Hot to Trot

Raven worked her sets today in typical Raven style. We trotted down the pasture (about 200 meters) and walked back up 10 times. She was light in-hand and moving freely. After the first five or six sets she did some bucking, rearing and airs above the ground at the end of my lead. In retrospect I should have brought my stick to get her working through those shenanigans, but I just waited her out. She is a lot of horse to be cooped up for two weeks and putting too much pressure on her when she's in that mood is a recipe for disaster. Patience paid off in the the last four sets, which were more mentally collected and physically respectful.

Any sensible person would have walked her hotness back into the paddock on a lead, but I thought it would be informative to set her free from the far end of the pasture. Sure enough, she bolted off with a mighty fart and proceeded to rodeo around for another few minutes with the dazed-and-confused Tonka in tow. At one point she floated all the way around the top half of the pasture in a perfect extended trot. I am finally convinced that she is going to be fine.