The Network contacted Mike Kirby of Harswell Racing and parent of fellow Old Pocklingtonian Tom Kirby (10-21). Mike kindly gave Livia (09-19) a range of contacts, which resulted in a placement with Roger Fell Racing near Helmsley.

Livia said: “Mike and Roger responded to me very quickly and were so incredibly helpful, giving me a list of four different racehorse yards I could contact. I wanted to find a placement because I need to get a certain number of weeks of placements covering all the core species (one of which being horses) as part of the vet course I’m studying at Liverpool University. Having worked at a riding school in the past I wanted to get a different kind of horse experience.

"The local vet came down to the racing yard one of the days and so I was able to follow him around for the day which was really interesting. I got to see a lot of different problems which are very common in racehorses, but you don’t tend to see in other horses.

"It was great to see how a racing yard is run and meet the team who work there. At Roger’s yard there are a couple of trainers, a few stable hands (some of whom also ride out the horses every day) and there is also one apprentice jockey who lives on site.

"I was surprised by just how much money each race was worth! Also, the sheer number of races shocked me – there's at least one somewhere in the country every single day apart from Christmas Day – even Bank Holidays, Easter and Boxing Day! It was a fantastic experience which will be really useful to me in the future, and I’d advise anyone who is looking for help with placement opportunities to contact the Careers & Business Network and see if they can assist.”

Susan Kay, Development Officer, who co-ordinates the Network alongside Rachel Dare in the OP Office said: “In addition to the OP careers network, we’ve got so many people within the wider Pocklington School community who are willing to help, and I’d like to thank Mike Kirby especially for giving Livia the contacts to secure her placement with Roger Fell Racing. She clearly had a very interesting time and gained a brilliant insight into the world of racing – even winning the ‘best turned-out horse’ prize at Catterick. We’re here to help any OPs, parents or former parents with contacts and links to a wide range of industries and sectors, and I encourage anyone to get in touch with us. We’re very happy to help.”

For information and details of how to join the PSF Careers & Business Network visit www.pocklingtonschool.com/support-us/careers-and-networking-opportunities or to find out more about the OP careers network and mentoring scheme visit www.oldpocklingtonians.com/careers.