BUCKED OFF!!!!!

Okay, sorry about the silence, but I've been nursing some wickedly sore bones. That's right, I got down to business on the left lead canter the other day--he felt so "stuck" and not forward... So we were just cantering around, trying to get the ten-meter canter circles without him getting "sticky" back at the rail. (I've been practicing Conrad Schumacher's exercises for collection, and probably doing it incorrectly) I know that this is mostly my problem, and I'm not sure what the origin is, but I was at the far end of my arena, and I tap, tap, tapped him to remind him to jump through, nothing at all harsh or mean, and KABLAMO, I am on the ground and he's just standing there, with this look on his face that says, "I didn't mean for you to come off. I just wanted you to know how irritated I was." I'm fine. Sore. That's all. I was NOT wearing my helmet, and my head did hit the ground (after my butt, which considerably softened the impact). Baleno has been known to buck when he's mad. But only once, and not generally hard enough to launch me. Except this time.

 I'm reminded of two things: accidents are just that- accidents. They come on unexpectedly and with no warning. B was not being bad, no misbehaving, giving absolutely no hints of what was to come. And, well, I always have my worst rides right before a horse show. I remember when I was eventing I would always jump ahead of Volare when we were doing our last jumping session before an event. Often I'd come off him. My couch at the time considered it good luck. My body didn't, but then that was ten years ago and I was a tad more resilient. 

After the "incident" i got back on and to say that B was contrite would be an understatement. Suddenly he was circling and jumping through! I worked for about 15 minutes more and then took some Ibuprofen.