OTTB Success Stories

Hi Elizabeth,

Just wanted to send you an update. Brett turned eight last Saturday (May 22), and he gave me a birthday present! We were champion in both of our divisions, classes of 14 & 16! He was fantastic! I’ve attached a photo of him with our ribbons.

Judi

Congratulations Judi! We are all very proud of our boy Brett. He was always a pleasure to ride and train and it is wonderful to see what these Thoroughbreds can do with the right training. Judi purchased Brett from Bits & Bytes Farm in September 2006.

Read Brett’s older success stories on the Bits & Bytes Farm Web site. See more photos on Brett’s Photo Gallery.

Elizabeth ,

I wanted to send a brief update on Hollywood Vic and with some photos my friend took of us.  A few weeks ago we signed up for a cross country clinic in the amoeba class of course!   Hollywood was very excited that morning. . . it was such a new experience for both of us! We plowed on through his excitement, he settled down and  was a real trooper as usual.  I hope we can do more of the X-C because we had a blast. . . but we will definitely stick with the “small jumps”!

We have lots of trails where we board so we get in lots of trail time which we both love. Hollywood has a huge pasture and every morning he gives his pasture mates a workout by running them around! They have a great time. . . he still acts like a “knucklehead”!  Forever the athlete!

I wanted to thank you so  much for helping me find my boy it has been two years and  when I look at him I still can not believe he is all mine!   What did I do before I had him? I can not imagine him not in my life.

I wanted you to know  that  your articles on your website about training Reign Day sure helped me. . .we are always a work in progress.  All those reminders really help!

One more interesting tidbit: I saw an article on Old Friends Equines’ website back in the winter on Academy Award.  I was so excited to see Hollywood’s Sire that I emailed Old Friends to tell them that I had Academy’s son and I sent them a photo of  Hollywood. They were so nice and seemed excited, too and  invited me to come up and meet Academy Award any time. I hope to do so this summer! They even emailed me a couple  of photos of Hollywood’s Daddy!   Scroll about mid way down the page via this link and see the write up on Academy Award.  So neat!

Thanks so much. . . we sure miss all out Bits and Bytes friends and hope everyone is doing well. Tell Bubba (Lynn’s Vision) that Hollywood says Hi!

Cheri Jackson

rFuhrluck was a former Prospect Horse on the Bits & Bytes Farm Web site.

Hi Elizabeth,

It’s been a long time. I just wanted to share a couple of photos of Fuhrluck aka “Seven” with you. As you can see he’s looking great! I still regularly keep in contact with his new owner, Dayna and I see him whenever I’m back in Ohio. I can’t imagine a happier, more loved horse.

“Seven” is a character and one of his favorite things to do is to play with and drink from the water hose. On the left is Jessy (Dayna’s daughter) and on the right is one of his best friends, Shana. I’ve been told that Shana wants first dibs on “Seven” if Dayna ever wants to sell him. She might have to fight me for it! But we’re probably safe as I don’t think “Seven” will be going anywhere anytime soon. He is the kind of horse you can’t help but love.

Furhluck loves to jump.

The following two photos are of Jessy and “Seven” at a schooling show from this past weekend.

I hope you are doing great! And, congratulations on your new bayby!

Amanda G. Sharritt

Read more of Fuhrluck’s success stories since 2007.

Please click here to read Furhluck’s oldest  success stories.

Thank you Amanda for the update. It is stories like these that made me get my own BAYby to train.

[View with PicLens]

Hi Elizabeth,

I wanted to give you an update on Wise Young Sage. He is AWESOME! Everywhere I go I feel like I’m with a celebrity. People literally stare at him with their jaws dropped all oohing and gooing over his beautiful floating trot & rocking horse canter. He has amazing potential to be competitive at the highest levels in eventing.

Wise Young Sage - May 2010

◄ Back

Next ►

Picture 1 of 6

I have had several people asking me if I want to sell him and I said HELL no! Sage has had some trouble with his feet so he has had the month of April off, he has no heel so I don’t know If that will ever grow out. He had a bad shoeing which didn’t help. He will be fine just some bruised heels.

Molly cantered him for the first time tonight and he was fabulous! He learns everything so fast. He now longes with voice commands and goes at the walk and trot over poles and now she can work on his canter leads! We just love him. I hope all is well at Bits & Bytes Farm.

We are very proud of Molly and Antioch. They are learning together with the help of a competent trainer and a supportive mom. Molly is in Pony Club and she is learning all kinds of new riding and training skills while working with this wonderful off-the-track Thoroughbred.

Who's Cindy Sue aka "Quinn" wins her first combined test!"

Hi Elizabeth!
Who’s Cindy Sue aka “Quinn” is starting to really come into herself these days! We won our first combined test last weekend, it was her first outing to an event and it was my first judged dressage test. This summer we are working at the Intro dressage level and jumping at the pre-elementary level with the goal to be schooling beginner novice at home by the time fall rolls around. Our score in dressage was a 67 (not scored the eventing way), which was way better than I had expected for us being our first time out. Her jumping test was 18″ in an open field and she tackled it in a very workmanlike manner. I was so proud! We plan to hit one schooling event per month and this summer is full of clinics and lessons with well known/respected people. Our next clinic is with Tim Mallin and Ann Marie Gregoire in June. I’ll keep you posted!

Rebecca Bonner-Austin

WHOO WHO! Congratulations! Way to go. – Elizabeth

Who's Cindy Sue aka "Quinn" wins her first combined test!

Ex-race horse, Fame For a Day loves dressage.

Hi E,
Just wanted to send you some pictures of me and my boy! I had a WONDERFUL Mother’s Day ride on him today! He’s so gorgeous and is starting to get very round in his work! Wishing you a very wonderful Mother’s Day!!!

Love,
Gloria

[View with PicLens]

Fame For a Day was too big to be a successful race horse but he is excelling in dressage with him mom Gloria Coleman seven years after leaving racing. See Fame For a Day’s older Success Stories on the Bits & Bytes Farm Web site.

I am very happy to report that Who’s Cindy Sue aka “Quinn” will be attending her first dressage schooling show this weekend. We are making our debut in the Intro Test A.  I have found a dressage trainer that has worked with us and has determined that her gate irregularity that the vets were deeming as “lameness” was truly a training and balance issue (I was ready to hop off and hug this woman!) In just two weeks of working with her and  using classical dressage techniques, I have a new, relaxed horse and she is becoming more and more regular.  Unbelievable how you train and ride can affect your horse!

I am new to dressage so I too am a student.  I am coming from the hunter/jumper world (25 years of this) where we hover in two point, dressage is a challenge but makes so much sense.  Here are two clips of us practicing pieces of our dressage test. We are getting longer periods of time where she is able to hold herself….the all important self carriage. No canter work yet except brief periods on a circle, she’ll get there!  She is also able to trot cross rails, but she does want to go, go go! Jumping is not going to be an issue for her. This summer our goal is to do Intro Tests A and B, and start schooling eventing at the amoeba/elementary level!

Rebecca Bonner Austin

Many horses coming off-the-track seem to have soundness issues but most of these are resolved with some chiropractic work and proper exercises. They use different muscles at the track and they need to be relaxed and rebuilt with proper exercise. Doing a chiropractic adjustment is not enough, you need to do exercises to build the muscles to hold the adjustment in place. If you can’t find a good chiropractor you can still do the exercises. Work on the lunge line at walk and trot and don’t do canter work until the horse is moving freely on both sides. Back your horse up when on the ground and see if she reaches under equally with both back legs. At first the horse will not reach very far underneath and there may be a large gap between the front and rear feet. Keep backing the horse every day until the feet almost touch when backing up. This will mean that the hips are unlocked and the horse can now reach underneath herself and build up the back and hind end muscles. When your horse is backing well, back her up a hill to increase the difficulty of the exercise. Find more information about “Does your horse need chiropractic care?” on the Bits & Bytes Farm Web site.

Just a quick note from Minnesota. Bank President aka “Banker” is excelling at everything, he really is too smart for his own good. He is learning to bend and we have almost got him over the playful bucking issue. He has an amazing canter stride and really tries hard to please. He is so cute when her free jumps! He gets all excited now and you can’t even hold  him at the end of the ring anymore. All he wants is to go through the grid. He hit a rail once hard and scared himself. But he went back the next time and was so careful and scopey. It was amazing! He has already gone to 4ft and has plenty of room to go. Hopefully next month he will be far enough along in training to do some jumping while I am on him. Putting weight on him has been a struggle. Let me know if you have any suggestions. He is already on a weight builder supplement. More to come soon and I am uploading some pics this weekend of his free jumping skills.

Thanks again

Amy Atkins
Harvest Moon Stables

OTTB Antioch and Molly take a lesson.

Hi!
I have attached some pictures of Molly in a lesson with her trainer with Antioch. We have had him for three weeks now and WOW! He is such a fast learner!

So far we have clipped his legs and chin, taught him to stand quietly at the tie rail and when Molly is getting on him to ride. He and Molly have learned to longe on a long line and he is even responding to voice commands! He is learning what the acceptable speed for trot is and Molly has learned how to ask for it and keep it at the speed she wants.

Molly’s riding skills have expanded too! She and Antioch are building a wonderful relationship and learning to speak the same language. Her trainer is really helping us and I think is becoming quite fond of him too! He is the sweetest horse we have ever owned!

Please feel free to use this e-mail and pictures as a success story or however you see fit.

Maureen