April Competing in Colorado

I was generously offered to ride my friend Gwen's up and comming Grand Prix horse Safarie. She hopes to show him I2 and then GP at the end of this comming show season. He is a big handsome dutch gelding by Flemmming. The goal was to ride/show Prix Saint Georges to optain scores of 65% which would allow me to apply to advance in my judging from a "r" dressage judge to a "R". I arrived on a Monday with our 3 day show starting on Friday. I have trained my own mare Kalae to 4th level. We have been stuck on the flying changes for a few years due to lack of help. We just need tempi changes and we can show PSG ourselves. However due to the few shows on Maui, once I am at PSG it may take 2 years to even get 5 opportunities to show. That first day I was please I could sit his big suspended trot. That had been a worry. I could not get him to canter though. Safarie would give me a big walk to Passage transition instead. Each day we improved. I "walked" the test in the outdoor arena (no horse) and practiced my tempi changes in the car. On Thursday as we headed out to Colorado Springs we stopped at Kristi Wysocki's beautiful facility to ride in a regulation indoor. Kristi has been coaching me and will help me at the show. Here I would ride the full PSG for the first time. It went fairly well, I was happy and have learned so much. On the last extended trot I had gotten left behind in a chair seat and had felt a twinge in my upper back. By the time I walked back to the trailer I could hardly breath. This was most unfortunate as that afternoon as we walked in the show ground indoor I found I could not even post the trot. Off to Walmart for motrin, tiger balm and a back brace. The 3 days of cometition were very educational. My nerves affected me, my back was killing me and Safarie had spooked prior to my 2nd test, jumping on my foot and breaking a little toe. It was almost hummerous. I scored in the mid 50's. It was pure determination, I really have no idea in retrospect how I rode. It was a godsend that the show the nest weekend was cancled due to low entrys. On returning home I was found to have compression Fractures in the mid thorasic back.