Kentucky Equine Education Project

The Kentucky Equine Education Project Foundation and The Race for Education have announced the recipients of their 2021 scholarships. The KEEP Foundation board of directors approved over $35,000 in scholarships to 11 students attending 10 universities across the Commonwealth. All of the 2021 scholarship recipients are students currently enrolled with a university or college in Kentucky in an equine and/or agriculture related major. The 11 students are: Ambre Azcona-University of Kentucky; Lily Crouch-University of Kentucky; Aleah Gardner-Morehead State University; Harrison Goode-University of Kentucky; Wheaton Hardwick-Kentucky Community & Technical College; Emma...

A Pari-Mutuel Wagering Taxation Task Force has been established in the Kentucky General Assembly to "study the taxes and rates related to horse racing, the impact that changing the rates would have, and the funds relating to the horse industry which receive historical horse racing tax receipts [and] determine if any changes should be made." The task force will be co-chaired by Kentucky State Senator Damon Thayer and House of Representatives member Adam Koenig. The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) issued a statement in support of the action Tuesday: "The...

Edited Press Release Officials at the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), Kentucky's equine economic advocate, have announced the new leadership of KEEP's Board of Directors. The Board of Directors unanimously approved the promotion of Case Clay to become the Board's Chairman, while Kentucky horseman David Ingordo was unanimously approved to become the Board's Vice Chairman. Clay and Ingordo replace Doug Cauthen and Ken Jackson, respectively, who will both continue serving on the KEEP Board. Additionally, Courtney Schneider was added to the Board of Directors. Clay is the Chief Commercial Officer...

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), Kentucky's equine economic advocate, released the following statement Thursday evening regarding the U.S. House of Representatives passage of H.R. 1603, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021: "KEEP commends the U.S. House of Representatives for its the passage of H.R. 1603, the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021, which addresses the labor crisis facing many agriculture operations across the country by reforming the H-2A visa process, providing a path to legal status for farm workers, and implementing a nationwide E-Verify system. "While this bipartisan...

Annise Montplaisir has been named the Kentucky Equine Education Project's first-ever equine education coordinator. Montplaisir will be responsible for building awareness of the equine industry and the industry's educational and employment opportunities by building relationships with 4-H, FFA, and breed youth councils, among other organizations. Additionally, Montplaisir will be responsible for marketing industry programs through social media, special events, and the KEEP Equine Summit Luncheon Series. The new position is the result of collaboration among the KEEP Foundation, Fasig-Tipton, Glen Hill Farm, Godolphin, The Jockey Club, and Mt. Brilliant Farm....

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) released the following statement in response to the Kentucky Supreme Court's Opinion calling into question the operation of historical horse racing (HHR) in the Commonwealth: "Thursday's ruling by the Kentucky Supreme Court is devastating to the Commonwealth, the horse industry and the tens of thousands of Kentuckians who work in the industry. The result of this ruling, if there is no action by the state legislature to enact law permitting wagering on HHR, would severely impact the horse industry at a time when Kentucky...

The Kentucky Equine Education Project has released a statement in support of regulations proposed by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission to phase out Lasix, limit the use of bisphosphonates and align the state's drug withdrawal schedules to RMTC standard. The full statement follows: "As the Kentucky Legislature's Interim Joint Committee on Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations makes their final review of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission's (KHRC) proposed regulations for the gradual phasing out of the use of Lasix, restrictions on the off-label use of bisphosphonates, and aligning withdrawal schedule...

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...

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...