Kentucky Equine Education Project

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) Foundation and the Race for Education are awarding $58,000 in scholarships for 2024. Recipients of the scholarships were selected based on academic excellence, community involvement, and financial need. The 2024 KEEP Foundation/Race for Education Scholarship Recipients are: Evelyn Bolton, Brant Brower, Catherine Brown, Kara Douglas, Alysa Farrell, Gabriella Ferraz, Gracie Lynch, Eli Morris, Lauren Mullikin, Thomas Mullikin, Emma Mulvihill, Ella O'Brien, Charlotte Odom, Kaitlyn Praisler, Cheryl Redden, Julissa Sepulveda, Nadia Shurley, Samantha Versocki, Emma Wade, and Logan West. "We are proud to support these...

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) unanimously elected to their board Shannon Cobb to serve as chair and Rob Tribbett to serve as vice chair, the non-profit said in a release Wednesday. The pair will replace Case Clay and David Ingordo, who will both continue their service on the KEEP Board. Cobb, the Chief Operating and Financial Officer at Red Mile Racing and Gaming, and Tribbett, Vice President of the Consignors and Commercial Breeders Association in Lexington, Kentucky, and General Manager of Watercress Farm in Paris, Kentucky, bring a wealth...

Over $12,000 has been awarded to Kentucky equine non-profits by the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) Foundation's new Seattle Slew Grant Program. Recipients of the inaugural grants are The Ed Brown Society, Frankie's Corner Little Thoroughbred Crusade, and the Paris Bourbon County YMCA. Available to Kentucky non-profits providing equine educational programs, events, and initiatives, the Seattle Slew Grant Program is part of the Foundation's efforts to support education and promote the importance of the equine industry to Kentucky's economy and culture. "The KEEP Foundation is honored to support these exceptional...

The Senate has passed House Bill 594, which will outlaw the unregulated and untaxed gaming machines known as "gray machines" in Kentucky. The bill passed in a 29-6 vote and now heads to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear's desk. The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) released the following statement Tuesday. "KEEP applauds the Kentucky General Assembly for the passage of HB 594, legislation that will ban illegal gray machines. Getting this bill across the finish line was an incredible effort and KEEP is grateful to the legislators who supported the bill...

The Kentucky Equine Education Project will offer a limited edition "The Color of Silk" print in recognition of Black History Month. The print commemorates the Jockey Silks Art Project featuring the racing silks worn by African American jockeys who won 16 Kentucky Derby races held from 1875 to 1902. Nine of the jockeys were born in Kentucky. Seven of the Thoroughbreds they rode were trained by African Americans. "The Color of Silk" is a product of a living and learning community at UK, LEXengaged, that brought together William Wells Brown...

The Kentucky Equine Education Project's (KEEP) Board of Directors announced that long-time consultant Will Glasscock will be promoted to executive director beginning Jan 1. Additionally, Elisabeth Jensen who stepped down from that position in Sept. will serve as a consultant, assisting KEEP in managing board relations, industry stakeholders and with long-term strategic planning. Growing up in Kentucky, Glasscock attended the College of Charleston and the George Washington University before working for nearly nine years in congressional offices and as the director of government relations for a national trade association. Case...

Was it divine intervention? As the story goes, sometime in late 1923 or early 1924, a Kentucky pastor, Rev. Dr. Thomas Settle, convinced some state legislators in Frankfort not to end legalized gambling in Kentucky by repealing parimutuel wagering, much to the relief of the Kentucky Jockey Club and other concerned horsemen. Most ministers may have taken the opposite tack at the time, but not Dr. Settle, and this made him stand out. A well-travelled Englishman who'd found his way to a small congregation on Main St. and Bell Ct....

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP)'s executive vice president, Elisabeth Jensen, will retire from her position at the end of the year. During Jensen's leadership, which began in 2018, she oversaw the daily operations of the organization and was integral in expanding KEEP to address new issues facing the industry, as well as advancing the goal of preserving and promoting the horse industry's role as Kentucky's signature industry. KEEP is a highly visible advocate in Frankfort, Ky. and Washington, D.C. for both expanding the number of visas available to the...

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) Foundation and The Race For Education (RFE) have announced their 2022 scholarship recipients. KEEP granted 13 scholarships worth $30,000 to students attending nine different Kentucky universities for 2022. Eligible recipients for KEEP scholarships must be currently enrolled at a school in Kentucky in either an equine and/or agriculture related major or their parents must work in the equine industry. Additionally, the RFE awarded its annual Robert J. Frankel Scholarship to two New York state students: Anitza Parilla and Francis Marrone. Named in honor of...

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) Foundation has launched a youth grant program in order to help support youth who want to become involved with or continue their involvement in the equine industry. Youth grants of up to $500 are available to individuals ages 21 and under who want to attend an equine educational opportunity in Kentucky. "We are excited to provide this opportunity to Kentucky's youth," said Alexandra Harper, executive director of the KEEP Foundation. "The equine industry depends on the next generation of equine enthusiasts to become involved...

The Kentucky Equine Education Project will host its annual KEEP Day in Frankfort Thursday. KEEP Day in Frankfort provides KEEP grassroots members, industry leaders, breed associations, and other industry partners an opportunity to share with Kentucky lawmakers the importance of horses to their legislative districts and the state's economy. The event will take place from 9 a.m.-10:45 a.m. in Room 113 in the Capitol Annex. "Kentucky's horse industry and community create an annual economic impact on the state of $6.5 billion," said Elisabeth Jensen, KEEP's executive vice president. "More important,...

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) Foundation has announced the hiring of Alexandra Harper as its new executive director. "I'm excited about taking the reins as Executive Director," Harper said. "I look forward to taking the KEEP Foundation to the next level through enhanced fundraising efforts and educational events, continued workforce development initiative, and expanding the efforts toward making the industry more accessible. I've spent my entire professional and personal life in this industry and I can't wait to see what we can accomplish as we work together toward the...