Hannah Swarthout recently completed her first season as the Graduate Assistant coach for Lady Buff equestrian and primarily works with WT’s Hunt Seat riders.
During her first season with WT in 2014-15, Swarthout helped coach the team to a third place finish in Western competition at the IHSA National Championship. There she coached one of her Hunt Seat athletes to an individual Reserve National Championship title. The Lady Buffs had two riders earn top-five finishes as well at the Hunt Seat Zone Championship while the team earned a Reserve High Point Team title at the Hunt Seat Regional Championship.
Swarthout came to Canyon after an outstanding athletic career at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, N.M. where she was a member of the Aggies’ Division I NCEA women’s equestrian team.
During her sophomore season in 2011-’12, Swarthout represented NMSU in 12 meets in Equitation on the Flat and earned a 5-7 record with two MVPs and ended the year with NCEA Academic All-America Honorable Mention honors. She was also named the team’s Most Improved Hunter Seat Rider.
In 2012-’13, she competed in both Equitation on the Flat and Equitation over Fences for the Aggies where she earned two wins over fences, a 7-5 record on the flat and three MVP honors. At the end of her junior season, she was again named NCEA Academic All-America Honorable Mention along with a spot on the NCEA Academic Honor Roll. Swarthout was also named NMSU’s Equitation on the Flat Most Outstanding Player.
She graduated in May of 2013 from NMSU with a B.S. in Animal Science and a minor in Chemistry an Equine Science. She returned to competition for her senior season in 2013-’14 with an extra year of eligibility while continuing her studies in graduate coursework within the Agricultural department. That season, Swarthout competed in Equitation on the Flat 14 times and accumulated an 8-6 record with six MVP honors, including a record-high score of 90 points. She repeated as a NCEA Academic All-America Honorable Mention and NCEA Academic Honor Roll selection and was named the team’s MVP in Equitation on the Flat in her final season.
While with the Aggies, Swarthout qualified for the NCEA National Championship three years in a row (2012-’14) in Equitation on the Flat and earned the highest score in the 2013 championship’s first round.
Prior to her collegiate career, Swarthout trained with James Waldman in Bonsall, Calif. at Quail Haven Farm. There, she worked as a student exercise rider and assisted with summer camps. She was a member of GSDHJA and competed in the Junior and Modified Jumpers as well as Equitation Medal and Flat medal classes at shows hosted in Del Mar, Calif.
In college at NMSU, Swarthout was a Vice President of the Therapeutic Riding Association and took part in the Horse Judging Team and Graduate Student Association. She also completed internships with the Virginia Tech MARE center in Middleburg, Va. And the Royal Dick Veterinary School in Scotland.
Swarthout graduated from Rancho Buena Vista High School in Vista, Calif. after growing up in San Diego, Calif. She is currently pursuing a Master’s of Science in Equine Nutrition at West Texas A&M.
