27 November 2016

Professional career switch for Fredrik Persson

Swedish four-in-hand driver Fredrik Persson is competing with a wild card in the FEI World Cup™ Driving competition in Stockholm this weekend, where he finished on the second place in the first competition behind Boyd Exell on Friday evening. Besides his career as a successful four-in-hand driver, Persson made an important professional career switch in the past months.


Photo: Krisztina Horváth

Farrier

After having worked for 18 years as driving instructor, including teaching at the Swedish national equestrian school in Flyinge, the 43-year old entrepreneur decided last summer that it was time to change and he stopped teaching: “After so many years in the education system, I noticed that I needed a change. I worked half of the time as driving teacher and half of the time as mentor for exams. Last year I already took the course to become a farrier so that I could at least shoe my own horses. I have taken an extra year to get the license to treat horses with hoof problems in clinics. There is a need for specialized farriers in Sweden and I am now also allowed to train these farriers.”

Insurance sales man

Although Persson now has the necessary paperwork to do this, he will not use this straight away. Only several weeks ago he was offered a job with his previous sponsor Agria: “It all went very fast,” tells the sympathetic Swedish driver. “I currently follow a course and I will start as an equestrian insurance salesman next week. I will remain self-employed and this new job allows me more freedom and time to train my four-in-hand. I am now being supported by several enthusiastic driving lovers and maybe this work will bring me new sponsors, that would be nice!”

Persson’s first main goal is to perform well at the upcoming European Championships on his home soil in Gothenburg mid August 2017.