Sally Jane Mixon

The annual National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association Conference concluded Wednesday in Safety Harbor, Florida with a session on how retired racehorses are transforming the lives of first responders and military members, as well as school children of backstretch workers, and a session  showcasing products using cutting edge technology to provide 24/7 security for stables and state-of-the-art software to help trainers do their jobs. Sally Jane Mixon, a Canterbury Park backstretch chaplain, exercise rider and mental-health counselor with a BS in Human Development Studies and an MS in Professional Counseling,...

While racing seems to be scrambling for any piece of positive public perception it comes across, Sally Jane Mixon has a vision. She wants to save the lives of people across the country, and she wants to do it by bringing them to the backsides of racetracks to work with retired racehorses. "Mental health is a huge crisis right now everywhere you go," Mixon said. "The hope is to bring people who maybe have a bad taste in their mouth for racing and they'll come and work with off-track Thoroughbreds...