‘I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re in the shake-up’ – Hopes high for Irish FEI World Cup glory

It has been an incredible year to date for Swail, who has enjoyed major success Stateside with horses Count Me In and Vital Chance De La Roque and he lines up in Leipzig as the world’s number five, with a genuine shot at the big prize come Sunday.

With the world’s best lining up for a shot at the €1.3m prize pot, Swail and Count Me In enter proceedings full of confidence after a stunning period in North America which led to him topping the rankings to earn at tilt at the World Cup Jumping Final.

“It’s unchartered waters, for me and for Count Me In but obviously I’m very much looking forward to it,” Swail told the Irish Independent.

“This is my first World Cup final but everything I’ve asked the horse to do so far he has done it very well and I think he’s given me a good opportunity anyway – I know he’ll try his best and that’s all I can ask for.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re in the shake-up come the weekend because I know the quality I have but, at the same time, if it doesn’t happen that’s alright because that’s sport, especially at this level.

“But I’m very much looking forward to it and I think we have a decent shout. The horse is going to give me the opportunity and I’m going in there thinking my horse is very capable and so am I – we’ll have fun trying anyway.

“If it doesn’t work out, we’ll move on to the next event and try do better. But he’s been incredibly consistent and I’m confident that we’ll give it a good go.”

The partnership has enjoyed stunning success in the short time they have been together and Count Me In was this week named FEI horse of the month. Having been approached by the Murray family, from Mannon Farm in Co. Down to buy a couple of horses, it led them to Count Me In.

“Conall Murray, who also owns half of Vital Chance De Le Roque with me, was keen to buy a couple with me and we bought a younger horse before he said he’d love to buy a better class of horse - a Grand Prix horse and we bought Count Me In,” continued Swail.

“We actually don’t even have him a year, I only started with him in May of last year, and it took a little while. His previous rider had had him for a long time – maybe six or seven years.

“And when I got him he was a little low in confidence and a little insecure. So I spent a month or two building up his confidence and building up a good relationship with him but since we’ve clicked we haven’t looked back.

“His record has been phenomenal for the amount of times he’s been in the ring. He’s won plenty, but his Five-star Grand Prix results have been brilliant. He was narrowly beaten in a couple of 5* GPs and was fifth in another so he’s in a really good place at the moment. He was always a good horse but since we’ve stepped it up a level he’s really come into his own.”

While Swail is fully focused on the weekend and World Cup glory, his attentions will naturally turn to the RDS and the Dublin Horse Show and the Aga Khan Trophy.

“If things are going well,” adds Swail, “I would love to do Dublin. I haven’t been for a few years and I would love to represent Ireland in the Aga Khan. That’s always a prestigious honour and that would be what we’re looking at for this year.

“Obviously then there are the World Championships and the festival in Aachen which would be another major competition, but we’ll look after the horse first and hopefully he can continue to take us there.”