LOUISVILLE, Ky. — There are a group of people who work with horses all year round at Churchill Downs.

What You Need To Know

  •  The Backside Learning Center is located at the Backside of Churchill Downs in Louisville

  •  The center was created in 2004 to bridge the communications gap with many of the workers

  •  According to officials, 70%-80% of workers are from Mexiso or Guatemala

  • More than 1,000 people wotk on the Backside of Churchill Downs

If you ask Peyton Hobson about her job here, she lights up with joy.

“Yes, I just love being in the community and helping out when I can. I do marketing, so I get to do my art forms while supporting a community that I love,” said Hobson, who is the communications and marketing manager for the Backside Learning Center.

For over three years now, Hobson has worked at the non-profit, located in the physical back side of Churchill Downs in Louisville. Opened in 2004, the center was created to bridge the communications gap with many of the workers. The center has grown since then.

Hobson explained that the goal of the center is providing support and family in a safe, welcoming environment to the diverse community of race track workers and their families.

She said over 1,000 people work at the Backside of Churchill Downs.

Anywhere from 70% to 80% of them are from Mexico or Guatemala, according to Hobson. People work in many positions at the Backside, including as hot-walkers, grooms, exercise riders, foreman and trainers. Hobson said 600 workers live on the Backside, either in dorms or housing above the barns. Many also live off site in the surrounding neighborhoods.

So, what’s a typical day like?

“Most of the workers have a seven-day work week. They don’t have a day off. Their day starts at 4 a.m. or 5 a.m.. The race track is open for training at 5 a.m., so they have to get here before that. Yes, they work tirelessly every day,” Hobson explained.

The learning center offers a variety of programs: free English classes, after-school tutoring program and an academic support program for children called Front Runners. There’s a youth group and a mom’s support group. They also have resources, including a social services team with on-site staff to support people with things like health and legal referrals. That team also offers mental health therapy on site.

“It’s the whole family. We try to go full-circle with the whole family,” Hobson explained.

At the end of the day, they want this community to have all the tools they need to thrive and prosper.

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