Pony fail part 1

So today I went to catch Pigeon and Riley to see if I could pony Ri off of Pidge. After fighting the two very unenthusiastic mares to the gate, I sent Pigeon through and she turned and waited for me to get Riley through. We walked to my car and they both ground tied fairly well while I tacked Pigeon up.

I got on and turned Pigeon toward the grassy area behind the barn. Riley plodded along happily like nothing was wrong, but every time the lead would hit Pigeon's hindquarters, she would freak out. We walked around a bit and I kept Pidge calm. Once she started doing pretty well, but I could tell she still hated it, I put Riley back in the pasture with Ray.

I got back on Pigeon and we took a 2 hour long ride down the road. We trekked through the remains of a corn field, and she was terrified of a really deep but narrow creek. I got off and led her over it twice, then got back on and slowly encouraged her to go over it. She plodded right up and jumped it like it was no big deal. She did pitch a fit when we rode by the 2 mares, gelding, and stallion that I posted about last spring, then spooked at a man starting up a large tractor and bolted right after. I slowed her down and stayed on, though I'm sure it wasn't a pretty sight. 

As we continued, she really got into the ride. She loosened up and started walking faster and really enjoyed being out in the woods. She started to freak out on the last turn, and I didn't know why. Then I heard a dog barking and kids screaming that we couldn't see and understood what that was all about. We talked to the kids, they got to pet her and one rode her a bit, and we taught them a lot about horses before heading back home for the night.