Remi Bellocq Part 2: Spreading the Word on BCTC Equine

In 2011, Remi Bellocq left his position as the CEO of the National HBPA to step in as the executive director of Bluegrass Community and Technical College's (BCTC) Equine Program.

Bellocq was initially drawn to the program when he realized he could help play a role in fixing racing's growing labor shortage. By heading up BCTC's program, Bellocq is now helping recruit young people to join the sport's much-needed workforce.

“We don't have anything in our industry that can predict what is going to happen with immigration reform at a federal level,” he said. “So, every year it's the same challenge and we can't count on that changing. We have to fend for ourselves. We have the mechanism to prepare really good workers–well-trained, domestic workers.”

The BCTC program first started in 2006 as the North American Racing Academy. But when Bellocq joined the team a few years later, they realized their need to widen its scope from a jockey school to an equine-based career and technical training program. Now referred to as BCTC Equine, the course is the first and only accredited community college-based program of its type in the country.

Today, there are between 35 and 40 students in the program each semester. After two years spent completing courses ranging from basic equine care to training theory, physiology and anatomy, students will graduate with an Associate's degree. Some students will earn a vet assistant certificate while others will choose to focus on breeding or racing. Those that take the riding classes will earn an exercise riding license from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission prior to their completion of their courses.

Incoming students start off in a semester-long racehorse care lab, where they handle the everyday well-being of the program's 12 retired racehorses located at The Thoroughbred Center outside of Lexington.

“The students are bringing them in from the paddocks, checking vitals and feeding,” Bellocq explained. “They're doing everything that anybody in any barn is going to be doing, but we monitor them and grade them. We check off the list to make sure that not only are they cleaning the stall, but that they can do it in a certain period of time. We're making sure they can work efficiently and do everything that is required if you're going to go out and work for a top-level trainer. We teach to the current standards.”

To move on to the riding course, students must first take an advanced fitness test. Students that pass attend daily training sessions run by Program Coordinator and Assistant Professor Dixie Kendall and instructor Amy Heitzman. Before completing the course, students spend a few weeks working for a trainer based out of the Training Center before graduation.

“There's a lot of attrition because we're tough,” Bellocq noted. “We have pretty rigorous academic requirements and we'll put them through the ringer if they're late. But the result is that we have quite a few graduates out there working who have moved up. We've placed students in some pretty high-end racing operations, including Mike Maker, Christophe Clemente, Michael Matz and Todd Pletcher.”

The majority of students currently taking the exercise riding portion of the course, Bellocq said, are female. He stressed the cruciality of the industry's acceptance of an evolving workforce.

“Employers, trainers and farm managers have to wrap their arms around the fact that our workforce is changing and we have to adapt to that,” he said. “It's not a question of if women work any harder or can't handle the work that men have traditionally done, it's a question of adapting and providing work-life balance. A lot of trainers are paying better than they ever have, but if Amazon is paying $15 an hour with benefits, we've got to come close because that is who is going to steal our workers, not a trainer down the shedrow.”

Nebraska native Callie Witt is currently enrolled in the exercise riding portion of the program. Prior to attending BCTC, she galloped at several tracks in her home state.

“Since I was a little girl, it's always been my dream to be a jockey,” she said. “My parents' big thing was that I had to have a degree in something to fall back on, so I was really lucky to find this type of program where I can continue my passion for horses, learn how to ride and still get a degree.”

Witt acknowledged the challenges behind working in this industry.

“You've got to learn to have a thick skin. Not everyone is going to have the greatest things to say, but you've got to keep a good head, work fast and keep a positive attitude. Every day is hard work and you've got to keep pushing through it.”

Morgan Patterson is from Alabama and said she has also learned several valuable lessons from her time at BCTC.

“I think my biggest thing is to not overthink it,” she said. “I want to micromanage everything, especially with my riding. But I feel like I'm learning a lot here. Someday I definitely want to travel and ride abroad.”

Classmate Petula Randolph enrolled at BCTC because she knew it was an optimal location to begin working towards her dream of becoming a trainer.

“There's really no better place to learn what we're doing,” she said. “It's a really good environment and less stressful than learning on the job. You get quality instruction here and you know you're learning the right things.”

Randolph grew up attending races at her home track, Retama Park, and said she would like to return to Texas to win a top race there someday.

“If I could train a horse to run in the Sam Houston Ladies' Classic, that would be pretty cool because Midnight Bisou won there.”

Bellocq said that one of his favorite encounters with the students is their annual trip to Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby week for a tour of the backstretch, where students have the opportunity to chat with some of the top trainers.

“It's kind of eye-opening for them,” he said. “All those superstars will say the same thing, 'You're not going to make a lot of money starting off, you're going to work crazy hours and really have to pay your dues. But if you have the passion and you love what you do, then you can rise as far as you want to in this industry.' That's really inspiring for our students because they're not hearing it from their teachers, they're hearing it from the people they see in the racing news all the time, and that has such weight.”

As the program continues to grow, Bellocq enjoys seeing their work come to fruition as graduates excel in their careers across all facets of the industry.

“We have an alumni group that will meet for a big barbecue every year during Keeneland and it's great to see them all compare notes on who they're working for,” Bellocq said. “For our graduates, we have a great network of internships and mentorships.  We have stellar employers who say, 'Listen, just send me a good student and I'll always have jobs for them.' And that's a really great testament to our program.”

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Free Virtual Equine Industry Symposium Focuses On COVID-19 Response

Over the last eight months, the struggles of COVID-19 have affected our day-to-day lives. In the wake of the global pandemic, the theme of this year's Equine Industry Symposium will be RESILIENCE: Rethinking, Restructuring, Revaluating due to COVID-19. The event will be hosted as a live webinar via a zoom platform from November 16th through November 20th, 2020 each evening from 7 to 8 p.m. EST. This event is free upon advanced registration at the Eventbrite website.

How has COVID-19 affected you and your horse? Come find out at the 5th annual Equine Industry Symposium held virtually November 16-20, 2020.

Many of those in the equine industry have been impacted by the pandemic in multiple ways. Some of these challenges result from a lack of preparation, which can lead to insufficiencies both financial and of animal well-being. To address how to overcome these negative experiences and plan for a brighter future, each evening of this year's Equine Industry Symposium is focused on exploring the challenges presented by the pandemic, understanding its effects on the equine industry, discussing opportunities to re-evaluate and restructure, and proactively planning for situations similar to this that may occur in the years to come.

The symposium is hosted by students in the Bachelor of Bio-Resource Management Equine Management degree program at the University of Guelph, together with Ontario Equestrian and Equestrian Canada. Over the five evenings, live and pre-recorded speakers will discuss the effects of the pandemic in their areas of expertise followed by live question and answer sessions.

On Monday evening, Bronwynne Wilton from the Wilton Group will give a summary of the report provided to Equestrian Canada on the effects of COVID-19 on the equine industry. An open discussion with Danielle Glanc, farm policy analyst with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, Jonathan Zammit, executive director of Ontario Racing, and Christine Reupke, director of Equestrian & Breed Sport at the Royal Horseshow in Toronto, Canada will provide insight on how they viewed and approached the pandemic from their respective equine communities.

On Tuesday evening, Melanie Barham will discuss farm and business planning. Sean Jones from Sunlife Financial will provide a five-step action list for designing a recession-proof financial plan. Catherine Willson, equine lawyer, and Mike King from Capri CMW insurance will discuss insurance implications and risk mitigation in light of COVID-19.

Wednesday evening will examine the effects of the pandemic on horse welfare. Gayle Ecker, director of Equine Guelph, will present the minimum standards of care as outlined in the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines. Roly Owers, CEO of World Horse Welfare, will analyze what welfare means and how to cope with pandemic restrictions without compromising welfare. Bettina Bobsien will discuss responsible decision-making for older and retiring horses.

On Thursday evening, Stewart Everett, UK Equine Register, and Nic de Brauwere, Redwings Sanctuary, will outline the traceability program in the UK. Kristy House from Equestrian Canada will give a summary of how traceability will be implemented in Canada and how it will assist with emergency situations like the pandemic.

Friday evening will begin with an address from Assistant Deputy Minister Frederic Seppey, Market and Industry Service Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, on how the equine industry is positioned and how the ministry can support the industry moving forward. Kristy House, Equestrian Canada and Tracey McCaugue-McElrea, Ontario Equestrian, will discuss how industry organizations are helping the industry as a whole. The symposium will conclude with highlights of some of the positives that have emerged from the pandemic.

While this event is free, attendees may wish to support “For the Herd”, an emergency fundraiser administered by Ontario Equestrian to assist riding schools that are struggling to provide for their horses due to the loss of revenue from lessons and camps due to COVID-19. All proceeds raised go toward riding school facilities and their school horses across the province. For more information and to donate visit the For the Herd Website.

Read more here.

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European Governing Bodies Develop Equine Digital Passport Proposal

Proposed solutions that would secure the future of the European equine industry through safe and expedited horse movement between EU Member States and Britain following the UK's departure from the EU, have been sent to Michel Barnier, the European Commission's Head of Task Force for Relations with the United Kingdom (UKTF) and to Lord Frost, the British Prime Minister's Europe Adviser and Chief Negotiator of Task Force Europe.

The proposals, which cover equilibrium in equine health status between the EU and Britain, digital passports to facilitate seamless international transport of guaranteed high-health status horses and zero tariffs for cross-border movement, are outlined in a comprehensive 14-page dossier produced by the International Horse Sports Confederation (IHSC) Task Force for Brexit and EU Animal Health Law, a collaboration of the key European Sport Horse and Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding industries.

The six-member task force was formed earlier this year by the IHSC, constituted jointly by the global governing bodies for equestrian sport and racing, the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in 2013.

 

The IHSC, together with the International Thoroughbred Breeders' Federation, European Federation of Thoroughbred Breeders Associations and the European Equestrian Federation, has proposed simple and workable solutions that will ensure horse welfare and safeguard both European and British interests.

High health horses in Britain have the same health status as those in EU Member States and the task force is requesting that a trade agreement between the EU and Britain should reflect this fact.

Zero tariffs are already in place, and the task force is requesting that they be maintained, with the scheme being extended to geldings. Currently only stallions and mares are eligible for tariff-free cross-border transport.

Digital passports would provide EU Competent Authorities with full traceability and sanitary guarantees, offering immediate, 24/7 access to secure fail-safe identification and ownership information, as well as real-time monitoring of a horse's movements.

The high health status of each horse can be instantly validated through access to up-to-date vaccination and medical records, allowing for a higher level of monitoring and prevention of potential disease outbreaks in line with the biosecurity requirements of the EU Animal Health Law, thus facilitating speedy transit for these horses. The digital equine passports can also be adopted for use between EU Member States and A-listed 3rd countries.

If approved, the e-Passport would have no financial implications for the EU as costs around final development, implementation and running of the system will be met by the equine industry.

Using a two-pronged approach, the task force is seeking to have its proposals captured in the text of both the Trade Agreement and in the EU Animal Health Law, which comes into force on 21 April 2021.

Should a trade agreement with Britain not be reached, the task force is asking the EU to declare an equilibrium of health status for A-listed 3rd countries. The proposals also include regional agreements on the bio-secure traceable movement of high health horses signed between neighboring EU Member States. A Tripartite Agreement previously existed between France, Britain and Ireland, and there is currently an agreement between France and the Benelux countries.

 

The equine industry is of crucial importance to the economic, social, sporting and cultural fabric of both the European Union and the United Kingdom, and as representatives from all sectors of that industry, we believe that there are simple solutions that can guarantee a secure future for the European equine industry”, IHSC President Ingmar De Vos said.

“It is one of the most important animal breeding and production sectors in Europe, larger and with greater economic impact and employment than a number of other European agricultural sectors, with a net worth of over €52 billion per annum, providing 210,000 direct and more than 500,000 indirect jobs.

“Our goal is to reach an agreement that will allow for a continuation of the historical expedited movement of horses for breeding, sale and competition between EU Member States and Britain. While there are some sectors currently under discussion that seem to remain difficult in the negotiations, we believe that there are simple solutions within the equine industry that can be readily included in a Free Trade Agreement. Indeed, they are also workable even in a no deal scenario.

“We are asking the negotiators on both sides of the table to take our proposals on board and incorporate them into the texts of the Trade Agreement, if there is one, and the EU to include them in the incoming EU Animal Health Law, which comes into effect next April.

“Without agreement on this, we estimate that the industry in Europe could shrink by as much as a third, with a potential €17 billion reduction in economic contribution, and the potential loss of 250,000 jobs in a marketplace already threatened with critical unemployment levels and a significant reduction in foreign direct investment in the European Union as the economic focus shifts to North America and Asia. So failure is not an option!”

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Kentucky Horse Council Releases Membership Survey

The Kentucky Horse Council is conducting a survey of its members and other individuals in the Kentucky horse industry between now and August 15, 2020. This survey will be used to help the Kentucky Horse Council Board of Directors craft the position that the Council will take on issues currently facing the industry.

“We are reaching out to our membership to gather input on issues facing the industry, as well as the Kentucky Horse Council,” said Kentucky Horse Council Executive Director Katy Ross. “We believe it is important to check in with our members in order to provide accurate representation and to keep a pulse on what matters most to horsemen and women in Kentucky. I encourage every member of Kentucky's horse industry to please participate in our survey. The information we gather enables us to better serve and represent our constituents, but also allows us to have a positive and lasting impact on Kentucky's signature industry.”

The survey, which takes approximately ten minutes to complete, can be found here. All members of the Kentucky equine community are invited and encouraged to take the survey.

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