Hero Program a perfect fit for Kima

A three month stay in Australia for sun, sand and adventure has turned into the “career of a lifetime” for Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) Hero ambassador and racing identity Kima Frenning – and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

The native Swede said her already-existing love for horses was amplified when she was given an opportunity to work for David Aiken eight years ago – during which time she won a Mildura Pacing Cup (2018) with Im The Boss.

“I was only meant to be here in Australia for three months – I just wanted to learn a bit more about harness racing here, but it was always my intention to return home to Sweden,” she said.

“It was always a passion and a hobby of mine, but never a profession. When David offered me a job where I could be around horses full-time, I jumped at it.

“I loved his training philosophy, the way he worked with them and the way he trained them, and I just felt like we shared a lot of the same values in that space.”

After four years of learning the ropes, Kima decided to make the jump and go out on her own.

“I’ve always been really passionate about training, and I’d always wanted to train – that’s what I wanted to do before driving. I really enjoyed it, but it was hard to do completely on your own.

“I had a team of 6 to 9 horses at all times, and I worked with them for about a year, fully focusing on my own team, not driving anymore, just training. That’s when the opportunity came my way to be part of the HRV team.”

Kima is now a HRV Hero ambassador, helping the life-after-racing program to find and promote forever homes for the sport’s equine athletes.

“The Hero program was established in 2015, initiated by HRV, to create homes for racehorses after racing,” she said.

“I think it’s a really good initiative for HRV, and it’s all about the welfare of the animal and not just racing. It’s very admirable, and it also shows how leading they are in animal welfare and integrity. When I was asked to be involved, it was a no-brainer for me.

“Without a program like Hero, it would be really hard to even know what’s happened to some of these horses after racing. Many owners don’t have the facilities or capacity to be able to hold them after they’ve finished racing, so before the Hero program, I think it would have been very challenging for owners and trainers.”

Kima and her best mate Buster Brady attended the Mildura Pacing Cup Carnival on Friday for the Trotters Cup and Saturday for the Pacing Cup.

“It was great to be able to attend a fantastic carnival like Mildura, I’ve raced there before and absolutely loved it,” she said.

“It’s one of the better carnivals that I’ve been to. The atmosphere is amazing, it’s always such a good crowd and the crowd is so close to the racing, they get to really enjoy it close-up.”

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink