Ep. 101: The Story Behind Horses and Hope – Jane Beshear on Breast Cancer Screenings at Kentucky Racetracks

Episode Notes

Learn more behind the meaning of the Grab & Go® to Give campaign and the incredible nonprofits we’re partnering with to show support for those impacted by breast cancer - https://www.standleeforage.com/promotions/grab-go-give/

On this episode, host Katy Starr chats with Jane Beshear, former First Lady of Kentucky and founder of Horses and Hope, about how she turned a lifelong love of horses into a movement that brings breast cancer education and mobile screenings to medically underserved individuals in the horse industry, including: 

• How Horses and Hope began and why they focused on racetracks and backside of the track 
• The impact of fundraising $1 million for a mobile cancer screening van that now provides thousands of mammograms and cancer screenings all across Kentucky
• Practical steps every listener can take for early detection

Plus, we talk about her equestrian background, the important role horses have played in her life, and how connecting with survivors at the Horses and Hope hosted events has changed her life.

🎧 Listen now on the Beyond the Barn podcast

Have a topic idea or feedback to share? We want to connect with you! Email podcast@standlee.com

_______________________________

*Views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Standlee Premium Products, LLC.*

_______________________________

Connect with Horses and Hope –

• Website - https://kcp.louisville.edu/horses-hope
• Facebook - @HorsesandHope
• Instagram - @kycancer1

Donate to Horses and Hope - https://give.uoflhealthfoundation.org/horsesandhope

_______________________________

Read full episode transcript

Katy Starr (00:01):

Hi, I'm Katy Starr and you're listening to Beyond the Barn. Join me on this journey as we bust equine and livestock nutrition myths and sit down with some of the most intriguing experts from across the country. We'll also take you behind the scenes of how premium western quality forage is grown and brought to your favorite farm and ranch retail store. I'm so glad you're here.

 

Katy Starr (00:29):

Did you know breastcancer.org shares that one in eight women in the US will face invasive breast cancer in her lifetime, though less common about 1 in 726 men can also develop breast cancer. Think about your sister, your aunt, or your mother who has battled breast cancer, or maybe even yourself. Maybe you've been the one on the other side of receiving a breast cancer diagnosis. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this year Standlee is turning some of our iconic grain Grab and Go bales pink to support those battling breast cancer. You can find these in farm and ranch retail stores nationwide that carry Standlee Grab and Go Bales. A portion of the proceeds from our pink bales will be donated to five impactful nonprofit organizations that we've had the honor of working with - Living Beyond Breast Cancer, Riding Beyond, Rural Gone Urban Foundation Love Bombs program, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and a new partner we're honored to highlight on today's episode, Horses and Hope.

 

Katy Starr (01:34):

We'll include more details about the pink bales and these incredible nonprofits in our show notes, spot a pink bale, share the news with your family, friends, and barn community. Post it on your social media. Tell your riding friends and help us make a difference for anyone who might face this life-changing diagnosis in the future. Today we're talking with a very special guest, a former Kentucky First Lady and equestrian who has been the heart and driving force behind Horses and Hope, the program that has brought a mobile mammogram and cancer screening van to horse tracks and events, all across Kentucky. This is such a great conversation, and I can't wait for you to hear it. Welcome back to another episode of Beyond the Barn. Our next guest, Jane Beshear, is the former first lady of Kentucky, a lifelong equestrian who has competed and ridden throughout her life and a founder of Horses and Hope, a program she launched back in 2008 to bring cancer education screenings and support directly to the people who work in our horse industry. Through her leadership, Horses and Hope has raised over a million dollars to create a mobile cancer screening van, and she's helped host thousands of breast cancer survivors at events across the state, especially at Kentucky's iconic thoroughbred racetracks. Her passion for horses is a family affair shared by her children and grandchildren, along with her family's commitment to public service with both her husband and son serving as Kentucky Governors. Mrs. Beshear, thank you so much for joining us today on the Beyond the Barn podcast.

 

Jane Beshear (03:14):

I'm delighted to be here and talk about one of my favorite subjects.

 

Katy Starr (03:19):

And it's such a good, I mean, as we go into the month of October, I think it's becoming very recognizable for breast cancer awareness and everything, and I can't tell you how excited I am to have you on to talk about this amazing program that you have got started and everything. But before we get into that, Mrs. Beshear, can you tell us just a little bit about where you grew up and your background with horses?

 

Jane Beshear (03:44):

Well, I grew up in Kentucky. I was actually born in Tennessee, which my husband being in politics would never let me tell until after he got out.

 

Katy Starr (03:53):

,

 

Jane Beshear (03:53):

I grew up in the western part of the state and then Lexington is where I graduated from high school and college. I have been one of those people and I truly believe that was born with a passion for horses. I've always loved them from the time I was little bitty and every time I had the chance to be around one, get on one, I took the opportunity. As a matter of fact, when I was in grade school, I used to make friends with people who had horses, so they would invite me over to ride.

 

Katy Starr (04:20):

That's awesome. You have to have good friends that have connections, right?

 

Jane Beshear (04:24):

You are right. You are right. And then when I was in high school, I had a friend who loaned me a horse that kind of really set everything else in motion. In college I took every class that was offered as far as horses are concerned, even though I didn't major in in agriculture or anything. But it's just been one of those things I've spent my whole life loving it and trying to be involved in every way possible.

 

Katy Starr (04:50):

That's awesome. So, it wasn't something that necessarily was easy like in your family or anything. They didn't have horses themselves. You kind of had to find a way to feed that passion that you had with horses.

 

Jane Beshear (05:03):

Well, I think when anybody gets that kind of a passion, you will find every avenue you can. My parents did not object to it. When I started getting really involved, particularly in high school, as a matter of fact, my father told me years later, that was probably the only thing that saved me as a teenager was that . And it's always been for me, one of those, I always told my husband, it was like a psychiatrist, except it was cheaper and he didn't believe that anymore after all these years.

 

Katy Starr (05:32):

like, is it horse ownership? I don't know. But they do fit that bill very well. I would say.

 

Jane Beshear (05:39):

Well, anytime that you're down and out and when Steve was governor, the pressures that get to you. So, I would just leave and come home and saddle up a horse and go out and ride or get ready for a show or something. And it just took me to a world that was mine and the four footed animal. That has always been my best friend.

 

Katy Starr (06:00):

Yeah. Yeah. And when did you start competing? Were you in like high school and in your younger years? Or was it when you were older when you started?

 

Jane Beshear (06:08):

No, I was older. One of my passions still is, is fox hunting, and I always wanted to do it. And so, after Andy, who's now the governor was born, I really got started in it and I hunted for years and then I ended up buying a horse that was really unsafe. So I took it all the way back to what I had learned in college and dressage and other things. And somebody said, well, you ought to go to an event, take this horse to an event, which I did, and I was hooked.

 

Katy Starr (06:37):

Oh,

 

Jane Beshear (06:38):

It's so exciting. The eventing world is dressage, which is the fine dancing as I like to call it, with the horse, the show jumping, and the cross country. And it just fit me perfectly. And I did it for close to 30 years, traveled all over the east coast chasing every event that I could, and I've had some really good horses and I've had some that were not so good, but still, it was always a challenge and something that I loved and I was always competing against others, but really competing against myself, always finding where I needed to improve what I was doing.

 

Katy Starr (07:15):

That's awesome. And that's such a good way to look at it too, because wanting to better yourself and yourself as your greatest competitor. I always like the mindset in teaching my children to focus more on every time you go out there to do whatever you're doing, I want you to just do better than you did the last time you were out there. That's all I want you to focus on. And I think it just kind of really puts that not like a bad pressure, it's like a good pressure to keep it more positive and growing yourself as a better, whether it be a horse person or you know, in your professional career, whatever it is that you're doing.

 

Jane Beshear (07:48):

Well, I do that with my granddaughter who's now 15, and she is now eventing and she will come out of a dressage test or something else and she would say, well, the judge just didn't like me. And I said, Lila, it's not that she didn't like you, but this gives you an opportunity. Look at your sheet, find out where you can improve of your own. And I said, this is all about you and the horse. So, the way to get a better score is improve your riding with your horse.

 

Katy Starr (08:17):

Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. And so, you've had, I think, a handful of horses over the years. Do you have a heart horse? Is there a horse that really you connected with in a way that words can't even hardly describe through your time in your horse ownership journey?

 

Jane Beshear (08:35):

Well, I've had several, but probably my very, wasn't my first, but I had a horse that I was eventing who was good and he got hurt. So, I had a friend who had a Connemara and she called me and said, would you take this horse and compete it? It's been with a professional, but I want an amateur to ride it. And the horse that I was riding was over 17 hands. And a Connemara is not, he was 15 hands with his shoes on . So when she brought him, I really wasn't sure. But I took him to that first event, we won it and he won everything after that. He was Training Horse of the Year and Preliminary Horse of the Year. And I decided that I was a pretty good rider. But what I learned later with other horses that it was the horse. It wasn't necessarily the rider.

 

Katy Starr (09:21):

. He made you look real good, huh? .

 

Jane Beshear (09:24):

He did. And then I have one now that actually he is not sound right now, but he's an import from Ireland and he looks sort of like a Connemara. He came to me at a time in my life that I really needed it. I had had some not so good horses and I was very frustrated and my husband was in office and or getting into office and I wanted to go back to eventing. But you know, you go through that process of age, am I too old? Should I not do this? Maybe it's not so safe. And I just thought, you know what? I want to do it. He took me back, not to an upper level, but he took me back further than I thought I would ever go again.

 

Katy Starr (10:02):

Oh, that's amazing.

 

Jane Beshear (10:03):

He's probably the most expensive animal because I've had to take, you know, he's had a lot of issues, but you know what it's worth every penny. I love him to death.

 

Katy Starr (10:10):

Aw. Aw, that's so sweet. I love to hear that. And so, obviously you're more driven towards English riding and eventing. What kind of drew you to that interest to begin with versus any other discipline that you could have gotten into?

 

Jane Beshear (10:27):

The jumping, it's a thrill. The power of the horse and, and the connection that goes with it. It's just, it's hard to even describe, but I'll tell you, I have ridden every kind of horse that there is. I've ridden Paso Finos, I've ridden a gaited mule.

 

Katy Starr (10:43):

Oh really?

 

Jane Beshear (10:44):

I've ridden every, probably, almost every kind of horse that there is. And it was so funny because when Steve was in office, people did not believe that I was a rider. They just thought it was typical hype that you get for people that are in the political world or any kind of recognizable world. And then I kind of showed them

 

Katy Starr (11:04):

, and you're like, yeah, I can actually do it. . Yeah. That's awesome. And so, you talked a little bit about your granddaughter competing now, but talk about your family's involvement, your children, grandchildren in the equine industry because from where you started to just the involvement, now you guys share a love for horses and I think that's really great and it's going down the line. So talk to us a little bit about that.

 

Jane Beshear (11:30):

Well, in the beginning when I started Fox hunting, I started the boys with me. They were young. And as soon as I could get them in the saddle, I did. And then they started hunting with me each as they came of age, that I, that was safe. And then Steve felt like he was home alone, so he decided to join us. That was a period of time that was so much fun for us, all four of us riding together. And I've said many times that, you know, I didn't play soccer and I didn't play baseball and I didn't play football or any of those kinds of things, but riding together were some of the best experiences I had with my children. I will never forget a time when my oldest son said to me, he said, mom, when I'm out here, everybody treats me like an adult. And I said, this is a lesson, Jeff, when you are doing an adult sport and when you ride properly, when your manners are there, they're going to treat you like an adult. That was a great lesson for him. He's now an equine vet, so it stuck .

 

Katy Starr (12:31):

Yeah, yeah. And I saw that and I was like, how cool of a full circle moment there for him. Like it, it was something that he grew to love so much. He became an equine veterinarian, which is amazing. Because our equine vets are, I mean, we need them so much. And so, That's awesome. I love that. You have a granddaughter that's competing.

 

Jane Beshear (12:51):

I do. And I have a grandson. The vet's, my oldest son's son is a really good event rider.

 

Katy Starr (12:58):

Oh, awesome.

 

Jane Beshear (13:00):

He's been in it since he was a child too. So, we love the fact that all of them are doing it.

 

Katy Starr (13:05):

Yeah, that is so cool. And what a special time to share with your family. Like when you think about the outings and things that you can do with your full family like that, I bet those are some of your most cherished memories from growing up and the kids growing up and all of that, that it just sounds really, really amazing.

 

Jane Beshear (13:25):

It was a really special time, you know, and still is because we still share the love of the horse, all of us. And you know, that has kept us very involved with the industry as a whole. . Steve was very good to the horse industry when he was in office. And now Andy, as the governor, understands the horse industry and knows it's important to the Commonwealth of Kentucky. 

 

Katy Starr (13:50):

Mm-Hmm . That's awesome. And so, what would you say is probably the most important thing that horses have taught you in your life so far?

 

Jane Beshear (14:00):

Patience. I'm one of those people that, I ought to have that sign that says, God give me patience now.

 

Katy Starr (14:06):

. Now

 

Jane Beshear (14:09):

I always said, you know, it teaches patience. It teaches responsibility. And those are two things that go with you for your whole life, no matter what you do.

 

Katy Starr (14:19):

Yeah. Yeah. They definitely are good life teachers. I think so. And so, you were the first Lady of Kentucky from 2007 until 2015. Take us to the moment that the idea landed for you to start the nonprofit Horses and Hope in 2008 with the Kentucky Cancer Program as a way to reach horse industry workers with breast cancer education and screenings. What kind of inspired the start of something so impactful for folks in Kentucky?

 

Jane Beshear (14:53):

When we came in office, the Connie Sorrell, who heads up the Kentucky Cancer Program, came to me and said, Jane, a number of the past first ladies have been involved with breast cancer and they've done things like teas and birthday cards and things like that. And she said, would you do something? And I said to her, I said, well, I'm not a person that does teas and cards are not high on the list. But I said, if we could partner it with my passion, which is horses, I feel like we've got some things that we can do. And that's kind of how it grew. We decided that if we would partner with all the racetracks in Kentucky, and I called in all the presidents of the racetracks and talked to them about what we wanted to do, because what we were going to offer was free mammograms for the people that worked on the backside of the track.

 

Jane Beshear (15:47):

If they did not have insurance or when we would offer it if they had insurance, but that we would go to the backside of the track. Because so many of those people are transient and they go from track to track. And they are, they really don't have the opportunity for healthcare. And if we don't have them, we don't have anything. You just can't operate in that kind of an industry without people who work on the backside of the track. And I mean, horse hot walkers, groomers, people that feed the whole thing. And so, yeah, we decided to start this. And a lot of the people on the back side of the track are women because women connect with horses so well. So that's really how it got started. And I told these gentlemen, I said, if you will give me one race day, a year, a season, we will invite, we'll focus on breast cancer and women, and we will invite breast cancer survivors to come out and have a day at the races and get to know the industry and just enjoy a fun day with other people who have been through the same kind of struggles that you have.

 

Jane Beshear (16:58):

As I would tell those ladies, we would do a lunch and then have the races. And one race was always devoted to Horses and Hope. So we would give the trophy the survivors and myself would give the trophy. And it was really interesting because one of the days the jockey turned to me and he said, this is so important to me because my wife is going through breast cancer right now. So I had said to them, what I would love to see happen is that we would do this at these racetracks and then bring in the screenings for the workers, but then also to celebrate the survivorship of all of these ladies. And that became a great opportunity. We had great fun with all of it. And people would come back year after year after year, developed an interest in racing, which is one of the things we wanted to do. But also to be in a place where others had gone through what they were, but they were having fun, you know? And there would be people who were still on chemo. It would be people that had been a survivor for 20 years, but they would all come. And as I would tell them, whether you win this race today or not, you've won the greatest race of all, which is your life.

 

Katy Starr (18:10):

Absolutely. That is so special. I love that. So you have the pink stable tied into that. Explain that a little bit.

 

Jane Beshear (18:18):

Well, when we started this, I decided to form a group of women that I know that are in the horse industry. We had trainers, one was a trainer, one was a former jockey, one was a breeder. Well, two were breeders. And the group of them all had something to do in the horse industry. And so, they were my backup. They would go to all the events with us, and people knew them because of their involvement in the industry. And they are a great group of gals. And they'll tell you to this day, it was some of the greatest times of our lives because of what we were able to experience with survivors. And with the beauty of the pink on the track, I can't tell you how beautiful that is. And when we started this, I said, at the time, I would love to see us evolve into maybe Oaks becoming pink and be dedicated to breast cancer.

 

Jane Beshear (19:13):

Well, guess what? It's been pink for years. And Churchill Downs will decorate the whole area in pink, and the horses will wear pink saddle cloths and the outriders wear pink jackets. And even the bugler got himself a pink jacket so that when he did the call to the races, he would fit right in. My goodness. To see that. To see. And within that, we did a survivor's parade, those ladies. And now it's all cancers. It's not just breast cancer. But those ladies would come out and walk down the track with significant others. Someone that was their support system or something. Yeah. And the crowd would just go crazy cheering them. And the tears that I saw and the smiles that I saw will last me a lifetime.

 

Katy Starr (20:01):

Oh. And what amazing community you created with this program. That sounds so incredible. And so, you helped raise $1 million through the program to launch the Horses and Hope Cancer screening van. So, tell us a little bit more about the van and the impact that it's made in the equine industry there in Kentucky.

 

Jane Beshear (20:24):

Well, when we were getting ready to leave office, you know, one of the difficult things about being in governor or anything else like that is that when you leave, the next person has all new policies. And I didn't want this to go away. I wanted it to stay. So that was the real reason behind raising the money for this van, so that it continued to provide these services. And now it provides services for, you know, it'll go to churches, it'll go to the malls, it'll go a lot of different places, not just to the track. Still goes to the track. And the idea was to provide a mobile unit that could do the screening, and now it does screening for seven types of cancers. But it was one of those, so many times people will say, well, I don't have time. I don't have time to go.

 

Jane Beshear (21:12):

To go get a mammogram or to get screened for colon cancer, or my employer won't give me time. So we said, well, then we'll come to you. And that's what we've done, is we've taken it, it still goes to the tracks, but we also take it other places. And a friend of mine's husband was a dealer for Ford here in Lexington. And so, they gave us a pink Mustang. And it's decorated with a Horse and Hope logo, and it travels the state all the time. And so, it brings to mind for all those people about Horses and Hope. And they would be driving down the road, and somebody would go by and honk. Because you of their connection with it. We even took it in a, there was a race up in Northern Kentucky and we even took it in the race.

 

Katy Starr (22:02):

Oh, awesome.

 

Jane Beshear (22:03):

It didn't win. It didn't win.

 

Katy Starr (22:05):

But still the experience. Right. ?

 

Jane Beshear (22:08):

Well, it was the visual because whether you're at a car track or whether you're at the racetrack, or whether you're at church or whether you're, there, are people there that need to be screened? If they're not screened at that particular time, they need to be reminded. And these have been reminders for people. Right now, the van is at the Kentucky State Fair and they're doing screenings for all the people that come in for the state fair.

 

Katy Starr (22:37):

That's awesome. You've talked about the different racetracks and things that you guys have gone to with the van and everything and the events that you put on. But what are some of the particular events, Horses and Hope does put on to kind of help spread awareness that encourages people to get these screenings and to utilize the resources that the program has available?

 

Jane Beshear (23:01):

Well, we were also have been involved in the American rodeo. We have done the state fair horse show. We've done the junior league horse show. Those are the saddle horses, the gaited horses. We've been to Walking Horse shows. We have been a part of almost every single part of horses. And we even started a trail ride at our Kentucky Horse Park. It was to come dressed in pink and it was dedicated to survivors, but anybody could come so long as they wore pink. So we did a number of those and that was really fun. Again, a visual. But as much as that an opportunity, there's so many breast cancer survivors in all walks of life, you and I see them every day. You may not realize it, but they're there.

 

Katy Starr (23:48):

Yeah. That's one thing that I've learned a little bit. Breast cancer hits very close to home for me because I was in middle school when my mom had breast cancer. And so, this is something that's been a part of my life for a really long time. But the amount of times that I've been able to interact with folks who have either had it or just getting to know them better and understand their journeys a little bit better, there are some that you may not even realize. Because yes, you have some that you can, you know, they're going through the chemotherapy, the radiation, the, the things that outwardly completely debilitate a person and make it just such a struggle for them. But there are some that you would never know. And internally, it's exhausting. And they're fighting those battles that the outside world would not know. It's just as difficult. And it's just as much of a struggle. And so, that's something that can bring us all together is, is understanding that cancer in general, but breast cancer, it doesn't discriminate. This is something that impacts everybody. I think it's amazing the ways that you guys are trying to get out there and interact with as many people as possible, just to be able to bring them something that could be lifesaving for them.

 

Jane Beshear (25:03):

And I'm sure that you experienced this, but when we first got started in this, we were at a period of time in our society that we didn't want to talk about breasts and body parts. And particularly for women because breast cancer and you lose your breast or whatever, and you don't feel whole, but you are the person within is the most important person. And so, we started talking about it and it became a common conversation whenever you saw pink or some kind of an event that you would go to or whatever. And interesting. We were doing an event at one point in time, and a gentleman came up to me and he said, Jane, I love what you're doing, but let me tell you that it's not just women. He said, I'm going through breast cancer.

 

Katy Starr (25:47):

Yeah.

 

Jane Beshear (25:48):

And there are a number of men, they started coming to all of our programs, and one of the gentlemen still wears a bracelet all the time. You know, that shows that he is a breast cancer survivor. So we want to classify that. It's, let's not talk about that. But we have to. And I'll give you another example of that. When my husband was, oh gosh, I guess he was turning 50 at that time, and all of a sudden there came on these TV shows and ads and everything about prostate cancer. Again, something we never talked about. Nobody talked about it. And it's still hard for men to talk about it. Well, it started, it was talking about the symptoms and everything. And he started thinking about it, and he got tested and sure enough he had it, and he's fine, he's a survivor. But you just, those are the kind of things that until it's voiced, until it's in front of you, you think it's not going to be me. Right. I don't want to think about that. So it's really important for people to understand. And the screenings that are available, whether it's lung cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, that's a tough one. Because there are very few symptoms.

 

Katy Starr (27:00):

Yeah.

 

Jane Beshear (27:01):

But there are all of these, the only way that we ever defeat cancer in this world is by early detection.

 

Katy Starr (27:10):

Right.

 

Jane Beshear (27:11):

Yeah. And the more we talk about it, the more we encourage people we've done with that mobile unit, we've done over 20,000 mammograms.

 

Katy Starr (27:21):

That's amazing.

 

Jane Beshear (27:22):

And you think about the number of people that we will have touched that never would've understood it or thought about it, or they might have thought, well, I have a lump in my breast, but it's not anything. It'll get better.

 

Katy Starr (27:35):

Sweep it under the rug. And you don't want to do that.

 

Jane Beshear (27:39):

This is a program that I have to tell you I'm so proud of. And the thing I love the most, as I said, I wanted to have a lasting impact. Well, now my daughter-in-law, Brittany, who is First Lady of Kentucky, is now an ambassador for Horses and Hope, and as well as our lieutenant governor, who's a woman who's had breast surgery. So the tradition is carrying on the whole thing. And that was the reason for the mobile unit. It's not one person. It's the whole movement. So, I love seeing that the mobile unit is out and about, and I love to know that Brittany and Lieutenant Governor Coleman are out there supporting it and continuing talking to people about the need for early detection.

 

Katy Starr (28:23):

That's great. You've mentioned a couple of things today, but I'm wondering, you've welcomed thousands of breast cancer survivors to events, you know, across Kentucky. Is there a story that from one of those days that still just kind of gives you goosebumps when you think about it?

 

Jane Beshear (28:42):

Oh gosh. There could be so many. There was one lady that came to every single event, and she was in her eighties, and she just said, this is the thing that I look forward to the most. You know, it's just, she said, I just love it. But then we've had young people that all of a sudden realize that they might be susceptible, and sure enough, they end up with breast cancer. But if they catch it early enough, then they too will be survivors. But one of the people, I don't know if it, I can't remember if it was an owner or a trainer, knew about all the things we were doing because of the working with the backside of the track. And it made her start to think maybe she should be checked. And sure enough, they found she had breast cancer. And had it not been for this program, and reminding her she might not have ever caught it.

 

Katy Starr (29:38):

Right. Caught it in time or anything. Yeah. That's amazing how, I mean, you've talked a little bit just the impact this program has had on Kentucky, but also on yourself and what you hope for being able almost to leave like a bit of a legacy, if you will. But how do you hope that Horses and Hope continues to grow and shape the future, not only for Kentucky, but maybe even as a model that other horse communities across the country could follow?

 

Jane Beshear (30:10):

Well, actually it has become that, and there are a lot of similar programs that have started across the country and even across the world. And so, as I said, it's not my legacy, it's the legacy of early detection screening, awareness. The greatest thing that we can do for all of us and our children, grandchildren, and everybody else, is to find ways for them to become aware. And after all, your health is your own responsibility.

 

Katy Starr (30:42):

Yeah.

 

Jane Beshear (30:43):

And I often say to women in women's groups, I said, I know you take care of your husband and your children and your, you know, maybe you keep your grandchildren, but if you don't take care of yourself, you can't do those things. So, the value of understanding yourself, your body is important not only to you, but to everybody that you ever come in contact with.

 

Katy Starr (31:08):

Yeah. Like that mindset of the oxygen mask on the airplane, you have to be able to make sure that you have yourself taken care of so you can keep helping others.

 

Jane Beshear (31:18):

That's exactly right.

 

Katy Starr (31:18):

Yeah. And do you have any last words that you'd like to leave our listeners with as we wrap up this episode?

 

Jane Beshear (31:27):

Well, I just want to encourage them to stay aware. And whether you are a horse person or not, our health is the most important thing we have. If we don't have our health, we can't ride our horses. If we don't take care of ourselves and others, then it's a pretty sad world. So I want people to be aware. And I know with a company that you represent, you all do things for the health of the horse. You know, a lot of your products are to improve the life and health of the animal. It's the same thing that we're doing.

 

Katy Starr (32:03):

Take care of the horses. Take care of yourself, ,

 

Jane Beshear (32:07):

And that takes care of the world.

 

Katy Starr (32:09):

Yeah. And I think I'll throw in just that reminder, if you haven't got your mammogram scheduled, do that. Because I think that's for our listeners to think about. Make sure that you're getting your mammograms done. It'll be worth it.

 

Jane Beshear (32:24):

Every year. They recommend it now for 45 to 50, but I would encourage all women, do your self checks.

 

Katy Starr (32:34):

Absolutely.

 

Jane Beshear (32:35):

You know your body more than anybody, and if you find something in your breast that is not normal or that you worry about, it can just be a tiny little place. That tiny little place can become bad over time. So again, it is each of us, this responsibility to take care of ourselves and to know and to use all of the services that are available to us. There is no reason in this day and time that you couldn't be a survivor. And that's, even with this program, these people received a free mammogram. If they couldn't afford it, we gave it to them. Then would be, if they found something, they would be referred onto some provider with Medicaid so that they could go ahead and have it treated.

 

Katy Starr (33:26):

Yeah. Get it taken care of. That's great. And so, Mrs. Beshear, so how could our listeners stay in touch with Horses and Hope and support or donate to the program if they'd like to?

 

Jane Beshear (33:41):

Well, Horses and Hope is a program that operates right now out of the University of Louisville, their medical school and program. And so, if people would like to donate, or even if they want to just get more information, it's on Facebook. Facebook has a lot of information about Horses and Hope, but if people want to join in the continuation of the program and want to donate money, we're always willing to take it. And with that, you just go to give.uoflhealthfoundation.org/horsesandhope. And that's a lot. That's a mouthful. But if you just go to the Horses in Hope, you can be directed to any place. And the Kentucky Cancer Program is the program that we operate through and I can't say enough about them. Not only can you have the mammogram, but they're navigators. And that's the hard part that if you end up being diagnosed is where do you go from there? How do you know who to go to, where to go, or how to get it paid for if you don't have insurance? So programs like this, and most states have cancer programs of some kind, but this I'm so proud of, and the University of Louisville have been so good to us over the years, but it's also at the University of Kentucky. It's everywhere in our state, so it's very easy to find.

 

Katy Starr (35:07):

Excellent. I will make sure that I put some links to the socials and to the donation in our show notes, so that way listeners can just go in there, click on the link and go straight to it if they're interested. Mrs. Beshear, thank you so much for your time, and thank you for thinking of such an amazing program that I think is so beneficial to our equine industry and helping folks just take care of their health a little bit better and their families and things like that. So thank you so much for being on today and taking time out of your day to share with us.

 

Jane Beshear (35:43):

My pleasure. Like I said, this has probably been one of the most important things to me, is that we have developed a program like this, and I just want it to continue, so your listeners can help with that.

 

Katy Starr (35:56):

Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you for your time today. We sure appreciate it.

 

Jane Beshear (36:01):

Thank you.

 

Katy Starr (36:02):

We may not have a cure for breast cancer yet, but let's support the women and men in our lives to be brave and find their strength during this difficult season of life. Let's shower them with love and give them the best gift we can to help them rediscover themselves, heal from the trauma caused from battling breast cancer, and build beautiful memories with their families. And don't forget to get out there and get your annual mammogram done. Download this episode on Apple or Spotify and share and go find some pink bales. Help us make a difference.