Elora Swann is one of those individuals whose quietness speaks loudly. It tells of dedication, compassion, and hard work, all of which make up her lifestyle looking after animals and pursuing her goals as a barrel racer.
By day, Swann manages a pet resort in Wake Forest, North Carolina known as the Cobble Hill Bed and Biscuit. She keeps things running smoothly by handling everything from grooming to payroll and has helped make a menagerie of animals from birds to potbelly pigs feel welcome. When not offering hospitality to local critters at the resort, she is either taking care of her own horses and foster animals or hanging out with her husband. As if she didn’t already have her hands full, Elora also offers services under her side business, East Wake Pet Care. In this role, she offers pet sitting and farm sitting as a more affordable alternative to kennels.
While both her jobs make life easier for pet owners, her passion is really centered around providing the animals with a comfortable home away from home. Her love for animals runs deep and was encouraged by her mother. As a child, her mother shared her vet tech skills with Elora, teaching her both how to care for animals and instilling in her a special love for four legged creatures. Now, she speaks of wanting to combat all the darkness in the world and in part doing so by helping animals who have been treated negatively by humans.
No stranger to adversity, a car accident a month after she got married in 2018 crushed her left femur, and left Elora struggling to walk and unable to ride for months. She credits her friends, family, trainer, and husband with getting her through the difficult time, and yet expresses that this showed her what it looks like to fight for your dreams even when things are tough. An incredibly grounded individual, she sits in the saddle like she never left it and says the knowledge that God has a plan, and she will see her loved ones in heaven again one day are strong motivation for her life.
A great role model and all-around wise individual, Elora expressed to me how she wanted to be someone people could call on regardless of how close their friendship was, and that she would drop everything and be there for them. She acts on these values daily, and yet also has another platform in the world of barrel racing. Elora is quite the barrel racer and stays active competing with her mare Smarty.
Look for her in the arena and check out some of the below fun facts. Plus, head over to the recipe tab and discover one of her family favorites.
Favorite piece of tack:
Old Circle Y “the Proven” barrel saddle. Bought off craigslist and is so comfortable!
Three famous people you’d like to meet:
Lisa Lockhart, Hailey Kinsel, George Strait
Top Three Best Equine Products:
SPH saddle pads; they allow for more leg contact and offer great support for my horses
NuStock ointment; we all know how accident-prone horses are and this stuff is the bomb dot com for scratches, scrapes, cuts, etc.
Purina Outlast gastric supplement; since we travel to barrel races a lot I use this as an ulcer preventative. They get 1 cup twice a day with their feed as well as 1 cup about 30 minutes before they make a run. It has honestly made my mares a lot calmer and more pleasant to be around in general.
Advice for young riders:
Take. Lessons. I can’t stress enough how important it is to learn everything from a professional. Even if you’re in a horsey family I’d still suggest taking lessons from someone else so that you can get another perspective and get your foot into another circle of people. I was mostly self-taught and had no idea until I started taking lessons with Mechelle Watson of Running W farm how many things I was doing wrong, not only in running barrels but in general horse care/safety as well.
