Annika Pohle

"Follow your dreams and start small!"

Annika Pohle finished her Bachelor Equine, Leisure and Sports at VHL University of Applied Sciences (VHL) in 2009. Right after her graduation she started working as a self-employed horse riding teacher in Recklinghausen. She had taken the horse trainer license exam in Muenster Handorf (Germany) next to her study earlier already, built a website during her study and prepared herself for her new role by focusing on sport science during the last year of her bachelor programme.

Equitana
While working as a horse trainer and riding teacher she applied for different jobs at different companies and wrote several open applications. In January 2011 she applied at Hofmeister Pferdesport as a saddle fitter for the equine sport. She got invited for an interview at Hofmeister, which took place at EQUITANA in Essen. This event is probably the most important Jobfair for equine students, where several job interviews take place and new contacts are being developed each time.

Online shop
At the time Hofmeister Pferdesport was just starting a project to develop an online shop and introduce new software at the company. This is why they were looking for support staff for their office. Annika was involved in preparing all products for the webshop. Over the coming periods she got more and more responsibilities in online marketing for Hofmeister Pferdesport. Step by step she has moved towards a challenging position with a lot of responsibility. Next to her success in her job, Annika has also fulfilled her dream of having a small livery yard with thirty horses in August 2013 and is still doing this as a secondary income.

Advice for future students
If she had to formulate an advice for future students, she would say 'keep going for your dreams and work from small to big! The foundation that you get during your study is very good, but it can be hard to find your place in the industry at first. However, you will be equipped with many skills and competences that you can apply in your later job and that help you to shine wherever you will go eventually.'

More information:
Bachelor Animal Husbandry