse's potential.
"[World Cup Finals] is something I hadn’t thought about particularly too much," Swail said, "but if he keeps continuing to grow as much as he is, it’s maybe not a bad way to go with him."
The jump-off proved to favor the early riders, as the first two returning combinations would ultimately claim the top two placings. Holmes' shortened track was characterized by sweeping turns and angled lines that came up quickly. Swail gave credit to his mount's carefulness, which allowed him to take risks with confidence.
"It’s fun to ride [him]," he said. "He’s so careful; he doesn’t want to knock jumps down. So, it makes it very easy for riders whenever you can be a bit far away, a bit too close, a bit slow, a bit too quick, and it doesn’t matter. Good horses hide riders’ mistakes, and I feel he’s a very good one."
Vital Chance de la Roque will be Swail's mount in the week's feature, the $150,000 CSI4*-W Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Vancouver, the opening leg of the 2021–2022 Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ North American League, in which riders strive to qualifying for the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final next April in Leipzig, Germany. While Swail has only been partnered with his mount for a short time, having purchased half of the gelding in January, he is excited about the horse's potential.
"[World Cup Finals] is something I hadn’t thought about particularly too much," Swail said, "but if he keeps continuing to grow as much as he is, it’s maybe not a bad way to go with him."