“Horses are a part of their way of life”; fifth graders learn about equine industry at Keeneland

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) — Starting with a mock auction, fifth graders from all over Fayette County get to learn why the horse industry means so much to the state where they live.

“We live in the horse capital of the world, and many of these students, they don’t know what that means, they don’t know what those opportunities are for them,” Kara Heissenbuttle with Keeneland said.

Which is why Keeneland hosts these yearly tours. For one whole week, 28 schools from all across Fayette County bring their students to learn all about the equine industry.

“We have veterinarians from Hagyard that will be here, we have some folks from the Life Adventure Center that are going to let them pet a horse and learn how to take care of it,” Heissenbuttle said.

Students get to learn all about horses and their importance to the Bluegrass at one of the world’s most famous thoroughbred racing facilities.

“We launched this program in 2011 in celebration of our 75th anniversary, and we quickly learned that so many kids don’t know anything about what it means to be in the horse capital of the world,” Heissenbuttle said. “We thought it was a really good opportunity for us to be able to share and educate them.”

Kids flood into the sales pavilion to start their day at Keeneland, and they get to leave with more knowledge on the horse industry and maybe even a new dream job.

“I think they have a sense of pride knowing that horses are a part of their way of life, but when that lightbulb goes off that this is something really special and what happens here doesn’t happen everywhere,” Heissenbuttle said.