Calypso's Story

Well, anyway, the sun went up and all the animals and all of the family began to wake up.
" Rise and shine !" said Beth to Mary, Kate, Danny, and Sam.
" I don't want to go to school ! " yelled Sam,
" You don't have to go to school ", said Beth "school is out and you have the next 3 months off, for summer vacation."
" Oh, ya", said all the kids.

" Kids, Beth, come to the barn quickly ! " Yelled there dad, Ben.
" Coming", yelled everyone. And they all raced down the stairs, out the door, across the lawn, and into the horse barn.
" What is it ?" said Mary. "
" Sparkles, has had her baby ", said Ben.
" Let me see !!!" Squealed Kate and Sam.
" Not just yet" said there dad, "The little thing is trying to sleep." So the whole family went back into the house and had some breakfast.
" Can we see the baby now......please !", said all the kids.
"Well...I suppose so", said Ben "but be quiet and don't disturb it, right now."

All the kids tip-toed to the barn and went over to Sparkle's stall,
"It's so cute !", squealed Mary and Kate.
" He would make a nice event horse", said Danny. (Danny shows eventing, hunter/jumper, and western pleasure, so he always is looking for a good horse.) " Maybe dad will let me have him", said Danny.
"No", replied Mary.."he said that I could have Sparkle's baby, and I want this one !"
"But you don't show anything but pree-hunter, halter, or walk, trot, canter !!!" yelled Danny "and that would be a waist of good horse-flesh !"

"Dad !!!", they both yelled.
" What is it ?" he said.
"Who gets this horse ?" they screamed.
" I haven't decided yet" he said. "and if you two keep arguing, then neither one of you will get him !"

And so the days went on, until the little colt was almost 3 months old and the kids would have to go to school in one week. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the colt had been named Calypso. He was growing fast and had alot of speed and each kid wanted him to be there own, and they still begged and pleaded. Meanwhile, Ben had been getting alot of big offers on Calypso, so he had alot of choices that would have to be made when the colt was older.

"Oh, Calypso", said Mary " I wish that someday you will be mine and I can ride you over the hills and get that 1st place in a hunter/jumper competition when I am older." "But, it doesn't look like it, because dad has very big offers on you, because of your color and personality." (Calypso had gotten his mothers rare zig-zag marking on his rump and he had a wonderful personality that anyone that wanted a horse would love.)

Soon school was back in and Calypso dreamed of the summer and all the kids playing with him. Winter came and Calypso and Sparkles got moved into the special barn for prize horses, mares and foals, and breeding stallions. It was heated, so all the horses stayed nice and warm. The first snow arrived and Calypso got to play in the cold, white, fluffy stuff. Then Christmas came and the children got alot of toys and pressants. Also, Sparkles got to pull a snow slay and Calypso ran behind it.

Finnaly, the snow melted, the flowers popped up and spring had arrived, then the days got hotter, and hotter, until summer came and the kids played with Calypso and helped train him. Since he was 1 year old, he left Sparkles and started his life as a yearling. Wild, and free. Mary, Danny, and Sam still all wanted him, but Kate had gotten a spunkey pony for Christmas and loved to ride her. Now this pony was only 2, but was already trained like a 6 year old, and the little white pony named 'SnowWhite' loved Kate very much.

The summer went by fast and then fall went by, and it was winter again. Now Calypso was 1 year and a half, and he started to get more like a stallion, but he was very sweet to the kids and liked to play around with Ben.

"Dad, we have waited over a year and you still haven't decided who is going to get Calypso, or if you are going to sell him, have you decided yet !?!" said Mary, Danny, and Sam.
" Well..." said there dad "I think I have".

"So who gets him !?!", they all stammered.
" Well, I think I am going to sell him to someone who is nice and will give him a good life " he said. "But, until then I think that Mary will have him, if she wants him for a year of so." "So, do you Mary ?"Dad said.
"Of coarse !!!", she screamed.
"Why didn't you give him to me ?", said Danny.
"Because....." Ben stammered
" I already got you a new horse !"
"What ? where ?" replied Danny.
"He will arrive tomorrow." said Ben. "His name is Commet, he is black, and he is a great eventer and hunter/jumper !"
"Wow, great !" said Danny. "Thanks dad" Mary and Danny said.

"What about me?" squealed Sam .
"And you mister get a pony also"......"we are going to pick one out in a week at the horse and pony auction and sale."
"Yey !" Sam shreaked. And all three kids started to dream about there horses.
"Oh, and Mary" said Ben. "when Calypso leaves you will get a horse of your own also."
"Thanks dad",said Mary.

Tomorrow Commet arrived and Danny started his training for a hunter/jumper competition. Meanwhile Mary started Calypso's training. First she put the saddle on his back, but he just moved and it fell on the ground and then startled him. She got frustrated with that, so she tried the bridle, he didn't like it at first, but he soon got used to it. She practiced putting weight on Calypso's back, but Calypso didn't even mind that. He just looked at her, but he didn't like the saddle, when she finally got it on, he just bucked and then it would fall off. But, she gave up with the saddle and just decided to ride him bareback. And so, she hopped on, at first Calypso seemed startled, but in a couple of minutes he didn't mind at all. She could, walk, trot, canter, and even gallop in time.

One day when they were riding on a trail with Danny and Commet, they approached a low fallen log. Commet and Danny cantered easily and jumped it smoothly. Mary didn't think that Calypso was ready, but Calypso I guess thought he was so he started to canter and approached the log. Mary just held on and wondered if they would make it without a saddle. They were almost there and Calypso took a giant leap and landed perfectly on the other side of the log. "Wow !" said Danny "he is pretty good."

"I never knew you trained him to jump ?" he said.
"I didn't" said Mary "he just decided by himself, that he wanted to !"
"You should enter him in a competition !" said Danny.

"I would, if I could get a saddle on him !" replied Mary. " Let's see if he will jump again ?"

And so Danny and Mary practiced jumping alot and they finnaly got a saddle on him, but it was a racing saddle so when they went to a competition everyone made fun of them. But, they showed them, everyone was stunned when it was there turn and they got first place and made a new recored. "Good boy Calypso !" Mary was very pleased with him, but was scared that he would be going soon to a new home.

About a week before the show, Ben had bought a little pony named 'Salt n' Peppa' for Sam and the little pinto pony loved to race SnowWhite and Mary over the hills.

But, time was going way too fast for Mary, Calypso would be 3 in a month and he would be sold then. She begged her dad to let her keep him, but he said that he was selling him one day after his 3rd Birthday, but he also said that she could help him find a home for him, and she was determined to find the most perfect home ever for him.

Soon, they started to look at farms and people to get Calypso. They would check out every barn to make sure it was good and that Calypso would like it. Finnaly they had 4 posobilitys-- One of them was a horse trainer and shower, and he was looking for a great breeder and a good horse for his daughter, but Mary didn't want that daughter to have him, because the girl went to her school, and she would feel sad whenever she saw her.

The next one was boy who wanted a hunter/jumper, but when they looked at his barn it was really bad, and it looked like it was meant for pigs or something. Another one was a lady who had a stable full of horses and gave lessons, and they thought that that was a posebility, but first they had to check out the lest place.

So, the next day they went for a look. It seemed nice, the barn was new and had heating for the winter and had 10 big box stalls. 6 of them were already full of nice looking horses that were kept good, the people also had 2 kids that were nice and would love to take care of Calypso. And so it had been decided, Calypso would come there in exactly 3 weeks.

In those last 3 weeks Mary entered Calypso in two competitions and in both of them he got blue. And finnaly there was only one week left and Calypso spent the whole time together. And then it was Calypso's 3rd Birthday and they celebrated it alot. Calypso got a new halter and lead rope and he got a plaque that would go with him when he went and would go with him forever w/ all his papers.

The next day was sad and Mary tried to keep from crying, but it was to hard and she would just burst out crying alot. She got him settled in his new barn and said to him "Calypso, I will always love you, and you will always be my most favorite horse in the whole world, and I will come to visit you and if you go into any competitions I will be there." Then she gave him one last kiss and walked away, and got into the car. As they were driving away she stared to cry again, but she rolled down the window and she could hear one last neigh,as she drove away from him and got farther, and farther away from him. And he was out of her life now. She got another horse, that she loved, but not as much as Calypso............she would never love any horse more than Calypso.

Meanwhile, the days when by and Calypso missed Mary also, he had fun with the new kids, but he stared to get wilder and one day he bucked and ran into the woods looking for Mary. But, he gave up and came back to the house and they put the small plaque on his halter, but the next day when one of the kids was racing him against a grey horse, and they stopped for a break the grey horse ran free and was wild without the kid on his back. That got Calypso excited and when got turned out free he ran around and then he saw a low fence and the grey horse and him jumped it with ease, when they reached the other side, the ran off with only there halters on.

They went further and further away from people, until they were in the wild forest, where they found a herd and became the true stallions, until one day a person on horseback came and caught the whole herd. He say the halters on Calypso and they grey horse (that Calypso found out was Wish) he couldn't get them to where a saddle and he was mean to them, so they got really wild. He gave up on them and used them for breeding, but they would just break free, so he put them in a stall and bolted it up, and just gave them hey and water. At this point it had been only a year since Calypso had gotten taken away from Mary.

The man had to get rid of Calypso and Wish, so he called up the people at 'Lake Serene Pony Farm' and told them that he had two horses that he would give them for free if they come to get them tomorrow. They said "Yes" and so the next day Kersten (a worker at Lake serene pony farm) came to get them. After she finally got them into the trailer, she took them to Lake Serene and when Calypso was 5, he started working as a lesson horse. Wish did also. One of the first people to ride him was Chiya, she was a good rider and rode him good, but soon she rode other horses and Calypso was introduced to a girl named Ana. They were quite a team and rode like the wind.

But, after Calypso's 5th summer ended, Lake Serene closed and re-opened at a new location as- Penny Creek Arena. All the horses were moved and mostly the same riders were there. Including Ana, she has been riding him almost a year and has entered in alot of competitions. She still rides him right now.

Ana, is on her way to a hunter/jumper show that is held in Redmond, WA. She is going to try to beat Commet, the champ for 2 years.

Little dose Calypso know that this Commet is the one that Danny has, and they are going to try to beet him. Mary is cheering in the crowd and is watching as Commet just completed a perfect round. It is now Calypso's turn and they will have to get a perfect round and beet Comets time. Mary doesn't see Calypso, because she is over near Commet congragulating Danny. But calypso is starting and he is all fired up and makes a perfect round, and now it only matters on time, everyone looks at the judge, and he announces that the winner is.............Calypso !!!!! Everyone cheers ! In the middle of the ring, Mary finnaly notices that, that horse is her Calypso ! She runs after Ana and Calypso as they head for there trailer, and sure there, right on his halter is 'Calypso the finest horse in the world, love Mary', she just stares at Calypso thinking about how muck she missed him for 2 years, but she is interrupted by........................

"Can I help you ?" Ana repeats.
"Uh...yes, I was wondering where you got this horse?" Mary said.
"From my riding stable" says Ana.
"Oh, well..he is my horse, I am the one that trained him !"Mary replies.
"Well, he is mine now" ........."I just bought him a week ago ", There conversation went on for awhile, as both of the talked about Calypso, riding, and horses. "Well," says Ana, looking at her watch "I got to go now, but I can see you tomorrow." "How about we meet at Washington's national horse park ?"
"OK, see you there" said Mary. and she watched as Calypso drove away, she started to cry, but this time it was because she had found Calypso and knew he was safe and she could always visit him !