The kid has decided that barrel racing is a lot of fun. And honestly, Calypso looks much better as a Western horse than she ever did decked out in English gear.
She's starting to give me a hard time about wearing the helmet though. "It itches and makes my head sweat," says she. I grew up riding helmet-less, but for some reason, I just cringe thinking about her riding without one. So, until she's 18 and old enough to make that decision on her own, she'll wear it. I think the camo pants are a fabulous fashion statement. Ha! And please ignore the mare's muddy legs and mane, I am still working on convincing Kayleigh to more thoroughly groom before tacking up. We'll get there.
Don't they look cute together? Not only has she been running the mare on barrels, she has also been starting to rope off her. Thank goodness that mare is so accepting and quiet, cause all that stuff is new to her and she just takes it in stride. Last summer Kayleigh spent a month with her Nana in California and apparently was paying quite a bit of attention to her Grandpa Jerry when he was introducing his colt to the lasso. When she decided to introduce Calypso to the lasso she said "And when Jerry got Wrangler used to the lasso, he did this," and she rubbed the lasso all over Calypso, let her smell it and slapped her lightly all over her body with it. Calypso didn't flinch. Then, later, after a reminder, she also let that mare step on the rope and slid it beneath her tail. She has been dragging it on the ground when she rides now, too. Next step, tossing it from the saddle and whirling it around her.
So far, the mare has taken it all in stride. What a good girl, and what a good start for Kayleigh to learn how to train a horse!
I'm thrilled to death that Kayleigh's interest in horses seems to be growing. She has ridden that mare more in the past two weeks than she has all winter and she comes home from school and wants to ride. She's been going out by herself more often too, something I've been encouraging.
I'm glad you are holding hard to the helmet rule.
ReplyDeleteCalypso sounds like a dream horse.
They look good together and your daughter's smile says it all. I hope Grandpa taught her the correct way to dally the rope, to keep her fingers safe. And good for you for not caving in on the helmet!
ReplyDeletePS- any chance you would turn off word verification? It's so hard to read that it's a deterrent to leaving comments.
Dude, Troxels itch and make MY head sweat. Let her try on helmets when yall go to farm/tack stores - if she finds one that fits her better, she won't notice it's there.
ReplyDeleteShe and Calypso look so good together!
First of all, I am glad to read that I am not the only one that has trouble with those crazy word verifications! Kayleigh is like a sponge, just soaks up everything. I love that she is getting a well-rounded equine education and is open to different disiplines. NOTE: she did NOT learn to dally! She was started on basics on a roping dummy on the ground, then how to play with a rope on her horse, she'll have to learn thumbs up when she comes back. Aren't you glad that the little mare didn't sell?
ReplyDelete