Now almost halfway through a two-year course under trainer Lee Somerville at Cambridge Thoroughbred Lodge, she's loving it.
"It's a lovely country and they really give us girls opportunity to succeed over here," Ms Holmquist said, adding that she couldn't be doing what she's doing in Sweden.
"It's quite good with giving girls a chance there too, but the racing sport is so small that if I wanted a career as a jockey I'd probably have to go to England, and over there women don't often get a chance at all."
Being a jockey is something of a dream job for her, despite the 4.45am starts and long days spent travelling as far north as Ruakaka and Dargaville or south to New Plymouth.
"It's a lot of travelling, but I really love doing it. It's lovely doing something you enjoy.
"I grew up in the city, but I've been riding since I was about 5 years old."
When she was young she did pony club, showjumping and pony racing, but as the horses got bigger it became more expensive and she moved to trackwork.
She said she had been really lucky in New Zealand and had had a lot of support "from trainers from all over the country".
"I rode 11 winners out of 60 rides in my first season, so I was really, really lucky.
"People have taken me in and they give you a chance, even though they don't know much about you ... It's great."
Jockey Rowena Smyth says she has no choice but to love her job as a jockey.
"You have to. With the early mornings and the amount of effort you've got to put into it, you have to be dedicated."
She works hard to stay on top of her game. Every weekday between 5 and 10am she does trackwork, riding between eight and 10 horses, and adheres to a strict diet.
She also practises about an hour each week on a mechanical horse, which she said was good for fitness and strength.
"Also my boss' partner is a personal trainer and I train with her twice a week doing a full body workout, because you use all your muscles when you're riding a horse."
Based in Pukekohe under trainer Nigel Tiley, the 28-year-old, who hails from from Portsmouth in England, has nurtured a love of horses since childhood.
Ms Smyth, inspired by a fellow pupil at school in New Zealand, began doing trackwork herself and in 2009 she became an apprentice jockey.
Though in New Zealand the licensing of women jockeys was not allowed until 1977, Ms Smyth said there were now a lot of women in the job, despite it requiring an enormous amount of physical strength.
In her career, she has won 61 races from 722 starts.
Women jockeys in New Zealand
•In the late 60s and early 70s women could ride only special non-betting races.
•1976: Linda Jones, considered by many to be the best woman jockey in New Zealand, was the first to apply for an apprentice jockey's licence. Her application was rejected.
•1977: The New Zealand Racing Conference approved the licensing of women jockeys. Joan Phipps was the first to ride against men in a betting race, scoring a victory in Te Awamutu.
•1978: Four New Zealand women made their professional riding debuts.
•1982: Dianne Moseley was the first woman to win a group one race in Australia.
•2000-2001: Lisa Mumby finished third on the New Zealand jockeys table, with 84 wins.
•2014: NZ has 103 male and 91 women jockeys.
Source: NZ Thoroughbred Breeders Association
