He’s Not Horsing Around

Amid virtual classes, iMPA student returned to his equestrian roots

By Matthew Higginbotham

When stay-at-home orders began in March 2020, many turned to their pastimes for comfort. Keith Asmussen, iMPA ’22, turned to horse racing. When classes went virtual, Asmussen packed for Arkansas to work for his father, a Hall of Fame trainer and former jockey at Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs.

“Being born into a horse racing family, some of my earliest memories are of horses,” says Asmussen. “I started galloping horses on the racetrack when I was 16 and have ever since.” Every morning before class, Asmussen rode horses, an opportunity he usually gets only during the summer. By mid-June, he was fit enough to race professionally for the first time and rode at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas. By the end of July, he had ridden in more than 15 races.

“What I admire most about horses,” Asmussen says, “is their variety of personalities and response to being treated with class and respect.”