dressage competition

It really has to be one of the oddest places I've ever horse showed: Sunland Park, NM, but really almost El Paso, a few miles from the old Mexico.

Across a very refreshing looking (90 degrees today) rather large pond that takes up the infield (complete with fountains-good for some horse lookies, for sure) is the Sunland Park Casino. The warm up? On the racetrack. A little tilted, but good for practicing balance. Lots of very nice horses and riders checking out the flapping tents and the general vibe of the place this afternoon. I always forget that El Paso isn't that far from Arizona, and that it's a pretty big town in its own right, and so naturally there's a very nice turnout. The barns are lovely, spacious and efficient and pleasant, and there isn't too much of a horse racing vibe to the place.

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.