Part One of TrackMyHorse.com - A Look Into the Future of Barrel Racing

Mike Mahan spent years developing a computer system to help his wife Tracy improve her times in the International Barrel Racing Association. In the end, what Mike created changed both Tracy's barrel racing career and both of their lives.

The program Mike created is now known as TrackMyHorse.com, a website used by nearly 100 barrel racers across the country to monitor their horses’ performance.

Now based in Texas, TrackMyHorse.com began six years ago out of Mike’s desire to help Tracy improve in the arena. He created his own program to follow her times in each arena, monitor the winning times and to track outside factors like supplements, shoeing schedules and veterinary appointments.

“The real core of this was to see Tracy succeed,” Mike said. “This is for any
parent for their child or for any husband for their wife who wants them to
succeed."

With the ability to track her progress and gain a better understanding of factors contributing to both good and bad runs, Tracy’s times began improving.

“It was through other people seeing it in the grandstands that this really took off,” Mike said. In the grandstands at IBRA Nationals in Murfreesboro, Tenn., one year, people saw Mike using his Tracks system and begged him to make it available for others to use.

Knowing how the system had helped Tracy, the couple set off to make TrackMyHorse available to barrel racers nationwide. Six years in the making, TrackMyHorse.com was released on the Internet in January 2009 and is now available for $12.95 per month.

The husband and wife team are not just Internet entrepreneurs, though; when they aren't running barrel horses or working on TrackMyHorse.com, Mike and Tracy are a private flight crew that fly across the country. They use their down time to run TrackMyHorse.com, and even more, they have begun setting up booths at large barrel races in Texas and Oklahoma to advertise the website.

In route to Glen Rose, Texas, for a Win $ More barrel race, Mike and Tracy discussed TrackMyHorse and all of its features with TheBarrelRacingBlog. Stick around the next three days to see what TrackMyHorse might have to offer, plus gain some insight into the lives of Mike and Tracy Mahan.

Calf Manna Coupon!

Hey everyone! I may have mentioned earlier that I rely on Calf Manna Pro for some extra go-juice for my old barrel mare. Well, while cruising around Facebook today, I actually saw an advertisement that wasn't bogus! 

Calf Manna Pro is offering $2 off a 50 lb bag! I think I'm out of it, so this coupon really helps on my tight budget!

Aren't online coupons fun?

Ed Henle - Part 2 - Training Tools, Arenas and Products

In this part of the series, Henle talks about many of the tools and products he uses in his training. He also covers the arenas he likes and the ground on which he prefers to run. 

How far are you willing to travel for a show and why?

- I try to stay within four to five hours, but if it’s a big show with a lot of added $ I’d drive further.

What kind of truck and trailer do you drive?

- I have a 3 horse Elite, and I pull it with a Dodge.

What’s your favorite bit for a young horse and why?

- Don’t really have a specific bit for a young horse, but generally its something real mild.

What’s your favorite bit for an older horse and why?

- Nothing specific, basically whatever works. I do a lot of bit changing depending on the horse and situation.

What’s your favorite training tool and why?

- It’s probably something as simple as a round pen because it makes training so much easier.

Where is your favorite place to run and why?

- I really don’t have a favorite place, but I’d have to say Roberts Arena in Wilmington.  The ground was always good and my horse usually runs good there, but lately I’ve been hearing that the ground there is terrible. I heard that they are moving the New Years show to another location because of the bad ground. But I’d still have to go with Wilmington.

Where is your least favorite place to run and why?

-Porchview. The ground is always terrible and the setup is bad around the chute.

What type of ground do you prefer to run on?

-Gunner is all slide so I don’t really like super deep ground.  I really try not to worry too much about the ground unless of course it’s horrible.  Sometimes the more you analyze it, the more problems you’re going to have.           

Do you like to be at the top, middle or bottom of the ground?

- I prefer to be towards the end of classes but the top or middle of drags.

Any products/supplements you live by or just really believe work?

- I have my horses on the Dynamite feed program; it really seemed to calm down Gunner.  For awhile I was having tons of trouble getting him in the arena, but after I switched he’s calmed down a bunch, and I don’t really have any problems.

 

Natural Calming Product - Select At Ease

Sometimes, we all need to take the edge off. In barrel horses, that sometimes may come around more often than not. Instead of resorting to PromAce, which can be expensive and can have nasty side effects, I've found a product that is working wonders for a young horse I have - At Ease, made by Select the Best. 

This young horse had never been off the farm when I bought her, and she was extremely nervous all the time. She had worried away all of her weight, and though she was eating bagfuls of Strategy, she couldn't pick up the weight. She would jump and kick in her stall, and no matter how much we rode her, she never got tired of pawing or screaming. We hauled her to shows and rodeos, and even though she rode fine, she acted like a weanling tied to the trailer. 

So, in February, a friend gave me an old tub of At Ease powder that she had had for years and had never used. She just said she didn't know if it would help or not, but that it was worth a try. Desperate, I gave it a shot. 

I gave her a tablespoon of At-Ease powder for four days before I took her anywhere, then gave her extra a few hours before we hauled. Within a few weeks, she was standing quietly at the trailer, picking up weight and not pawing when tied. She could concentrate on her barrels rather than the other horses, and her times changed dramatically. 

At-Ease has Thiamine (B1), Pyridoxine (B6), Tryptophan (an amino acid) and Magnesium in its easy-to-feed powder, and my horse seems to not mind eating it. Before I started feeding it, I thought that maybe she was getting ulcers and I was really worried about her overall health. Now that she isn't fussing all of the time, though, I'm not so much worried about her stomach. 

I know a lot of people use Ace to calm their horses down before competition, but this product takes the edge off without losing speed or performance. 

Big Dee's carries it, and within Ohio can deliver it within one day.