Holly Taylor: Never out of the running
MS will never harness Holly to live a life less than extraordinary.
When Neurologist Jason Burton asked Holly if she had any questions following her MS diagnosis, her immediate response was “can I still climb a mountain?”
This simple anecdote sums up the strength of character of the dedicated 34-year-old thoroughbred trainer, who has spent the past six years establishing her own stable – HMT Racing – and unique reputation as a talented horse whisperer.
For Holly, her affinity for animals and a particular passion for horses started from a young age. Growing up on a cattle farm, she started riding at just three years old.
Training between 10 racehorses in the summer and up to 16 during the winter season, Holly works long hours to connect with each horse; riding her own trackwork, gallops and getting hands-on in the stables. This is all after a 3am wakeup call and 4am run to start to the day.
“I like to keep the numbers low so I can get a really good feel for every single horse,” she said.
“The one thing I really love about training is to try think of new ways to get the best out of a horse, because not every horse fits into a mould.
“It’s something I’ve become known for, taking horses and being a bit creative to get the best out of them when maybe they had been written off or pushed to the side.” One horse in particular, like Holly, has a rather remarkable story of perseverance. “When it was born at the stud, it wasn’t breathing and the stud-hand, Kelly, revived him,” she recalled.
Upon hearing this story, the owner promised to name the foal ‘Kisses From Kelly’ should he ever make it to the racetrack.
“He has turned out to be one of my best horses,” Holly said proudly. “He has faced challenges. His brain was starved of oxygen, so while he is incredibly smart, he is just a bit weird in how he thinks, so it’s been interesting to get into the nitty gritty of him; find out what makes him tick.” Equal only to her penchant for horses is Holly’s love of competition; pushing the limits with a relentless drive to go toe-to-toe with any challenge she sets her mind to achieve.
And as you may have guessed, training racehorses is only part of Holly’s story.
In August, Holly conquered the summit of Spantik Peak in Pakistan’s Karakoram Range, a breathtaking 7,027 metres in altitude, with this epic adventure bookended either side by a 65km Ultra Marathon in the Avon Valley on the lead in, and a 50km Ultra Trail in Dwellingup the following month.
This follows her 6,486-metre ascent of Mera Peak in the Himalayas, the Everest Base Camp Trek (5,364 metres), Mount Kilamanjaro (6,895 metres) and tackling the Kokoda Track (96 kilometres overland) – so just a few feathers in the cap to say the least!
When it comes to the walking, talking embodiment of ‘life not limits’, Holly is it.
Her relapsing-remitting MS diagnosis came in October 2022 after losing vision in her left eye, with the MRI during her hospital stay showing multiple lesions on her brain.
Looking back, Holly could trace MS symptoms throughout her life but had always chalked it up to the 70-hour weeks without days off.
“Even when I lost my vision, I was still in the mind set I had just over done it,” she said.
[The diagnosis] was a bit of a shock, and while it seemed to happen quickly, it was years in the making.
After an initial flurry of research into the condition she didn’t know much about, Holly made the decision to change her mindset on what this condition would mean for her life.
“I started thinking, the last few years I’ve been riding racehorses at a pretty top level – not only for myself, but for top trainers in WA, as well as hiking and running ultra marathons,” she said.
“It didn’t stop me trudging through it, so I thought 'it might not be as bad as I think’ – it didn’t stop me.”
Despite the outward appearance of strength and resilience, the invisible work of MS still wreaks havoc on Holly’s body – numbness, spasms, thermoregulation issues, bouts of optic neuritis, and insomnia leaving her unable to sleep - despite the extreme exhaustion.
Sometimes Holly experiences what she calls “Hulk MS” a terrifying, extreme feeling of pressure across her chess chest that she describes as “feeling like a heart attack”.
The idea of pushing on with her normal life despite these symptoms scared Holly at first, but ever determined, she has carved her own path to cope with the condition.
“I started working out new tricks, and the Neurological Conditions Community Perth Facebook Page was really helpful,” she said.
“There are so many people with so many tips – that's where I learned about the ice-vest which honestly is going to be such a game changer!”
By sharing her story, Holly hopes to show others who are newly diagnosed with the condition the world of possibilities that still lay ahead, despite it all.
“When I got diagnosed, I had a lot of people overreact, and it makes you overreact,” she remembered tearfully.
“But now I am like, ‘I am fitter than you, it’s fine!’,” she laughed.
“Don’t shy away from pushing yourself and training what you need to train, whether it is your body or you brain.”
Learn more about Holly's fundraising achievements!
