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Bits & Bytes Farm Success Stories

Our horses > success stories > Title Search

Title Search - was a former Prospect Horse For Sale in July 2007

April 18, 2008

Hey Elizabeth,

I hope all is going well with you guys! Everything has been going great here, Tie is looking and feeling much better. I have found some natural minerals that I started him on about a month ago and it has made a world of difference. He has already shed out all his winter coat and it is now like velvet and very shinny and healthy!

I have been working and riding Tie everyday that weather permits. He really surprised me that after having almost all of winter off he picked it back up like we never took a break. I think what has surprised me even more is how comfortable I am on him, I credit that to his wonderful personality though. ;)

I can't tell you how much I love this horse. He has been a Godsend for me and has helped me to open my heart back up to a horse after loosing my soul mate horse almost two years ago. When I go out to the pasture to get him he runs up to me, while my other horses just stand there and stare at me like they are daring me to disturb their grazing time.

Tie loves being worked and loved on more than any horse I have ever known, he just loves being ridden! After I ride him and untack him he knows he gets a full head rub down. I spend probably 5-10 minutes scratching and rubbing his head and he soaks every second of it up! That's his favorite thing. Grooming is going much better, he stands still and I have finally found a curry comb that doesn't bother him, I have found that his skin is more sensitive than any of my other horses. Do you see that a lot with Thoroughbreds?

Well, I just wanted to send you a quick update on him. I will try to send you guys some new pictures sometime soon!

Mary Jennifer

Elizabeth's Note: Thoroughbreds are more sensitive than other breeds and they prefer softer brushes and a light touch.

December 30, 2007

Hey Elizabeth and Barry,

I hope all is well with you guys as you get ready for the new year! Bart and I are doing well, just wishing we had more daylight hours. By the time I get home from work I have 30 min of daylight, which doesn't leave me much time to do much, so I have been only able to ride on weekends when it's not to wet. I look forward to getting our arena done and getting lights, so I can work "Tie" on a more consistent basis. He has been doing great when I have been able to ride him and I have taken him out of the round pen and started riding him in his pasture some.

Yesterday we had scare with colic. After walking him for an hour we hooked up the trailer, we have a small two horse trailer, and loaded him. He did pretty good loading, I let him take his time getting into it and it worked out fine. He had no gut sounds what so ever, so he gave him banamine and ran mineral oil down him right away. I also had him check his teeth because I have noticed him holding his head sideways some and they checked out just fine, so we don't know what that's about. We took the long way home to give him more time in the trailer.

When we got home he backed off like a pro and automatically perked up and wanted a drink and hay. We held off on the hay, but I encouraged him to have water. The vet sent us home with another shot of banamine and a tube of it to keep. This leads me to the question I wanted to ask you. What should every barn have in an emergency kit. I really need to put one together and I recall us talking about this on the phone, but I didn't get to write it down.

I also have another question regarding feed. I looked up the nutrition facts on the Buckeye that you feed, since the nearest Buckeye dealer is an our and 45 min away, and took it to the local feed store and got the closest thing I could to it. They have been on this feed for a month and a half and him and the TB X have been gaining weight and looking better on it. They have been getting that and grass hay. We finished a month of the daily wormer last week. My vet recommended that since he seems to be more prone to colic that I feed him a good and clean whole oats and bran mash along with his grass hay. I am a little lost with all of this. I want him to get what he needs nutritionally and I want to try to prevent him form colicing again. He is out in the pasture with his buddy still, but I am keeping a close eye on him today!

I do have a goofy story for you guys! "Tie" is a very sweet guy but is a BIG goof ball at the same time, which I love. Yesterday after we got back from the vet, which ended up being his first time away from home, I took him back into the pasture and to his water bucket. He got a drink and I could tell that he didn't swallow the last gulp. He came over to me like he always does to get his head scratched and slung the water all over me. I got a kick out of it because it was like he did it on purpose. This horse LOVES water! After walking a bit more we went back to the water bucked and he was playing in it, which he loves doing. So, I started splashing water at him and he was splashing back at me with his nose and lips. Then he started to get a drink and instead of getting a drink like he normally does he started lapping it up like he was a dog. He lapped up water with his tongue for at least 5 min, the whole time he has his goof ball face on. Of course I was laughing hysterically the whole time. I could tell he was feeling much better, which mad me feel better too.

Each day I fall more and more for "Tie", he knows just how to win your heart! I can't thank you enough for helping me find my big goofball! I look forward to hearing from you and getting your advice on his feed and barn emergency kits!

Happy New Years!!!
Mary Jennifer

Elizabeth's Notes: Changing feed suddenly can be a cause for colic as can a change of temperature or a front coming through. Worms can be another cause. No one can say for sure what will cause colic but your vet can recommend things to help prevent it. At Bits & Bytes Farm we try to head off possible problems when the weather changes by adding more beet pulp, salt and water and less grain to the feed buckets. We keep a bottle of banamine in the medicine cabinet for use if we see signs of colic. Talk with your vet and see what he/she recommends and then have it on had. We worm our horses regularly and do a five day, double dose fenbendazole once a year. Our Feeding Program page explains what we feed and why. We are happy to discuss our program with anyone who buys a horse through us. We regret that we are not able to be a nutritional support line to everyone who has a Thoroughbred.

August 28, 2007

Title Search is doing wonderful as always. Still sneezing for the first couple of rounds at the trot. Your guess is as good as mine on that. I don't think it is anything to worry about though. I am still lunging him with side reins and he is progressing everyday. I hope today to take him out of the round pen and ride him in his field, so I will let you know how that goes!!! Since his bit came in I have really noticed a difference in how he goes. He really settles more with the French link. We are still working on bending and not leaning on my hands. He tries to lean on me and fall in when bending to the left, it's not as bad to the right. I am thinking of riding him with a crop or some spurs. I am so impressed with him though. You were not kidding about how good natured Thoroughbreds are and about their work ethic -, he loves being worked!!! I can't thank you enough for recommending him to me, he's a keeper! ;)

Mary Jennifer

August 20, 2007

Elizabeth,

I hope all is well with you and your husband! I saw the pictures from the hunter pace, it looked like a lot of fun! I just wanted to let you guys know Tie is doing wonderful! He is enjoying his pasture and his pasture buddy. He tries to get Coosa, my Paint colt, to run with him every evening when I turn Coosa out. Coosa would rather eat and laze around most of the time, but sometimes he will partake and boy is it beautiful. Coosa will be running as fast as his legs can take him and Tie is way ahead and could even give it more. It's breath taking!

I have been working him almost every day. Yesterday was really neat, I could tell he was really settled with me and everything I did with him. He just had this peace about him that I haven't seen yet. He finally started giving to the side reins yesterday when I was lounging him, which was good to see. Under saddle I have been working on walk, trot, and whoa transitions and bending. He is actually better to the right, which really surprised me. Last week I lunged him in the front field for the first time and took him over trot poles and a small cross rail and he acted like he had been doing it all his life. He actually didn't even try to jump the cross rail, he just trotted over it. I love how brave and easy going he is, nothing really bothers him.

The only thing we are having to work through is when I curry him on the back he kicks out. He has gotten a little better with this, I just keep me out of fire zone. I think it was a combination of a couple of things. One being that it tickles, I find when I put some pressure behind it he does better. The second being that he was a little sore. My equine massage therapist came out and adjusted him last week and she said his back a out just a little, but everything else was fine. He has already gotten better with this, I think it will be something that will phase out completely soon.

Mary Jennifer

July 31, 2007

Elizabeth,

Tie has been doing wonderful, that's what we are calling Title Search now. He has made himself right at home and has settled in perfectly. You will be glad to know his hives are all gone and he is eating good now. I can't get over how calm and easy going he is! He almost seems to good to be true right now, sometimes I just have to pinch myself just to make sure I am not dreaming.

We have been working on standing still when I am grooming him and tacking him up. He has it nailed when he is in the stall, but he is still a wiggle worm in the cross ties. That just gives us something to work on! :) I can already tell that he has a good work ethic. He is such a sweet little goofball in his stall, but as soon as we get to the round pen he is all business. He works so hard to please me!

He already knows his walk, trot, and whoa commands very well. The canter is another story, but it's not something we are focusing on yet. When I ask him to canter he starts trotting so incredibly fast and really extends it out. I can eventually get him to pick up a fast canter, with the correct leads I might add, but he can't hold it very long yet. The first time I cantered him on the lunge line he picked up the wrong lead, but only for a stride, he did a lead change and fixed it himself. Like I said before, that's not something we will be working on for a good while, we have a lot of conditioning to do at the trot first.

Today was a big day for us! I tacked him up, with the bridle this time, and we headed to the round pen. I lunged him for a while working on our voice commands and transitions. He was doing so good that I decided to get on him.

Before I got on him I walked him with my hands holding the reins like I was riding and asked him to whoa, back up, and then bend his neck to both sides. He did that very well! Then I got a bucket, I left my mounting block up in the barn, and got on it and laid across the saddle. He just stood there, so then I put weight in the stirrup and got on. We stood there until I felt him relax really good and the we walked off.

I only rode him about ten minutes today, we just practices walking around and stopping. He seems to move off my leg pretty well and knows whoa, which is always a good thing! We took the riding very easy today, I just wanted it to be a good experience for both of us.

I am so proud of Tie, he has really impressed me with how well he takes everything in stride. As always, he gave me a good night hug when I went out to say good night to him. He is such a sweetie! I will talk to you soon and will try to send some pictures this weekend!

Mary Jennifer

August 5, 2007

Elizabeth and Barry,

Tie is doing wonderful, I can hardly believe it has been a week! He seems to be very happy. He is spending a lot more time in the pasture and has done wonderful with the electric fence. I bring him in for the hottest part of the day, since there is no shade out there yet, but other than that he is out all the time. I started turning Coosa, my two year old Paint colt, out with him Friday and they have really fallen for each other. Coosa is very calm like Tie is so I figured it would be a good match and boy was I right. They are always right next to each other and I catch them loving on each other sometimes. I can tell being out on the grass and having interactions with the other horses has been good for him.

Today was the fourth time I have ridden him and the first time I have trotted him. His trot in very comfortable to ride, although he was pretty short strided today. I know that will get better once he relaxes a little. It took me a while to get him to go into the trot, but once he gets going he is pretty forward moving, which I like. I can't wait until tomorrow when I get to ride him! He is so much fun already! He makes me want to have a whole barn full of Thoroughbreds off-the-track. He is just so easy going and eager to please, I am still in shock that he is so wonderful!

I have been keeping the rides pretty short because I don't want to do a lot until he gets adjusted in case he is sore, the lady is suppose to come out this week sometime to take care of him. We are also expecting the farrier this Thursday, so I am anxious to see what he has to say!

After his ride,s I have been hosing him off, which he loves!!! After I finish hosing him I let him get a drink from the hose. He is so cute. Once he gets a drink he just holds his nose under the stream. If I move the stream, he moves his nose to where it is. I think he likes the feeling of the cool water pressure on his nose, it's so funny. He had me is stitches laughing today. My husband was mowing the lawn and he was having trouble driving the lawn mower he was laughing so hard. Tie is quite the comedian! Today he finally discovered his toy in the stall, well he knew it was there, but he didn't realize it tasted good. He licked it for almost an hour today.

Well, I hope all is well for you guys. I love seeing all the updates on the site and reading everyone's success stories. I devote a little time almost everyday to reading more of them. I just can't wait until the day that I get to bring him up to see you guys and have some fun! This experience has already been rewarding and it's just started! Thanks for bringing me my boy!!!

Mary Jennifer

Title Search meets his new mom, Mary Jennifer Dunlap of Rock Island, TN July 28, 2007

July 29, 2007

Elizabeth,
Title has had a wonderful first day! His hives have gotten much better, so I don't think I will have to get him medicine tomorrow. I will run you through his day.

This morning I took him for a walk after breakfast. He got to see some more of the farm and got to graze. We worked on stopping, backing up, and standing still while on our walk. He was still a little excited and trying just to take everything in, but nothing unmanageable. After his walk I put him back in his stall while we ran to town.

Mary Jennifer meets Title Search for the first time.

I came back and checked the round pen; thankfully it had dried up enough to turn him out. So I put his boots on him, which he stood perfectly for, and led him out and down to it. After walking around in it for a little bit I took his lead off and let him do his own thing. It was so cute; he followed me to the door and was like, "Where are you going?" He sniffed around for a little while and then started trotting around all prissy like; I could tell he felt good. The cutest thing was when he started to canter; he would do a couple canter strides and then hoped in the air with all fours and swung his head around. He is the cutest thing. He is even more beautiful than I imagined him to be, pictures really don't do him justice! After he got his prancing around out of his system he took a nice long roll in the dirt, he really enjoyed getting his new halter dirty too!;) I let him chill for a couple of hours and eat some grass. Every time I looked over at him he was looking around the land.

Title Search lives on a beautiful new farm in Tennessee.

He looked so peaceful! After we finished the fence I went down to work with him some. I decided to put the lunge line on him and see what he knew. I didn't do anything to demanding, I let him pick his gait as long as he moved forward and started working on the voice commands. He was wonderful to the left, but couldn't figure out why I wanted him to go to the right. He tried to figure out what I wanted and kept going back to the left and kept stopping him and asking him to go right. He finally just closed down and just stood there turned to the right with his head turned looking at me. I could tell he was really confused so I took the lunge line off and free lunged him. That really helped. After going to the left I maneuvered him to the right and he kept watching me like are you sure this way. After he was going around a little more confidently I put the lunge line on. He was a little hesitant at first, but started going around pretty well. We ended on a great note and then he got a lot of love. I love how he really tries everything to please me; he tries so incredibly hard and is such a sweet guy! I am so happy with him! I let him chill a bit longer while did my barn chores.

He did wonderful while I hosed him down, I let the water run down his neck and chest where his hives are and he just stood there and enjoyed it. He isn't eating much right now, but I am not worrying about that yet, I think he will get his appetite back after a couple of days once he settles in a little more. When I went to feed everybody tonight I could tell he had calmed down quite a bit and so had his hives. He is such a sweet boy, so much more than I ever expected, he gave me good night kisses and everything. He just loves to be cuddled and have his head rubbed! Thanks for helping me find such a wonderful and willing guy!

Mary Jennifer

Barry and Elizabeth had the pleasure of delivering Title Search to Mary Jennifer and Bart Dunlap to their beautiful farm in Tennessee. July 28, 2007

Title Search was a Prospect Horse For Sale in July 2007.

He was purchased from his breeder in Lexington, KY by Mary Jennifer Dunlap. Mary Jennifer and her husband Bart welcomed the arrival of Title Search with a big banner along with their entire family. Even Title Search's new "grand parents" were there to greet him.

Click to see Title Search's Prospect Horse For Sale photos.

Click to see Title Search's Prospect Horse For Sale photos.

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