First-of-its-kind program ties Fayette schools to Thoroughbred industry

Fayette County Public Schools and the Kentucky Thoroughbred industry on Tuesday announced a first-of-its-kind three-year agreement that includes both financial resources and unprecedented access to working farms.

The effort, based at Locust Trace AgriScience Center Equine Area on Leestown Road, will provide middle and high school students with real-world experiences in the equine industry that will create a school-to-farm employment pipeline.

Superintendent Manny Caulk said 22 Thoroughbred businesses have pledged $322,000 over the next three years and have agreed to give students real world experiences in the Thoroughbred industry.

“As our nation grapples with the issue of racial and social justice, our moral imperative in the district is to provide access and opportunity for students who otherwise would not 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,” he said.

Locust Trace has hired additional staff and is expanding equine studies into middle schools, Caulk said.

Braxton Lynch, the chair of the board of directors of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, said horsemanship is not an easy thing to teach.

“You can not teach it strictly out of a book. You have to have the hands-on experience,” Lynch said, “You’re going to give these kids a baseline knowledge of horsemanship skills, where then we can bridge the gap to get them to the farms.”

“These horsemen, they love to teach the next generation,” Lynch said.

Chauncey Morris, Executive Director, Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders, Inc., said the thoroughbred industry has been in Kentucky for two centuries.

“We look at this very much as a down payment on the community,” Morris said. He said the initiative began with conversations with Seth Hancock at Claiborne Farm and farms that included WinStar, Taylor Made and Juddmonte.

Anne DeMott, Principal, Locust Trace AgriScience Center, said the program includes hands on and classroom instruction and will result in internships and apprenticeships.

Student Lily Crouch said she has known for a long time she wanted to study the equine industry at Locust Trace.

“Coming out here every day has really helped me ... Locust Trace has really helped me grow. I’m just really thankful for it,” Crouch said.

This story was originally published August 4, 2020 at 2:08 PM.