Tis Only a Name | Gaining Confidence with Tizzy

Beginning his racing career in 2020, Tis Only a Name raced across the West Australian harness tracks for thirteen starts—a modest number in comparison to many others. After one win and a second, ‘Tizzy’ by Franco Jamar NZ retired from racing in 2022 with six thousand dollars in stakes earnings. Trained by Hayden Reeves, Tizzy then spelled before being entered into the OTTWA Retraining Program. While with Hayden, Tizzy went by the name of ‘Precious’.

Upon arriving at the OTTWA Estate and receiving the standard check-overs, Tizzy began his retraining process. Assigned to Oakford Equestrian, Tizzy proved to have a lovely nature that had his retrainers quickly falling in love.

“He’s got the loveliest little personality and when he gets comfortable, I bet he is going to be a cracker.” – a quote from Tizzy’s week one training summary.

By the tenth week, Tizzy was broken to saddle and trotting and canter around in company. He preferred to ride out around the property but would tolerate an arena ride and liked to have some fun. His retrainer’s were keen to see him go to a pleasure and trail riding home where he could continue to enjoy himself.

In July of 2024, Tizzy was purchased by Jodie Stitt. Attracted to his honest eye and kind nature, Tizzy and Jodie quickly became quite the pair. Though Tizzy tended to lack in confidence, he soon improved once his bond with Jodie formed. Now, the pair can be seen attending clinics and learning to jump.

Since purchasing Tizzy, Jodie has attended several OTTWA Clinics and with each clinic, Tizzy’s confidence has grown. Jodie hopes to develop his jumping skills further, harnessing his playful nature. Tizzy has come along way since he retired from racing, being broken to saddle and developing further into his off the track career. Jodie has high hopes that he will continue to bloom.

“I would love Tizzy to thrive doing show jumping and getting more confidence in himself,” said Jodie.

Thank you to Jodie for sharing Tizzy’s story with us. It is great to follow along with the journey of our OTTWA Retraining Program graduates!