There has been much discussion lately about the lack of new people coming into the Thoroughbred industry. I would like to introduce you to what has been described as “The Best Kept Secret” in the Thoroughbred industry–The Kentucky Equine Management Internship Program (KEMI).Over the past 27 years, this 501(c)(3) non-profit organization has been quietly mentoring young, enthusiastic horse people and has helped many of them find career opportunities within the sport.With the help of central Kentucky farms, the KEMI program has welcomed more than 1,500 college-aged students from all 50 states and 21 foreign countries to the Lexington area. These students participate in either a 5 1/2-month spring breeding/ foaling internship or a six-month fall sales prep/marketing internship. They live and work full-time on area farms and attend weekly educational lectures to learn about our industry and the opportunities for full-time employment.Most of these students are huge horse enthusiasts and are attending college on an animal science, equine science or agricultural degree plan, however, horse racing is not typically on their radar. Maybe it is because they have not grown up or come from a racing, farming or agricultural background or perhaps because racing is not available near where they have grown up or attend college.The KEMI coordinator routinely travels to about 70 college campuses each year to speak about racing and to encourage these students to come to Kentucky and explore racing as a career choice. The retention rate of newly graduated KEMI interns staying in equine careers in Kentucky is about 65%. In equine careers outside of Kentucky, it is another 20%. Another 15+% go on to attend veterinary school and become equine veterinarians.Graduates of the KEMI program can be found on farms, everything from entry-level grooms all the way up to general managers. They are trainers, assistant trainers, jockeys, exercise riders, equine lawyers, equine insurance agents, bloodstock agents, veterinarians, vet techs, rehabilitation techs. They can be found in marketing, public relations, journalism, aftercare organizations and many other equine/racing positions in the Thoroughbred industry. Some are now Thoroughbred owners and breeders.It has taken time, effort and a lot of support. KEMI is bringing new enthusiastic young people into our industry.KEMI is currently undertaking an extensive data analysis of participants in the program's 27-year history. By year's end, we hope to publish demographic data about our interns and the program's results.We are continuing our efforts to grow the program and offer opportunities to more students each year.You can help by spreading the word about KEMI. To learn more about our program, interested individuals can reach out to the program at 859-277-2512, info@kemi.org or www.kemi.org.Leslie Janecka is the Coordinator for the Kentucky Equine Management Internship program. The TDN's Heather Anderson is a KEMI graduate.The post Letter to the Editor: KEMI is Racing’s Best-Kept Secret appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.