# Our Journey- Calypso's Progress



## CanteringCalypso (Aug 13, 2017)

Hey Everyone! I have been looking over quite a few of these journals and, with the new year, I decided to start my own! 

-Me: I have been around/riding horses my whole life. I started taking lessons when I was 9 at a stable literally 2 minutes from my house. There, I showed a lot and won Grand champion walk/trot. I stayed there for about three years before deciding to move to a more experienced barn. Not long after being at the stable I am currently at, I bought a mare(My first well trained horse) on Aug. 1st. 

-Calypso: Calypso is a 16.3hh 11yr old Appendix mare from Natural Iron. She is ridden Hunter/Jumper, she was shown a lot hunter under saddle as well. Very sweet and calm, she has her mare moments, but overall very well-mannered. She is registered AQHA, her show name is "She's Naturally Hot". She is picky with treats, but LOVES carrots. She likes to dance when I try to get on her from a mounting block lol. Great with baths and grooming, a sweetheart. She is my absolute dream horse!!

Right now we are jumping anywhere from 2-3ft, but still have a long way to go. We are going to have our first show together either in Jan. Or Feb.-
I'm becoming more aware of how she wants to be ridden and all of her buttons and ques, but we get along very well. I think I still need a lot to work on.(leg position, jumping position, ques, etc) *I am not bad with these things, but I personally think I could do better with some hard work* I am starting to be able to find my distances and adjust her stride before jumps easier, but it will definitely take some time.
I will probably post an update every one or two lessons, when I go see her, or when something exciting happens. Thanks for reading if you got this far!
(She's lighter in color than normal in some photos because when we first got her she was sun bleached)


----------



## CanteringCalypso (Aug 13, 2017)

1/2/18 - Barn Visit

Today it was SO cold! 25-30F. I decided not to ride, but I groomed Calypso really good. I started with her legs and feet first, that way she could keep her blanket on. Next, I brushed out her mane and tail and sprayed some show sheen on them. She is already starting to shed a little bit. I can't wait until she fully sheds and her coat gets a bit darker.? The hair on her nose was growing out so I shaved it. She was really good about that, but she doesn't like when I brush near her ears.. we'll have to work on that. Then I put her in her stall and let her have some hay. Afterwards, I put some conditioner on her halter. Then I was done xD


----------



## RedDunPaint (Aug 23, 2015)

Haha that's so funny because I was just saying how warm it was today and it was the same temp XD It's been in the teens so when it hit 20s I was over the moon! That said, I did ride in 20-something weather today and my feet were frozen for about an hour afterwards. Besides, just hanging out and brushing your horse is sometimes the best thing to do :wink: Glad you decided to start a journal, I'm looking forward to following it! I'm planning on doing my first show with Tessa this spring as well, so we have that in common!


----------



## CanteringCalypso (Aug 13, 2017)

1/3/18 - Makeup Lesson 

We had a makeup lesson today and Calypso was SO good! I think the cold weather get her a bit more perked up and picking up her feet. Lately we have just been jumping smaller verticals to work on other things. I focused a lot more on keeping my heel down over the jumps and it helped SO MUCH! I have noticed that lately my leg has been unstable over jumps and I think not focusing so much on my position and more on my legs/heels actually improved my position!
Calypso had a very good pace, and even if we got a bad distance I was able to ride it well. I'm also sooo lucky that Her stride is VERY smooth! Her walk, trot, canter, and jump are so comfortable! She is such sweet mare! After our ride i let her eat grass for about 20mins


----------



## CanteringCalypso (Aug 13, 2017)

1/5/17 - Barn Visit

Went to the barn today and rode. The weather was perfect today. Cold but the sun was out, and it wasn't very windy. Calypso was really good, I rode her in the big jumping arena today. She was a little on the lazy side, but I eventually got her to speed up. I think I am getting a lot better at my position when I jump. I just needed to tighten my leg and put my hands a bit more forward. I'll try to get. A picture or video of me jumping sometime soon  I noticed that Calypso is usually a lot better when I ride her alone than in lessons. I'm 100% sure it's because I have a lot more time to warm up and take breaks. When I'm alone I ride for about an hour, but a lot of it is walking and trotting, and the longer I just warm her up at a trot, the better she is when I canter and jump. When I have a lesson the time is limited so there isn't a lot of time to just warmup. ANYWAY, school starts soon and I'm gonna die :/


----------



## CanteringCalypso (Aug 13, 2017)

2/1/18--

I just wanna say... JANUARY WAS THE LONGEST MONTH EVER. 

Ugh I hate that it is starting to get hot now.. 

Calypso has been doing really good. I have noticed that she likes the outdoor arena way better than the covered one. Probably because the jumps are bigger in the outdoor one too ? 

I got a pet ferret last week? Her name is Peanut and she's really cute ??


----------

