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TERF Grant Applications Open, Due Apr. 1

The Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation announced the opening of their 2021 grant awards cycle. This year's grant awards will reflect TERF's strategic focus and vision to support and promote equine education and research. Awards will be considered for qualified federally tax exempt 501-c-3 organizations. Information regarding the grant award program can be found at www.terfusa.org. Grant applications will be accepted through Apr. 1.

Grant recipients will receive written notice of TERF's acceptance of their funding request and/or notice via phone or e-mail by no later than July 15 of the application year. In 2020, TERF awarded $108,000 in grants to nine organizations.

Headed by founders Herb and Ellen Moelis, TERF's current Board, includes co-Chairs Kathleen Anderson, DVM, and James Orsini, DVM, Margaret H. Duprey, Gretchen and Roy Jackson, Ellen and Herb Moelis, Wendy Moon, Anita Motion, Scott Palmer VMD, Josh Pons and Lucy Zungailia.

For more information about the Thoroughbred Education and Research Foundation, visit www.terfusa.org.

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Kentucky Equine Education Project Hires Annise Montplaisir As Education Coordinator

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), Kentucky's equine economic advocate, has announced the hire of an equine education coordinator.

Annise Montplaisir will be the first person to hold this position and will be responsible for building awareness of the equine industry and the industry's educational and employment opportunities. This will be accomplished through creating 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. Montplaisir will also serve as an ambassador of the horse industry across the Commonwealth, creating a framework for other states in the U.S. and developing international relationships.

Montplaisir will work specifically with multiple programs and entities, including:

Amplify Horse Racing: a national education and recruitment resource used to leverage current educational and occupational opportunities
Equine Apprenticeships: a program aimed at providing “earn and learn” training in horsemanship for individuals interested in working in the horse industry
K-12 School Districts: facilitating emerging relationships with schools and districts across Kentucky to implement work-based learning opportunities and participate in community and industry engagement
Emerging Populations: working with various entities to engage with, and encourage, industry involvement from various underserved populations

This new position is the result of collaboration among the KEEP Foundation, Fasig-Tipton, Glen Hill Farm, Godolphin, The Jockey Club, and Mt. Brilliant Farm.

Montplaisir grew up near Fargo, North Dakota. She received a Bachelor of Science in management communication and international studies and a minor in Spanish from North Dakota State University. She developed a passion for horse racing and gained experience with the industry through multiple internships. She is a recent graduate of the Godolphin Flying Start program and has worked as the project manager for Together for Racing International, as well as co-hosting a bilingual horse racing show called La Trifecta.

Commenting on the new position, Montplaisir said: “Horses have always been a guiding light through my own educational journey. They've inspired me to dream bigger and explore adventures that once would have been unimaginable. I am thrilled to begin my role as the equine education coordinator, and to teach people that educational programs and careers in the equine industry are accessible to anyone. Through this position, I hope to promote existing programs, encourage collaboration between initiatives, and facilitate connections that will help newcomers get involved. Ultimately, I believe that education can positively impact the sustainability of the Thoroughbred industry – and the equine industry as a whole.”

Katie LaMonica, director of charitable initiatives for Godolphin USA, added: “Following a global forum on education hosted by Godolphin in Newmarket last November, a team of invested U.S. industry professionals came together to explore ways to address the current workforce problem the equine business faces. This position is the result of that collaboration and is an exciting opportunity for Kentucky's signature industry to engage with the youth of the state. For the first time, there will be a dedicated representative marketing the industry to young people and educators across the state, connecting them to the many opportunities our industry offers and streamlining existing equine educational programs in Kentucky. Godolphin is proud to be a partner in this collective effort vested in the future of our industry.”

This hire speaks to KEEP's investment in education and workforce development that began with the creation of the KEEP Foundation in 2014. The KEEP Foundation is supported by donors and the sale of the KEEP Foundation's Seattle Slew specialty license plate.

In 2018, KEEP and the KEEP Foundation partnered with the Kentucky Chamber Workforce Center to launch the Equine Workforce Initiative. The equine education coordinator is an outgrowth of that program and will work closely with the KEEP Foundation and the Equine Workforce Initiative to help modernize the recruitment, training, and placement of qualified employees into the pipelines of the ever-growing equine industry.

The mission of the KEEP Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3), is to support the economic success of Kentucky's signature industry by ensuring its continued economic viability, making the industry accessible for all who want to participate, introducing more young people to the industry and its opportunities, and educating the people of the Commonwealth about the importance of horses to the state, its economy, its heritage, and its people.

The KEEP Foundation seeks to fulfill this mission through:

Generating wider interest from the general public and creating new fans and participants for Kentucky's horse industry.
Raising public awareness on the importance of all horse breeds and disciplines in all 120 counties of the “Horse Capitol of the World” through educational events and community engagement that explores the breadth and depth of Kentucky's horse industry.
Attracting new people and populations to careers in the industry and reducing the barriers of entry to career paths in the industry.

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Rutgers Hosts Two-Day Hay Assessment Seminar For Horse Owners

Rutgers University's is hosting a two-day, free seminar series for horse owners that investigates multiple factors involved in assessing hay intended for equine consumption. The “Assessing Quality Hay” webinar series will be held on November 16 and 17 at 7 p.m. Both sessions will run for just over an hour.

The Monday session is presented by members of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Animal Ag/Field and Forage Working Group, Melissa Bravo and Hank Bignell. It will focus on assessing hay quality, weeds and weed control, and hay testing. Register for the Monday webinar here.

The Tuesday session investigates what hay is best for horses and what to feed ruminants in winter. This session is presented by Rutgers Equine Extension Specialist Dr. Carey Williams and Animal Science Extension Specialist Dr. Mike Westendorf. Register for the Tuesday event here.

Both webinars are free, but preregistration is required.

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New Partnership Between Schools, Kentucky Thoroughbred Businesses Seeks To Mold Future Industry Leaders

Middle and high school students in Central Kentucky will soon have more opportunities than ever to become a part of the state's Thoroughbred industry. A three-year partnership announced Tuesday between Fayette County Public Schools and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association/Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders will send $322,000 from 22 area farms and equine businesses to develop a more robust equine studies program at the county's schools.

The core of the new program will be three years of courses (in the classroom and hands-on) in addition to an internship or apprenticeship a student could complete at one of the area's Thoroughbred farms. The program will offer older students the ability to customize their studies to focus on equine business, horsemanship/training, or horticulture through the lens of a horse farm. It will also include club activities to attract younger students to horses before they are old enough to have classes available to them. Those activities will coincide with existing chapters of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) and the National Society for Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANNRS).

The school system's Locust Trace AgriScience Center already offered some equine studies for the high school students from six area schools, in addition to other agricultural, environmental science, and food science courses. Now, those opportunities will be expanded. Thanks to the industry grant, the Fayette County Public Schools will go from one full-time teacher covering equine studies to two, as well as funding for middle and elementary school outreach programs, transportation, and additional operational resources. School officials project a total enrollment of 2,480 into the new equine programs across all grade levels, with 160 to 175 new students attending new equine classes at Locust Trace.

High schoolers will have the opportunity to take dual credit or dual enrollment courses via Bluegrass Community and Technical College, which also offers equine studies programs through the North American Racing Academy.

“Once you get inside the door of the horse industry it's really eye-opening how many avenues there are, but most of them fall back onto those basic horsemanship skills,” said Braxton Lynch, chair of the KTA/KTOB. “I think just that first step of exposure will open up so many doors for them, and really it's up to them where they want to go.”

School officials anticipate the educational programs at Locust Trace could eventually expand to include adult education in the evenings for those who want to build skills to work in the horse industry.

As diversity has become a recent focus in the equestrian and racing industries, Fayette County Public Schools superintendent Manny Caulk said he is working with the Legacy Equine Academy and others to ensure students of all backgrounds recognize that these programs are available to them.

“As our national grapples with the issues of racial and social justice, our moral imperative as a district is to provide access and opportunities for students who otherwise wouldn't have those advantages,” said Caulk. “People of all races have a rich history in the Thoroughbred industry and we want this generation of students to not only see themselves in that history but also to take ownership for writing their own future. That story will be continued as they find themselves and find their life's passion in the equine industry.”

For the industry stakeholders in the project, the investment in the school programs is something of a long-term investment. All involved are hopeful students will complete the program with basic horsemanship skills they can apply to a job in any portion of the business from a breeding farm to a training barn to a bloodstock agency.

“Locust Trace has been here quite a while; our industry has been here for two centuries,” said Chauncey Morris, executive director of the KTA/KTOB. “It's really incumbent on us to maximize how it's going to provide services not only to our industry but to the community as a whole. We look at this very much as a down payment on the community. We know that the instructors and additional operational funds that are being added to this, it's going to take those three years to really see how that's going to mesh in our industry, but we're looking forward to that.”

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