Organizing Horses

[Laura Smith]

I used spreadsheets for years, custom barns are a relatively recent addition, but they're an absolute godsend.

I mostly used my spreadsheets for entering, because I do all my entries in order of last date raced. These days I just filter my racing barn by "not entered" and sort by "last raced" and go from there, but in the olden days I'd have a spreadsheet with one row for each horse, organized by age and breed, and columns for sire, dam, etc. Then I had 16 rows, one for each week, and when a horse raced I'd put the country abbreviation in the appropriate week box. So it was reasonably easy to see at a glance when a horse last raced, how frequently, and where.

Now I use custom barns, like most. I have:

Active Runners - just what it says. Horses from "yearlings equipped" automatically move here upon turning 2.
Runners to wait on - horses that I've been disappointed with so far=, and am not actively racing, but am hoping to improve with age
2YOs equip not done - anything that I didn't manage to complete equips on before they turned 2. Horses from "yearlings no equip" automatically move here upon turning 2.
To Sell barn - runners to sell.
Waiting for AJ barn - shipped to my farm and waiting to turn 5 for free AJing.

Yearlings Equipped - equip confirmed or reasonably certain. Move automatically to active runners at year change.
Yearlings No Equip - not finished, move to 2YOs no equip at year change.

Main Breeding Barn - mares I intend to breed.
Mares to Sell - self explanatory.
Mares to Lease - "

Stallion Barn - all my studs in once place for quick access.
Foals Barn - same, easy place to view all foals.

Downside of this system (I only do entries from Active Runners and I only breed from Main Breeding) is that periodically I have to double check that no purchases, leases, etc. are left rotting away without a barn, because I don't always remember to assign them to a barn right away. I forgot about a Stew-bred until it was 4 this way.

[Craig Mcgee]

I enter the most runners and racers every season. I run everything from productive up. The only spreadsheet I am currently using is this https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing for my upcoming year 66 "Purge" auction series.
As far as entering goes I just use the racing barn. First I start with any freaks I currently have by highlighting in the gallop box freaks. Then in the status box I highlight not entered. Now I know what freaks need a race I further sort by last raced and then I know when they can race again. I do this with stakes as well. Once they are done I move onto 4yo and up. By this time the only 4 yo and up in my racing barn are allowance and up. I start with breed/distance and enter them then so on and so on. Next I do the 3yo allowance the same way by breed/distance. I run the 3yo productives in claiming races and do those the same as the allowance. I do not keep any 3yo that are solid and under peak. Those 3yo solid and under that are not peak will gallop once a week by breed to keep them fit. As for 2yo allowance they are entered the same as the older horse by breed/distance, 2yo productives run claimers. All 2yo that are solid and under peak get pensioned. All 2yo solid and under not peak also gallop once a week by breed.

[Craig Mcgee]

As for breeding being my barn is so large I use the add/on Equiarmour broodmare book. It's like using a fancy spreadsheet I can sort by breed distance, stakes producers/winners and pecentage of allowance, stakes, or freaks. Without this my breeding would take longer. Also I mainly use in-house studs which helps.
I am able to have such a big stable due to the fact I have my own farm.

Speaking of that if you have anything 4yo and under just pension them, ship them to McGee's Pub and stable and offer them to me for $0 and poof they are no longer in your stable.

[Craig Mcgee]

Wow that was a lot of typing and thinking. Whew.

PS I do use the smart barns as well but mine are one for studs and another for mares that nick A+. Oh and one for stakes winners.