Swaffer rides for the family

BRAYDN is in the Top End and no longer race riding but the Swaffer name is set to remain a constant at Far North tracks with younger sister Krysten in the process of becoming an apprentice jockey.

The 20-year-old is in the early stages of becoming a fledgling hoop, just months after her older brother had his last race ride, at Atherton last October.

Just like her sibling, Krysten will work for the Cairns-based Trevor Rowe stable and has recently been granted her trackwork riding licence, with the rest of her paperwork set to be lodged with Racing Queensland in the near future.

With Braydn and former Rowe stable rider Sonja Wiseman departing for the Northern Territory, the Cannon Park trainer has been looking for new jockeys and says the younger Swaffer shows plenty of promise.

“Krysten is an accomplished sports horse rider but it is completely different to racing thoroughbreds – she is still a long way from race riding,” Rowe said.

“She just needs to learn the new way of riding but she has got good balance and knows her way around a horse, that is a very good start.

“It might be 12 months before she rides in a race.

“If I have nearly as much success with Krysten as I had with Braydn, I would be a happy trainer.”

Senior Cairns hoop Shane Pawsey has taken Krysten under his wing as she learns from one of the region’s best.

With the Far North not hosting as many race trials compared to other regions in Queensland, the former Gordonvale State High School student may need to travel to places like Toowoomba, just like her brother did, to gain the experience needed to satisfy stewards of her riding ability.

Swaffer has been around horses her entire life, through pony club and rodeo, and says the step into the jockey ranks comes naturally.

“The power under a racehorse compared to a quarter horse, that I am used to, is totally different,” Swaffer said.

“There are things I know I need to work on, strengthwise and in my upper body.

“(But) it has been cool of late to feel the power of the racehorse.”

Her pedigree is not in question as she has had an extensive background in the equine industry.

“I have been on a horse since I have been walking,” Swaffer said.