Kentucky Equine Research Employee Elected to Head State Horse Council

Shawna White, director of digital technology at Kentucky Equine Research, was recently elected president of the Kentucky Horse Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing education and welfare programming to protect horses throughout the state.

An invitation from a friend to join the council sparked Shawna’s interest in the group five years ago. Her involvement with the Kentucky Horse Council grew, and she was eventually elected to the organization’s board of directors. Since then, Shawna has taken on multiple roles, including serving as secretary and vice president.

While the Kentucky Horse Council organizes and hosts many events throughout the year, Shawna is most proud of two programs: the livestock investigative training (LIT) and the large animal emergency rescue (LAER) training. According to her, LIT teaches law enforcement and animal control officers how to recognize neglect cases and how to handle horses and ponies in precarious circumstances, while LAER exposes first responders to best practices when handling and extracting horses in dangerous situations, such as trailer accidents, barn fires, and sinkholes.

“These programs show the mission of the Kentucky Horse Council in action—to protect all horses in the commonwealth regardless of breed or discipline. In fact, several years ago when a horse managed by the Lexington Mounted Police got its shoe stuck in a pipe, the first responders on the scene had attended LAER training, which helped make the safe extrication of the horse possible,” she explained.

Shawna has been with Kentucky Equine Research for more than four years. As a leader in cutting-edge technology, the company helps feed manufacturers provide world-class nutrition to horses, connects with breeders to raise healthier horses, and provides horse owners with the best recommendations for their companions.

“As the director of digital technology, I am proud to manage the suite of software applications that Kentucky Equine Research has developed over the last 35 years and continue the company’s legacy of innovation,” Shawna said.

Outside of Kentucky Equine Research and the Kentucky Horse Council, Shawna is involved in the U.S. Pony Clubs as a chief horse management judge.