KEEP

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), a not-for-profit grassroots organization created in 2004 to preserve, promote, and protect Kentucky's signature multi-breed horse industry, has added to its Board of Directors. The nine additions are Shannon Cobb, Michelle Fischer, Vince Gabbert, Jeff Hall, Katie LaMonica, Jamie MacLeod, James Miller, Bret Shultz, and Donnie Snellings. New officers for the board will be elected at the board's January meeting. "Given the hurdles the horse industry faces in the coming year, KEEP may be more necessary now than at any other point in its...

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) will host a webinar focused on diversity, equity and inclusion in the horse industry. Building Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Equine Industry With Talent Pipeline Management will be held Aug. 25, at 1 p.m. ET. KEEP is providing the webinar in partnership with the Kentucky Chamber Workforce Center, the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System. If you are interested in participating in the webinar, please register here. Participation in the webinar is free. The webinar...

Officials at the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) and the Race For Education (RFE) have announced the recipients of scholarships for 2020. A total of $21,000 in scholarships was approved by the KEEP Foundation board of directors and will be distributed among 18 students attending 10 institutions within the Commonwealth of Kentucky. All are currently enrolled in an equine and/or, agriculture related major or a horse-related program. In addition to the 18 Kentucky students, RFE awarded its Robert J. Frankel Scholarship to New York student Elsa Loriel. The Frankel Award...

A new horse care apprenticeship program is available and has been registered with the Kentucky and the United States Departments of Labor. As an 'Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Program' coming on the heels of the recent suspension of H-2B visas in the United States, the aim is to help train a domestic workforce and produce well-rounded horsemen ready to excel in any facet of the horse industry. The apprenticeship is a collaboration between the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce/Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP)'s Equine Talent Pipeline Workforce Initiative, the Bluegrass Community and...

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) released the following response to President Trump's announcement that no new H-2B visas would be issued in 2020: "On Monday, June 22, 2020, President Trump issued an order that extends the federal government's suspension of new H-2B visas, as well as other work visas, through the end of the year. This order, as with the previous order issued in March, claims to open up new jobs to Americans during a time of record unemployment. However, when it comes to the Kentucky horse industry, this...

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) in conjunction with the University of Louisville's Equine Industry Program have announced the release of the COVID-19 Kentucky Equine Business Impact Survey. The results of the survey, whose participants will remain anonymous, will be shared with Kentucky and federal lawmakers to assist in policy-making decisions to best meet the needs of the industry. "Kentucky's horse industry has 35,000 individual operations," said Elisabeth Jensen, the executive vice president of KEEP who oversees the body's daily operations. "These businesses provide nearly 80,000 jobs in Kentucky and...

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) will host the fourth annual KEEP Day in Frankfort Thursday, Mar. 12, it announced Teusday. KEEP Day in Frankfort provides KEEP grassroots members, industry leaders and breed associations an opportunity to share with state legislators the importance of horses to their districts and to the state's economy. The event will take place from 8:30-10:30 a.m. in Room 125 in the Capitol Annex. "KEEP Day in Frankfort is a great opportunity for legislators to connect with the horse industry to learn exactly what makes this...

While the Thoroughbred industries in some states have been wary of sports betting, a racing group in Kentucky has enthusiastically backed legislation in the Blue Grass state to make sports betting legal. The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) released a statement Thursday coming out in favor of House Bill 137, which would legalize sports betting in the state. The bill was passed unanimously by a House Committee Wednesday. "...HB 137 has real momentum and a real chance to become law. And we need your help to get it done and...