I have worked in racing since leaving school at 17. I always wanted a job with horses since riding ponies as a child, but I had never considered racing until I saw an advertisement for The British Racing School. I enrolled on their nine-week course, brought myself a one-way train ticket down from my home in Scotland to Newmarket and never looked back.

Like many young people coming to Newmarket, I dreamed of being a jockey, but unfortunately I had neither the confidence nor the talent for it. So, after racing school, I worked for Chris Wall where I learnt all about racing and how it works, followed by eight years at Sir Michael Stoute's stable.

It was whilst working there that I first heard about the NASS course from colleagues already taking part. I thought that it seemed like a really good idea and, unlike a lot of local college courses, it was designed to fit in with racing hours. Due to a couple of nasty injuries, I knew that my days of riding could not last forever, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to gain some qualifications without interfering with my work in the yard.

I was a little apprehensive at first, but I was also looking forward to the challenge. When you first walk in, they mentioned the word 'test' and everybody in the room froze, but actually it was fine. The assessments are necessary so that the tutor could ensure we were taking the qualifications that best suited us.

The tutor made us feel relaxed and took time to ensure that we all understood subjects before moving on – so you never felt out of your depth. The most daunting part for me was the Powerpoint presentation in front of the class. We could choose our topic and it was good experience, but I was definitely out of my comfort zone.

Maths and English are proper examinations, which I thought would seem daunting, but we were well prepared so it was fine and I felt completely relaxed on the day. The only problem with the maths was that I spent lots of time revising fractions, as I had struggled to grasp them in class, but there was not a single question on them in the test, typical!

My current position involves inputting farrier reports, weights and heights and placing stable and feed orders for the yard. I also submit entries and declarations, and input veterinary information when colleagues are on leave.

The course has been instrumental to me getting this job, as apart from my school results and NVQ's in Racehorse Care, I have no other qualifications. Gaining the qualifications gave me the confidence to be able to apply for this sort of job, something I would never have considered before the course.

I would encourage others to do the NASS course as very rarely is there an opportunity to gain this sort of qualification for free in hours designed to fit around work. We never know what the future holds and, if the time comes where you cannot, or do not, want to ride anymore, then to have these qualifications on your CV is invaluable.

I have been a Stable Lass for the past thirteen years and, if someone told me this time last year that I'd be sat in an office working, I would have told them they were mad. But, thanks to the NASS course, that is now a reality. The important thing for me as well was that I did not want to leave the racing industry as I love racing, so to be able to have a different role, but still work within the industry is perfect for me.