Stephanie Jackson must pinch herself from time to time when she reflects on the past 10 years. To think that a school holiday job placement at a thoroughbred stud was the spark leading to her current position as branch manager for Jardine Thoroughbred Services is quite, well, awesome.

Jardine Thoroughbred Services is a division of the international Jardine Lloyd Thompson group and a major player on the New Zealand bloodstock insurance scene. Steph Jackson has been employed by the company for the past three years, rising to her current position after gaining experience as an assistant insurance broker and an assistant manager.

She entered the insurance field with a broad range of qualifications, both clerical and hands-on, in the thoroughbred industry. That school job placement referred to earlier was meant to last just a week or two but, coming as it did at the end of her seventh form year, extended to the end of the summer break before she embarked on university studies.

Steph's tertiary education included an introductory year when she was amongst the majority that missed out on joining Massey University's veterinary science course, and two years as a Bachelor of Agriculture student. All this time was interspersed with holiday jobs on thoroughbred studs, and she eventually took full-time employment at Auckland's Haunui Farm.

Her application was such that she won the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders' Association scholarship to the English National Stud in 1994, after which she extended her overseas experience with stints on studs in Ireland and England.

Soon after returning home, Steph made a significant role change when she began working for Arion Pedigrees, the pedigree research company that provides the data for sales catalogues and various other pedigree outlets. "That opened up a whole new field to me," Steph recalls, "and brought me into contact with a wide range of industry people, from sales companies to owners, trainers, breeders, agents, the lot."

After 18 months with Arion, the Jardine position attracted her interest. Steph's elevation through the insurance company's ranks leaves no doubt that her balanced experience, as well as obvious team and people skills, make her ideal for this branch of the industry.

"I find it an excellent way of life," she says. "It can be very busy at times, when you are required to go that extra yard to see a client's needs, but the satisfaction of a job well done is very rewarding.

"My line of work gives a good overview of the thoroughbred industry as a whole and I have to say that there are some very positive things happening. For instance, there is a lot of effort being put into promoting the New Zealand industry both locally and overseas, which can only be a good thing."

Another important point that Steph makes is the ease with which skills such as hers and many other in the local equine industry are completely transferable to other countries. "That's the thing about this industry of ours, the skills we possess make us employable just about anywhere in the world, and that's really something."