SWAPPING my saddle for slacks was made effortless having been given the opportunity to work as an HRI intern for the summer. Looking back two years ago to the summer of 2014, my life was revolving solely around making it as an amateur jockey. I have held a qualified riders licence for eight years (and counting), worked for some incredibly talented trainers and ridden some fantastic horses during this time. This internship has come at an optimal time in my life, as I try to gain invaluable experience from the side of the racing industry that has been somewhat unfamiliar to me.

In February of last year, I made the conscious decision to acquire further education and applied for a digital marketing course in Athlone Institute of Technology. This decision was one of my greatest achievements to date. I reached the stage where it was time to think about my future, my riding career was not going to last forever, so I had limited options. Do I try my hand at training, work as an exercise jockey or go back to college? I chose the latter and have not looked back since.