Read the Success Stories for these former Bits & Bytes Farm horses.

 

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* Horses with asterisk in front of their name were purchased as Prospect Horses directly from the track.

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Paula's daughter Elizabeth enjoys riding too!

Paula's daughter Elizabeth enjoys riding too!

 

 

Paula's son calls him Storm Shadow.

Paula's son calls him Storm Shadow.

 

 

Bits & Bytes Farm Success Stories

Our horses > success stories > Storm Shooter

Storm Shooter

January 8, 2007

Hi Elizabeth,

Happy New Year. Storm Shooter continues to do well. He has been on a joint supplement for about 6 weeks and feels great. He has gained good weight and is very happy.

I have decided that I need to place him. I can only get out to work with him three times a week and I think it would be in his best interest to be with someone that can work with him more often. He seems to work best with nearly daily workouts (30 - 40 minutes) and daily handling. His ground manners have improved and his under saddle work has also progressed. He accepts contact and is really beginning to understand what I want him to do. He goes quietly in a rubber D-ring snaffle with no martingale or flash noseband. His little bit of naughtiness is that every once in a while he will bolt. We'll just be walking along and...poof...he takes off at a gallop. I think he gets racehorse flashbacks. He usually gallops around the ring about twice and is then done with it. I then make him go further than he would like so he doesn't think that it is such a funny idea. If he is turned out and/or lunged he doesn't do it.

Anyway, I would appreciate any assistance you could offer in placing him. I want the best for him as he truly has a wonderful heart. I am not sure much jumping is in his best interest, though I think he can do low level jumps. He does ground poles quietly but I haven't taken him further.

He does have the airway problem and at times is a bit noisy. It doesn't typically seem to bother him. He does cough and choke occasionally when he tries to eat or drink too fast.

He is great on trails and is not spooky. We were out on the trail by ourselves a few weeks ago and a covey of quail flew up right in front of us...did not bother Storm at all.

Whoever gets Storm will get a horse with a great heart, perhaps bigger than his body at present. If you ask he will give everything he has without question.

I will place him free to the right home.

Thanks for any help,
Paula

Some more background on Storm Shooter.

As I said I have real mixed feelings about it. Did you ever meet him? He is a special horse and I want what is best for him. If I still had my own place it would not be an issue. But, since I currently board and the place he is at is the closest to my house, I am looking for something that is a better fit for his needs. It has to be a good situation for him and I will wait until the right place is found. I have friends who run a sanctuary of sorts and I retired an old gaited horse with them. They have 35 acres and handle their horses daily and give them great care. He would be welcome there, but I think Storm still wants to work. He is a bit too young and motivated to turn out to pasture.

Paula

October 7, 2006

Storm Shooter and friends.
Jack and Elizabeth hand grazing Storm. Yes, that road is fairly busy but the grass is the best there and traffic doesn't faze Storm.

Hi Elizabeth,

No new training breakthroughs as we are doing none of that at the moment. We have an achey stifle to contend with and I am still waiting to talk to the vet about it (he left town the day after he prescribed two weeks of rest). He actually seems totally sound on it at present; at least walking around the barn.

I took the liberty of taking Storm out for some grass. The picture is of Jack and Elizabeth hand grazing Storm. Yes, that road is fairly busy but the grass is the best there and traffic doesn't faze Storm. The other picture is of Elizabeth on our other horse "Blondie", obviously not a thoroughbred, but an absolutely sweet little mare.

Bye for now,

Paula

August 18, 2006

Storm Shooter and Jack.

Storm Shooter is doing well. He now has a run stall, which he enjoys greatly. He is also turned out 5 days a week.

I attached some pictures of him with my son Jack. Jack and I go out on Tuesday nights and mess around with him. Sometimes I even get to ride a few minutes while Jack rolls around in the arena dirt :-). I really like this horse - I wish I could afford a few more like him.

Storm Shooter and Jack

He is very sweet with Jack. Never pushy and always very careful not to crowd or scare him. When Jack sits on him, he never wants to stay up there very long...it looks like a long way down. He is much more confident on his sister's pony, which is about the size of an Irish wolfhound.

Bye for now,
Paula


Storm Shooter and Jack

June 22, 2006

Hi Elizabeth,

Our buddy Storm Shooter is doing great. I have taken to calling him "Big Dog", because that is what he acts like. He is calm and cool and sweet. He love to have his ears and face rubbed and brushed with a very soft brush. He loves his stall...his one little quirk that I've noticed is that if he catches sight of movement through the rear window of his stall he whirls around to study it and see what is going by. He has a look of utmost concentration when he does this. If he had a journal he would probably record his observations.

I have ridden him several times now. The other evening we went out on the trail by ourselves. He went over the low water bridge just fine and headed up the trails. We got to a field full of deer and he was quite interested in them but didn't spook or offer to turn back. I was only going to keep him out on the trails for 15 or 20 minutes, but a lesson group caught up with us and we decided to tag along. I thought they were only going a short way but it turns out they were riding a longer trail...about 3 and 1/2 miles. Oops...I am not sure my horse was ready for that, but he did it. These trails are typical Missouri trails...up, down and around. I know he was wondering what the heck was going on, but he forged on and even took the lead for a while.

Storm Shooter is a really nice horse...he does as he is asked, to the best of his ability.

As an aside, I think his back is bothering him a little bit (which made me feel worse about the trail ride). He is sensitive on both sides to brushing and touch. I have the vet/chiropractor coming out next Tuesday...I think he will benefit from that. I would imagine that we have a substantial amount of muscle reworking to do. He doesn't seem to have much back muscle and I am hoping that the vet will give me some good ideas on how to build it up so he is comfortable with his work. We've been doing mostly slow work (walk, trot) on big circles. I have cantered him, but he finds it difficult to hold the gait comfortably, particularly on turns...that will come with time.

Paula

 

June 14, 2006

Storm Shooter's first ride with his new mom, Paula.
Paula's first ride on Storm Shooter.

Hi Elizabeth,
A quick update. Storm Shooter is doing great. He has made a turnout buddy... a little sorrel gelding. I couldn't resist hopping on for a ride before we left on vacation.He is great. Quiet, takes everything in, very responsive to cues...even though he doesn't know me from a coconut. What a classy guy.

Sorry the picture is not that great. My photographer was a disinterested teenager.
Bye for now,
Paula

Storm Shooter with his new mom Dr. Paula Chor
Storm Shooter with his new mom Dr. Paula Chor

May 22, 2006

Here are the first pics. They aren't the best, but we'll try again. My son calls him Storm Shadow. Shooter is very excited about all the interesting things at the barn. Turnout and bring in are quite the good time for him. I don't know if he has ever seen a gaited horse...he looked like he was cracking up watching them go by.

You can't see it very well, but both my son and daughter are standing on the rail. I do not believe Shooter has seen many children. At first he was a bit wary and stood three feet away so that he could see them, turning his head back and forth so he could seem them out of one eye and then the other. Then he came over and put his head down and they petted him. I was WAY impressed with how he handled that situation. He seems like a super sweet, totally reasonable guy. I am going to give
him a few weeks of just ground work, turnout and grooming. Then we'll get started. I can't wait to ride him.

Bye for now,
Paula

Storm Shooter and Paula Chor, MD

May 2005 Prospect Horse for Sale - "Shooter"

The horse with a "butt as big as a barn door" . . .Storm Shooter was a May 2006 Prospect Horse for Sale. He is now at home in St. Louis, Missouri.

Storm Shooter at the track. May 2006


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