St Edmund’s Veterinary Medicine student and former jockey, Kathy Begley (28) from Wiltshire, has won the IJF Progress Award. The prize is part of the prestigious JETS Richard Davis Awards, which celebrate the career development of jockeys and former jockeys.

Kathy rode 22 winners in her riding career and developed a strong interest in the veterinary side of racehorse care. She decision to return to study in order to gain the qualifications required to study veterinary medicine.  With the support of JETS, she then undertook a fast track Chemistry A level, gaining the A star grade she needed to secure a place here at St Edmund’s College and the University of Cambridge.

Kathy said: “Stepping away from the racing world has been very hard but I know that my full-time second career lies in the equine and racing industries.  Horses are my passion and I intend to keep it that way.  Throughout my career in racing, I have gained many years of experience dealing with veterinary problems and working alongside vets and I am looking forward to broadening my knowledge and gaining my veterinary qualifications from Cambridge.”

Kathy’s Director of Studies, Dr Stuart Eves (Selwyn College) said: “We get a really high calibre of student here but to have someone like Kathy who, so early in their career, has won this award shows the dedication she has, which I really am in awe of.  It’s a fantastic thing to get in this position and we now have every opportunity to go on and make the most of her second career in veterinary medicine.”

As one of only three mature colleges in the University of Cambridge, we are privileged at St Edmund’s to attract applications from people from many different backgrounds and careers. That diversity of experience is part of what makes the community at St Edmund’s so uniquely interesting, inclusive, and welcoming.

We are extremely pleased to be joined by Kathy and wish her congratulations on winning this prestigious award.

You can watch Kathy talk about her experience of winning the award and coming to study Veterinary Medicine at St Edmund’s in a video made by JETS on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jeQg1OcM5o

Learn more about applying to St Edmund’s College and the University of Cambridge on our dedicated admissions website: applying.st-edmunds.cam.ac.uk