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KHC Partners With University Of Kentucky To Launch 2022 Statewide Equine Survey

The Kentucky Horse Council (KHC) has partnered with the University of Kentucky to launch a state-wide survey, which will allow the organization to better serve and protect horses and the horse industry in the Commonwealth.

Just like the agritech, automotive and manufacturing industries are integral to Kentucky's economy, so are equines. The core of this unique economic cluster is its private and commercial horse farms and equine operations, from which hundreds of equine-related businesses stem. These businesses encompass everything from transportation, farm-related and professional services and associations to equine health services, tourism and related businesses. These ancillary businesses create an unmatched competitive advantage for Kentucky's equine industry.

A comprehensive study of the Commonwealth's equine industry was completed in 2012; it was the first survey of its kind to be done since 1977. The 2022 study will once again be a collaborative effort between the Kentucky Horse Council, the University of Kentucky and the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). This information will be beneficial for local and state policymakers, nonprofit organizations and local government officials, among others. The survey, which will provide information critical to Kentucky's equine economy on a county-by-county basis, will:

Provide data for disease surveillance
Keep policy makers informed and engaged proactively
Inform workforce development
Identify emerging markets on which businesses can capitalize

“As the KHC is a non-breed, non-discipline specific organization focused on the protection and development of the Kentucky equine community, the information gleaned from this survey will be invaluable,” said Sarah Coleman, KHC executive director. “We're excited to learn more about the horses residing in the Commonwealth and how we can better assist them and their owners.”

Data obtained from this study are important for the sustained strength and continued growth of Kentucky's equine industry,” says Dr. Jill Stowe, a professor at the University of Kentucky and an equine industry economist. “Decision makers such as entrepreneurs and business owners, equine health providers, and policy makers can utilize this data to make sound, well-informed decisions on important issues facing the industry.”

Once complete, results will be available in county-level fact sheets as well as in a statewide report. All materials will be downloadable from the KHC website, free of charge.

This survey has received financial support from the Kentucky Agriculture Development Fund, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and the Environment; UK Gluck Equine Research Center; the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association; the Kentucky Horse Council and the Kentucky Farm Bureau. It is supported by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the Office of the Kentucky State Veterinarian and Representative Matt Koch. Interested in supporting this effort? Email Danielle Jostes, Equine Philanthropy Director, at danielle.jostes@uky.edu or call 859-218-1176.

Click here to participate in the 2022 Kentucky Equine Survey. Questions can be directed to equine@uky.edu. Information about the 2012 Kentucky Equine Survey can be found at https://equine.ca.uky.edu/kyequinesurvey.

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This Side Up: Tiz the Story of a True Magician

Nothing, it seems, will help you see through the vanity of materialism quite like a $4.1 billion fortune.

A few summers ago, I was sitting alone in the baronial boardroom at Spendthrift, waiting to interview the farm's owner. It was a hot day, but here all was panelled cool, the venerable furnishings slumbering through the prosperous drone of a lawnmower. I was thinking about this apt conflation of heritage and modernity when startled by the entry of a tanned octogenarian whose casual apparel, in the round, must have cost rather less than a typical pair of socks on Wall Street. B. Wayne Hughes apologized for running a little late, slouched into a chair, and gave the kind of smile you hope to see from the fellow who takes up his place next to you in the bleachers.

By the time we had finished, of course, I understood that even the immense riches that had funded the Spendthrift revival were nothing compared with the inner wealth of this extraordinary human being. Of course, he couldn't have accumulated one without the other–but nobody fortunate to have borrowed his insights for an hour or two would be so crass as to measure the man we lost on Wednesday merely by his worldly assets.

I should have known as much simply by reflecting on his choice of a humble cottage as his farm residence, turning over one of the most beautiful mansions in the Bluegrass to his team as an inspiring work environment.

Now if I had that kind of money…No, come on, what's the point of having an example like that right in front of you, if you still say that? When I have that kind of money, I must likewise see through the trappings; and remember that someday we will all be reduced, by our shared mortality, to the basic human equation: a finite existence that spans infinite possibilities of conduct, but only one ultimate outcome.

There's a consoling paradox to the fact that the B. Wayne Hughes respected and celebrated from the outside, including right here, will inevitably be a mere silhouette of the private figure loved and now grieved by friends and family.

These latter will be discovering little comfort in the reflection that Hughes was one of the greatest of all “winners” in the game of life. Their bereavement, on a human level, is no different from that endured by the rest of us, whatever our station, creed or color. (And nobody knew that better than Hughes himself, having lost an 8-year-old son to leukemia.)

But you know what? When their tears have dried, and they can take a step back, they should let the salutations of the public figure gradually seep into their reckonings. Because having duly lamented a cherished, complex parcel of flesh and blood, they will perhaps join the obituarists in recognizing the only immortality we know to be available: namely, the way a person uses such years as fall to his or her allocation.

In this case, the most obvious legacy could scarcely be more tangible. His philanthropic munificence will for years to come achieve concrete transformation in the odds facing those who feel they have “lost” the game of life. (And that aversion to personal aggrandizement, so evident in his wardrobe and mode of life, would prompt him to make many donations conditional on absolute anonymity.)

But Hughes leaves us parallel bequests that are barely less momentous. One, also destined to last for generations, will be registered in the genetic composition of the modern Thoroughbred. The other is one that might work for any or all of us, as individuals–and that is his example. The son of an Oklahoma sharecropper, whose family made the Grapes of Wrath migration from the Dust Bowl with a mattress strapped to the car roof, he sampled the full spectrum of human experience under capitalism.

The humility that made Hughes so insistent on his ordinariness is not, of course, the same as meekness. And his horror of pretension reflected a contempt for the kind of airs he saw in those who are either born to privilege, or devote their lives to its pursuit. Perhaps this helped to stimulate the revolution he instigated in Kentucky's commercial breeding industry, causing such fear and resentment among his establishment rivals. These complained that the kind of incentive schemes by which Hughes sustained an ever more industrial roster would make competition no longer viable. Most, however, ended up introducing equivalent programs on their own farms.

Hughes relished their discomfiture. “When you print all this crap that I'm saying, I'm probably going to be written up as a nut,” he said that morning, chuckling exultantly. “But I don't give a damn. What are they going to do to me? There's nothing they can do. That's what kills those guys.” He had been here before, after all, remembering the hostility of Californians to “Okies” who would work gratefully even for a subsistence wage.

And he had a prophecy: “If they want to stay in business, everybody will be doing what we're doing. And that includes everybody.” Because at some point one of these ugly-duckling stallions would turn into a swan.

It was beginning to happen already, at that time, the Share The Upside program having been devised to help a commercially moribund young stallion named Into Mischief. “You pay a bunch of money for a stallion, it's got the best chance,” Hughes said. “But his chances aren't 100%. And another guy's chance isn't zero. They're closer together. So we'll see.”

And see we did. The system produced its game-changer, and now Spendthrift has once again become a destination for Classic, two-turn stallions at the top end of the market, now including a Horse of the Year in Authentic.

Hughes cheerfully declared that he knew nothing about breeding; he could leave that to his experts. What he did understand was business, and human nature. And he knew that it was all about the base of the pyramid. That meant giving a shot to the little guys. They'd keep coming back and, the Thoroughbred being what it is, one of those seeds floating in the breeze would eventually sow a whole plantation of oaks.

His own journey, from victim of a historic crisis in capitalism to its summit, served as heartening template both for his roll-the-dice stallions and for the clients who used them. And who knows? Maybe his engagement with MyRacehorse, which gave him such pleasure in the success of Authentic, will yield a similar narrative. Maybe some blue-collar microshareholder will be the next to stake $25,000 with a buddy in a business that ends up valued at $40 billion.

Fitting, then, that the field assembling for the GI TVG Pacific Classic on Saturday should include Tizamagician (Tiznow). Perhaps the fates governing the Turf, for all their ruthless caprice, might even prove amenable to honoring Hughes with success for a horse representing MyRacehorse and Spendthrift Farm LLC. For he would ask no better parting shot than a reminder that our sport cannot survive as the preserve only of an opulent few; that it will only thrive if accessible and inclusive.

True, the Hughes system has also produced a legacy that makes some of us less comfortable. Doubtless he saw The Jockey Club's attempt to limit stallion books to 140 as the establishment circling its wagons, but the fact is that for every Into Mischief there will be dozens of failures–not just at Spendthrift, of course, but at other factory farms–whose hundreds of undeserved opportunities can only impair the breed.

Overall, however, our community is surely indebted to Hughes for a wholesome reproof against complacency. Ironic that he should have made his fortune in “self-storage.” Of the very few whose lives have followed such a giddy arc, fewer still have been so averse to flaunting “self.” And “storage” is such a conservative concept, suggestive of resources nervously withheld. What an embrace of life, in contrast, went into this epic tale!

By all accounts, Hughes remained to the end as restlessly full of ideas as he had been the morning of our meeting, when he had just made an offer for a stallion–an investment, as he noted, he couldn't begin to judge for at least four years.

So whatever the scoreboard of life tells us about our own state of play–whether we are still eking what we can from the dust, or can afford to send half a dozen mares to Authentic–we can all take something from this great American saga. For the Grapes of Wrath, at least in this instance, yielded a harvest of endeavor, generosity and imagination that we can profitably distill for many a year yet.

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KY Committee Unlikely To Recommend Tax Increase for HHR Machines

A special legislative committee charged with studying the taxes and rates paid by Kentucky racetracks, including the tax rates on profits from Historical Horse Racing (HHR) machines, seems set on recommending the status quo rather than a tax increase. That's good news for the state's racing and breeding industries, which have flourished since HHR machines were introduced in the state some ten years ago.

The Pari-Mutuel Wagering Taxation Task Force met Monday and the meeting turned into something of a cheerleading session for the sport, its economic impact and the advancements it has made since HHR machines were legalized. A higher tax rate on the HHR machines would no doubt lead to less money being available for racing.

The task force is co-chaired by Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, considered one of the more pro-racing lawmakers in the state.

“In this deck, the most important pages are the ones that show the industries that benefit by racing in Kentucky,” Thayer said following a presentation from Elisabeth Jensen, the executive vice president of the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP). “As Elisabeth noted, there are many here, and some you wouldn't think offhand, that are benefitted by the racing industry…One of my favorite graphics is the one that shows how one race horse equals many jobs. We see lots of numbers on a page, paragraphs and power points on a whole host of industries and topics, but this is a pretty compelling page. Look at all the jobs that are provided by one race horse here in Kentucky. That's a very compelling slide.”

The task force was created after the General Assembly passed legislation that formally paved the way for the state's Thoroughbred and harness tracks to offer HHR machines. Senate Bill 120 was needed after the Kentucky Supreme Court voted unanimously that the machines did not represent pari-mutuel wagering and were therefore unconstitutional. After the bill was passed, a coalition led by the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy argued that HHR machines were taxed at a rate that was costing the state an estimated $91 million in annual revenue. The state tax on HHR machines is just 1.5% of total handle, considerably lower than the tax rates on slots and other forms of gaming in other states that have slot machines or slot machine-like games.

HHR machines and the tax rate were mentioned only sparingly by the task force members during the session. Instead, the committee focused on what the money from the machines is used for and how that money has helped not just racing but the state in general. Jensen was one of two individuals to testify. The other was Chauncey Morris, the executive director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association (KTA).

“I want to talk to you about the broader impact of the horse industry and its affect on Kentucky's economy and how Historical Horse Racing has already grown that impact and positioned us for even greater growth in the very near future,” Jensen said. “Adopting Senate Bill 120 paved the way for continued significant investment in Kentucky's horse industry, which will lead to new jobs and economic growth in communities all across the commonwealth. Thanks to the success of Historical Horse Racing, Kentucky's horse industry is well positioned to continue strengthening our local communities and their economies through investment in new facilities, increased jobs and the tax revenue to come with it. One of the most important things we have to talk about is the economic impact of Kentucky's horse industry on the entire state.”

Jensen came armed with slides that showed, among other things, that the horse industry in Kentucky is responsible for nearly 80,000 jobs and had an economic impact of $6.5 billion.

Morris painted a similar picture, one where HHR machines had greatly helped the sport, which, in turn, has greatly helped the state.

“Thanks to Kentucky's friendly business environment, we have thrived through major reinvestment in infrastructure for horses and fans,” he said.

This was the second meeting of the task force, which is scheduled to meet once a month before presenting its findings and recommendations to the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission by Dec. 1, 2021.

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KTFMC Meeting: Labor Crisis in the Thoroughbred Industry

LEXINGTON, KY-The ongoing labor crisis in the Thoroughbred industry was the focal point of discussion at the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers' Club's monthly meeting, which was held on Tuesday and brought in a large audience for a discussion on the talk.

A panel of five industry participants and educators was on hand to give their perspective on the history of the issue and how the situation has worsened over time. They also spoke on projects currently in the works that have potential to bring in skilled labor and shared their thoughts on the best methods for effectively recruiting a new generation of workers.

“We had a board meeting and discussed what would be relevant for this meeting and this is a topic that pertains to every farm right now,” KTFMC President Courtney Schneider said. “You hope that there's a light at the end of the tunnel, but it's an issue that needs to be addressed and we need to be educated about what we can do to bring in new people and keep them in the industry.”

“Our goal for the club is to refocus on issues that are important for farm managers–be it health and disease, operational issues or the bigger challenge of labor,” KTFMC Treasurer Gerry Duffy said. “It's an issue affecting every farm and everyone you talk to. Some people are in a desperate situation. Not only are you changing how you do things due to the absence of help, but it's putting an extra burden on the people you do have. It's not sustainable and we need to really get in front of the issue to try and solve it.”

Fasig-Tipton

Chris Baker was the first member of the panel to speak. The Chief Operating Officer of Three Chimneys Farm briefed the audience on the state of the issue when he first joined the industry through an entry-level position as a groom in 1986.

“It was a different time with 50,000 foals on the ground, the market was strong and input and labor costs were relatively low,” he said. “But even at that time, when labor was more abundant than it is today, I can still remember lamenting about finding the next group of people coming up to do this. The problem of identifying, recruiting and retaining a workforce isn't a new one, but it was less of an issue then.”

According to Baker, the connection with the horse–or lack thereof–is a main cause for today's limited employee pool and poor job retention.

“Finding help seemed easier [in 1986] and I think some of that was because we were less removed from an agrarian society. When you look now at the composition of the workforce, with a lot of Latinos, many of the people who have immigrated here are less removed from or are coming from an agrarian society. I think that's a big part of it–the connection with the horse. Without that, it can be hard to make sense of what you have to do and the sacrifices that need to be made in order to have a career in this industry.”

Baker emphasized that in order to recruit a strong, skilled workforce, finding the right person to fit the job is crucial.

“If you're going to come to work in the Thoroughbred industry, you probably have a different realistic financial ceiling than if you were going into medicine or finance,” he explained. “So why do you come to the horse business? It all comes back to the horse. I think if we can put the horse first in all we do, make people aware and make that focus on the horse as part of your recruiting, you're going to get the kind of people you want who are doing it for the right reasons.”

He continued, “We need to focus on a fair wage, a good work environment where people and horses are treated with respect, because that's part of making people feel like they're a part of something special, and then we need to train, develop and encourage so there is infrastructure in place for people to grow.”

Frank Taylor, Vice President of Taylor Made Farm, also shared his experiences as an employer. Taylor Made has several programs that Taylor said have been key to keeping their operation fully staffed.

This year, Taylor Made has started a pilot program called the Taylor Made School of Horsemanship. Created in partnership with Shepherd's House, a transitional residential drug addiction treatment center in Lexington, the program set a goal to bring in five trainees every 90 days. The workers spend their days on the farm and then return to the Shepherd's House every evening, where in addition to food and housing, they are also provided with counseling services.

“We have one barn set up where they are all working together and we also have a director there, someone who is good at teaching,” Taylor said. “I think it could be huge in the future. It's such a win for everybody. Obviously it's a win for society, it's a win for the horse business and a win for Taylor Made, and if we can give these people second-chance employment and help them get on their feet, I think we can do a lot of great stuff.”

While the project is still in the beginning stages, Taylor said he envisions future expansion.

“When you give these people a second chance and they are fully recovered, they become an example for everybody else,” he said. “For people dealing with addiction, one of the things that keeps them going is helping other people. So our hope is that we grow this and help a lot of people, who in turn help a lot of other people. We want to take this, get it perfected and show it to other farms. This has a lot of potential and we could envision 50 to 60 people a year graduating from this program and going out into the industry.”

Taylor said that his farm has also been a part of the H-2A Temporary Agricultural Workers program for four years.

“This program has been a godsend,” he said. “The thing about these guys is they're coming in and they're grateful and they love what they're doing. They can do two times as much work as the average person, maybe three.”

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) Foundation and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Workforce Center has joined forces to launch the Equine Workforce Initiative in an effort to address the shortage of equine workers on a state level. Laurie Mays, another member of the panel, serves as the initiative's Equine Talent Pipeline Project Manager.

“We are in year three of this initiative,” she said. “We bring employers together and give them a safe space to discuss their struggles in terms of workforce development. We look at things like what skills go along with specific positions and how many people an employer might need in these positions.”

One problem her team has encountered, Mays said, is that accurate research on employment in the equine industry is difficult to pinpoint quantitatively due to the broad scope of data the state agency has to offer on employment in agriculture as a whole.

“One of the things we're doing is trying to get hard data for the needs of the industry,” Mays said. “This information and data can feed into our state's statistical agency so we can have a better idea of what our true needs are. This gives us a better way to talk to training programs when we can show them the actual number of positions we need to fill.”

The program at Blackburn Correctional Complex currently has seven graduates working in the industry. | EquiSport Photos

The Equine Workforce Initiative is in the process of developing several other programs that could prove to be valuable resources for employers. In partnership with the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and the Blackburn Correctional Complex in Lexington, Mays and her team are working to create meaningful connections between inmates who have undergone training on the farm and potential employers so that graduates of the program have a job as soon as the time comes.

“As of yesterday, we've placed seven people in Lexington at farms and vet clinics and it's going very well,” May reported. “We've heard great feedback from the employers who have hired them. We're going to look at doing an educational tour for employers to meet the instructors and the gentlemen, see the facility and learn more about what they learn.”

Savannah Robin serves as the internship coordinator for the University of Kentucky's Equine Program. She joined the panel to speak on the growing population of higher-education graduates seeking a career in the equine industry.

Robin shared that seven institutions in Kentucky offer an equine program. At the University of Kentucky, 300 students are in the program at any given time and on average, 89% come from out of state.Each student is required to complete an internship in order to obtain their degree at UK, and Robin said that on average, 21% of these internships focus on horse and farm management. However, only 9% of the UK Equine Program's alumni base currently works in that same field.

“We need to figure out how to tap into that 21% and help retain them within an industry than can provide them with leadership experiences,” Robin said.

Katie LaMonica, the Charities Manager for Godolphin, closed out the panel by reminding the audience about the upcoming Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards.

“We are heading into the sixth year of the TIEA Awards,” she said. “If we're looking for ways to reward and recognize our staff, this is a great way to do it. This year, all seven award categories have a sponsor. Our nominations are now open and we also have a new award. The Support Service Award is for your maintenance crew, gate grew, night watch team, farriers-people who don't necessarily work on the end of the shank, but they keep you going.”

The audience present at the meeting consisted of a diverse group of both well-established and up-and-coming industry participants, with UK Equine students and Kentucky Equine Management Internship (KEMI) members on hand. During the 'Q and A' session at the end of the meeting, much discussion was brought forth on the topic of work-life balance and the incoming generation's emphasis on the subject.

“Millennials and Gen Zers get beat up sometimes in terms of their work ethic, but the values of their generation won't disappoint you in what they can bring to the workforce,” Robin said. “These students need different things. They need different things than what I needed when I graduated. They're looking at work-life balance early on so that they don't burn out and can go on a long time within a career and be sustainable within that career.”

Baker and Taylor agreed that better working conditions and increased job flexibility are areas they could see evolving in the future, but said that participation in the Thoroughbred industry would always require hard work and sacrifice.

Baker said, “Do we need to adapt and provide opportunities to broaden the people that come to this business for a career? Yes. But on some level, I think the people that do the best, go the furthest and accomplish the most are those that embrace the lifestyle and the sacrifices that come with it in their personal life.”

“It is a lifestyle and it's not a job,” Taylor echoed. “If you're getting in the horse business and you want to be successful, it has to be a lifestyle. If you're going to get in this business, you better love it and be dedicated to it.”

“It's a matter of figuring out a way to make our industry available to the incoming generation who, quite rightly, doesn't want to work seven days a week,” Duffy said in conclusion. “We have competition from other industries who are paying more and making variable work times and conditions available to people, but behind that there's some great work going on here and some great initiatives. We have to keep the conversation going. We're here to get a discussion going and not necessarily present the answers, but just to get the industry talking and collaborating. As an industry, we need to come together and try to solve our issues together.”

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