The Kentucky Equine Management Internship (KEMI) program coordinates internships for college students on commercial Thoroughbred farms in Central Kentucky. KEMI offers a comprehensive educational experience for students enrolled for academic credit through a sponsoring college or university, or for recent graduates of such institutions. Interns are employed full-time on prestigious Thoroughbred farms in the Lexington, Kentucky area and attend weekly lectures focused on expanding their knowledge of the Thoroughbred racing industry. The interns also attend local industry events to allow for networking opportunities with industry professionals.

 

KEMI offers two internship sessions each year. The Spring session provides opportunities for interns to learn about the commercial breeding of Thoroughbreds. The Fall session focuses primarily on sales and marketing.

 

2019 will mark the 20th year that KEMI has provided internships. We have welcomed more than 750 interns from all fifty states and nineteen foreign countries. As a result of their participation, many of the KEMI graduates have found permanent employment in the horse industry in Central Kentucky and around the world.

 

The KEMI program is designed to assist students who are interested in jobs related to the equine industry, particularly those related to horse racing. Interns live and work (and get paid) on Central Kentucky Thoroughbred farms and attend weekly lectures related to industry issues. The work is hands-on with horses (cleaning stalls, grooming, feeding, etc.) The lectures relate to what is happening on the farms or within the industry. We request that applicants have at least basic horse handling experience; excellent references and some knowledge of production agriculture (have taken course or grown up around agriculture or livestock).