Rocky Bear and Bits & Bytes Farm owner - Elizabeth
This Web site was created to tell the stories of the Off-the-Track Thoroughbreds Bits & Bytes Farm has sold. The Mission of Bits & Bytes Farm is to help sellers (of Thoroughbred racehorses for sale) to find buyers who have the ability to transition these horses to new careers. We offer assistance and guidance to make sure the horses we sell are successfully placed. Our Success Stories are proof that Thoroughbred racehorses make great sport horses and family members when their racing careers are over.
When a horse is purchased with the assistance of Bits & Bytes Farm, we require the new owners to stay in touch and provide us with updates. These updates are posted on our Success Stories pages so that the sellers of the horses know that their horses are doing well and have not gone back to racing or been slaughtered. The sellers care about these wonderful Thoroughbreds and they too enjoy reading about their horses' successful new careers. They often call or e-mail to thank us for finding a home for a horse they bred or trained. To learn more about Bits & Bytes Farm and our mission please visit our Web site at: www.BitsandBytesFarm.com.
Bits & Bytes Farm is to help sellers (of Thoroughbred racehorses for sale) to find buyers who have the ability to transition these horses to new careers. We offer assistance and guidance to make sure the horses we sell are successfully placed. Our Success Stories are proof that Thoroughbred racehorses make great sport horses and family members when their racing careers are over.
Be sure to visit our Facebook page, YouTube channel, websites and G+ page to learn more about Bits & Bytes Farm and the Thoroughbreds we have found second careers for. Links are at the top of this page. Enjoy!
My Mail Order “Groom” Arrived!
My mail order groom (Eleanor’s Groom) arrived this morning (after three days standing on the trailer – thank goodness he had a box stall). He’s beautiful and seems to be a lovely mover also. I turned him into the arena for a run and a roll before he went into his paddock. He is calm…
Great Game Arrives
From the cold dark depths of the Bangor Maine night….with the chill 38 degree wind blowing on a night as dark as dark—only a half moon shining feebly high in the sky—–a trailer pulls in. . . Great Game has arrived!
Antioch – Three Week Update
Molly’s riding skills have expanded while riding her OTTB! 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!
New Spotlight Stories Pages Added
We often have stories that develop over time. People from a horse’s past will contact us and fill us in on “the rest of the story“.
Grayboo Moves Up to Prelim
I have an exciting update on Grayboo and Amanda. They had a dressage score of 39 – not bad for their first attempt at this level and then proceeded to jump a clean stadium round. The course was not ideal for Grayboo – it was very spread out and gave Grayboo a chance to build speed from jump to jump, but Amanda managed to get him around OK (that and he absolutely can’t stand to touch a jump). Grayboo was an absolute super star on cross country – he jumped clean and Amanda finished 7 seconds over the optimum time, so added 2.8 penalties to their dressage score. I was surprised that Amanda was able to finish close to time her first time out. They finished 10th in a large Open Prelim division of 24.
Race Track Training Pays Off at Combined Training Event
Hi Elizabeth – Sorry for the no photos…just got a new camera and hopefully some photos to come soon before my lovely horse gets hairy! We did do our first event 9/17-19…Windy Wyoming. We had a ball! Jack Eleanor’s Groom) was very well behaved for such a baby and he never even thought about refusing a fence. I was so proud of him as the distractions were many! Guess it was his racetrack upbringing. He’s beginning to look for the next fence in both the stadium and on cross country and I think he really enjoys his new career. I’m certainly loving him…he’s so sweet! Thank you, thank you. Photos to follow (I hope, I’m technologically challenged!).
Lydia Dequine
Votive Celebrates Four – Happy, Healthy and With a Home
Votive has officially turned four on April 8th. She is doing wonderful and enjoying no snow and mud. She has had her first official “spring” haircut to get her back to her beautiful self. We have done a little work under saddle but awaiting for some dry ground. She is completely spoiled and loving the…
June is a Doll
June (A June Affair) is an absolute doll and has settled in very well! She is one of the sweetest horses I have been around and her “racehorse” ground manners are improving tremendously! I did get on her this weekend for the first time and she was as good as I could have hoped for. …
Finder’s Chance Scores Well in Dressage
Finder’s Chance did great in his first show. Intro Tests A and B. I think he got 69% in Test A and 68% in Test B (even with an error). Except for the entrance and exit, he got all 7s and 8s. He really doesn’t yet have the concept of halting at attention.
A Success Story
My wife has a degenerative brain disease that is ultimately terminal, and my son is home schooled and takes on tons of responsibility–way beyond his 13 years. I and my wife both had ridden for the better part of 30 years and had excellent training…but had abandoned our own personal riding when we had a child. After all—finances and time frequently just don’t stretch to cover children and pets like horses. We found ourselves however looking for a way to give my son an outlet away from the house and the pressure of our situation at home he lived, ate, and breathed….so I did what we always used to do—took him to a riding stable and got him lessons. . .