The location of the Stud, the history and previous successes of past students were major reasons for choosing the course.

I come from a family with no connections to either horses or racing. My initial interest in horses started at the age of 9 when I attended my local riding school. I went on to study BSc (Hons) Equine Studies with Business Management at Writtle College, taking a Stud Management option.

It was whilst at university I became fascinated by the racing industry; it is always changing and has a worldwide appeal. The industry provides a great opportunity to work around the world and in turn meet and make friends all over the world. Employment opportunities are much greater within the racing industry than in other equine industries and there are many opportunities to succeed and gain responsibility.

The Diploma appealed to me because of the practical nature of the course. By working on an active stud farm it was able to provide an opportunity to learn by undertaking tasks as opposed to just reading it out of a text book. The practical nature of the course combined with the evening lectures from extremely knowledgeable and highly respected individuals combined to make an ideal learning experience. The location of the stud, the history and previous successes of past students were also major reasons for choosing the course, as well as the opportunity to gain experience of the industry on a fully operational stud farm, and further my knowledge of the horse through the lectures; it also gave me the chance to enhance my horse handling skills by spending time working with mares and foals, yearlings and stallions.

Having completed The National Stud Diploma course, I enrolled onto Sheikh Mohammed’s 2 year Darley Flying Start course for high achievers, a course limited to only twelve students. During the course I spent time in Ireland, England, America, Australia, New Zealand and Dubai. Since completing the Darley Flying Start I have begun working for Darley Australia as Assistant Broodmare Manager.

My long term career aim is to become a Stud Farm Manager; I hope to further my knowledge and experience by working for leading stud farms around the world.