Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit
The Welfare and Safety of the Racehorse Summit, coordinated and underwritten by Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and The Jockey Club and hosted by Keeneland Association, was held for the first time in October 2006. The two-day workshop, which brought together a wide cross-section of the breeding, racing and veterinary community, was designed to improve safety and soundness for the Thoroughbred racehorse.
The subsequent summits, with the same sponsors, have been held every two years at Keeneland.
During the original summit, committees were formed and began working on various aspects of Thoroughbred welfare and safety. These committees include On-Track Injury Reporting, Education and Licensing, Shoeing and Hoof Care, Racing Surfaces, Durability, Race Conditions and Racing Office, and Health and Medical Records.
In August 2014, The Jockey Club announced that the summit would become an annual event starting in 2015.
North American Racing Academy
Established in 2006, the North American Racing Academy (NARA) is the first and only accredited community college based racing school in the United States. Under the guidance of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), NARA offers an Associates in Applied Science as well as numerous certificate options to provide students a range of educational opportunities.
While NARA's original focus was developing young men and women into professional jockeys, today NARA has successfully transformed itself into an overall equine industry workforce provider. In addition to excellent exercise riders and professional jockeys, we now also produce licensed grooms, assistant trainers, trainers, breeding farm managers and other workers skilled in the care and training of the racehorse.
To learn more about NARA please visit our website or contact our program coordinator Dixie Hayes at dixie.hayes@kctcs.edu.