Read the Success Stories for these former Bits & Bytes Farm
horses.
The newest Success Stories have been moved to their own site: www.OTTBSuccessStories.com
* Horses with asterisk in front of their name were purchased as Prospect Horses directly from the track.
All photos on this Web site are copyright protected and may not be used without written permission of the photographer.
"Thanks again and again. Charlie is just like another child, you cannot help but love them more every day ....."
"You guys make dreams come true !!!" - Lana Hendrickson
Charlie and Donnie at Bits & Bytes Farm. December 2, 2005
Alyssa tested Charlie on cross country fences to see if he would be able to fox hunt. -November 19, 2005
Alyssa and Charlie in the woods. - November 13, 2005
Charlie meeting his new equine friends.
"Friend of Bits & Bytes Farm" Linda Ross did the "Snuggle Test" on Charlie to see if he would be up to our standard of loving.- February 2005
1275 owens store road
|
Bits & Bytes Farm's Web site has been honored with a Golden Web Award for having an outstanding Web site. Click here to learn more about our Web design services.
Welcome to Bits & Bytes Farm |
Our horses > success stories >CharlieCharlie's Success Stories
February19, 2007I am so sorry to not update you guys!! I'm bad!! I hope things are going well for you guys. I have been very busy with our little farm and with my first Tax Season, i.e. 70 hour work weeks - but, it is going well! Charlie is WONDERFUL !! He has been nicknamed "pocket ponie" by our show barn. He and Alyssa have a REALLY special thing going on! He has such a special look when she comes to the paddock. He is such "a little boy" at heart. He is so personable and leaves his hay pile to say "hello" when we come to the paddock. He has been "off" for 6 months due to an injury from being off at training. Unfortunately, he suffered a separated rib from being kicked while off at training, however, he is all better now. In the two shows he was in for 2006, he won blue ribbons to win the overall championship for 2006. We are getting him ready for Spring Britches and Boots shows in March 2007. Last week, Charlie and our baby, Lucie (age 2) were enjoying the sun together, i.e. they were sitting back to back in the paddock. Unfortunately, we did not get photos!! Bummer! Donnie was so glad to see you yesterday. It was like a homecoming! Take care and I will do my best to keep more current !! Lana S. Hendrickson May 4, 2006Hi !
I promise you, we could not possibly be happier with Charlie !!! When Alyssa is grooming him, he turns his head as if to say, “I love watching you groom me, you ARE my little buddy “ We LOVE HIM SO MUCH !!! Thank you again and again ! I’ll send more photos of Alyssa and Charlie riding too. Hugs and Kisses – Lana PS From Charlie's grandpa:Elizabeth, Lana forgot to tell you that Meredith won the overall Championship on Charlie! Small oversight, I think that she had a Blond moment. Alyssa has started riding Charlie at least three days a week now. She will do one more show on her Arab and then start showing Charlie in the fall. I am sure that we will have plenty of volunteers to ride Charlie at the June show, almost a guaranteed Blue Ribbon! Thanks March 23, 2006Elizabeth and Barry: I keep forgetting to send this note to you about Charlie’s first fox hunting adventure. Our trainer took him out and she said, “he was FABULOUS, a true superstar! – Such a sweetheart and real, and I mean real, social butterfly, he so enjoys the other horses! Others at the hunt could not believe it was his first time out! So, again, we need to share HOW PLEASED and happy we are to have him as a member of our family! He is also doing very well with Alyssa with her riding and her lessons. Each week during lesson, they just continue to improve and learn each other and the partnering just keeps coming. He is such a good boy! Oh, also, we bought a three horse slant load gooseneck Sundowner and Charlie hopped up in there and looked at us as if to say, “Whew, that two horse thing was a real loser of a trailer – finally, back to The Ritz!” He smiles now when getting on the trailer! Have a wonderful day! February 6, 2006Thank you so much for Charlie's cards! What a nice surprise! I want to thank you for taking the time to prepare these for us! He has been just what we needed! Alyssa and I are taking lessons on Charlie and having so much fun! Our trainer, Judi Conger, really likes him and he is performing beautifully! She will take him out on his first fox hunt next week. Judi just keeps talking about how smart he is and what a pleasure to work with him. She says he is always trying to figure what I want and need from him without hesitation, a true willingness to please. I can tell she particularly likes him and enjoys working with him. He's so good for us! Again, again, many thanks! Talk to you soon.
December 13, 2005Hi, thanks for the note. Yes, we had a grooming party; however, due to holidays, only one of our usual friends was available but that was okay, we had such a nice quiet afternoon continuing the bonding with Charlie. Oh, my gosh, he is WONDERFUL and we are so very happy with him. He is starting to play with our little pony, Cowboy, it is just too cute, Cowboy is 500 lbs. and only 12.2, age 17, but LOVES to play, he is our little social director. Thanks for wanting to hear our stories, I may be guilty of too many at times, I will share with anyone who will listen about our "children"! Alyssa will begin her lessons on Charlie the first week of January, 2006 when he goes to schooling. Judi has some final wrap up notes for Alyssa and Bandie to get through this hunt season. So, for the time being Alyssa is riding Charlie in our paddock (with everyone else in their stalls) and it is going well. He REALLY loves her and watches out for her. She does take charge too. I was in the barn the other night getting the food portions together and I heard Alyssa say firmly, "NOW, Charlie, we have to mind our manners, you WILL stand quietly while Mommy gets our dinners". If he moved, I heard her go "(buzzer sound), you mind me Mister" and when I came out she was so proud, he had not moved so much as one inch. — Now, that is what we have been talking about !! LIFE IS GOOD !! Have a wonderful day -- we sure are! Lana S. Hendrickson, CPA December 9, 2005I swear every time I go out to the paddock, it is so awesome to have Charlie just hang with us. The other members of the herd will hang for a while, then go graze, and then come back, and so forth and so on. Charlie just loves to visit with us and it is just the COOLEST bond! Honestly, I believe we have bonded faster with Charlie than any other horse in my entire life! He is so wonderful and we are SO HAPPY!! Have a great day! Lana S. Hendrickson, CPA December 8, 2005Please allow me the privilege share the history of how we got to this success story.
We interviewed and fell in love with Charlie during November 2005 while looking for our 11 year old daughter, Alyssa, her next level horse partner. We had such a wonderful experience at Bits and Bytes Farm. The strong desire to ensure we were completely partnered with the horse is no less than "horsey match making". We explained our requirements, desires, wish list, and levels of experience and you listened so well. You matched us up with Charlie Brown and the love story began. During farm visits, we interviewed with Charlie and then came to realization that we simply had to make him our newest family member so we placed the deposit. We told Alyssa we could not bring Charlie home until around Christmas due to holiday commitments. She was sad at first and then developed a calendar to count off the days until he could come home. The reality was we were in the process of setting up Alyssa for a surprise by bringing Charlie home on December 2, 2005.
On December 2nd, I told Alyssa she had an orthodontist appointment and I would check her out of school early. I dropped her off at school and then her Daddy and I pretended we were going to the office. Her Daddy and his best friend left to go to pick up Charlie at Bites and Bytes farm. I kept calling Elizabeth thinking of last minutes items we needed for Charlie. Elizabeth and Barry were completely prepared and always responded, "absolutely, got it, already done." So, I felt completely at ease and prepared with bringing our new baby home. While Daddy and best friend were picking up Charlie, I was busy preparing dinner for 25 friends and family members who were coming over to help check on Charlie every 30 minutes until midnight that night in his new home as well as to surprise Alyssa. Then, I decorated the round pen with garland and lots of red ribbons so we could present Charlie to Alyssa. Then Charlie arrived home and we walked him out in his new paddock and placed him in his round pen. (Time out - you need to understand our 12 acres backs up to the elementary school which Alyssa attends and I have a black Thoroughbred mare named Whimsicor, this is important information). During the walk out session with Charlie, the school had a fire drill and while the children were outside, one of Alyssa's friends said, "Alyssa is that your horse being walked by your Daddy?" Alyssa said, "Yes, that's my Mom's mare". Then, I picked Alyssa up after the fire drill and she got in the car and said, "Mama, is Whimsicor okay, I saw Daddy walking her out." I said, "Oh, yes, yes, that's it, yes, umm, umm, Whimsicor had a colic session and Daddy is walking her. We need to ride back by the house to check on her." Alyssa said, "okay, but you know, she looked really fit, I really thought that was Charlie for a moment." I said, "oh, honey, bless your heart, is that what you thought". Then, we got home and started walking to the paddock. When we went through the gate and Alyssa saw Whimsicor was okay and to her right, she ran to the round pen which is on her left and around the barn and there he was ----- Charlie was posing for Alyssa with his beautiful, and I mean beautiful, Thoroughbred head high in the air, ears on alert, positioned in the middle of red ribbons, green garland and the bluest sky you ever saw, as if to say, "hi, gottcha pretty little blue eyed blonde!" Her Daddy was taking photos and his best friend was filming. Alyssa looked at me and with tears in her eyes, she said, "Oh, Mama, Oh, Oh, Daddy -- IT IS Charlie -- and he is home -- thank you so very, very much. I love him !"
As you can imagine, the next several days have been all about Charlie and getting him acclimated to the herd. One final note, on Tuesday morning, Alyssa got up and had tears in her eyes. I said, "honey, what is wrong". She said, "Mama I know we are supposed to Disney World this weekend, but, well, please don't make me go. I want to stay home with Charlie" So, not many farms can say "I beat out Disney World" but Bits and Bytes Farm has this to add to the long list of accomplishments!!!
I truly do not have the words to say how deep down our appreciation is for this entire experience -- it is truly our best Christmas ever !!! God bless you all for all that you with this farm and these horses !!! Lana Hendrickson Charlie and his friend Merlin with Elizabeth.
Charlie snuggled right up to Elizabeth and told her to take him
instead of Merlin. Merlin is currently racing but we hope he
will come to Bits & Bytes Farm when he is retired. February 2005 |
|
© 2005
Copyright Bits & Bytes Farm /Egeland Wood & Zuber, Inc. |
