There was no sign of it anywhere either grooming, or while I was riding. She was loose and easy, relaxed, sneezing down into the bridle. And afterwards when I longed her, she looked fine. Galloped easily in both directions, both leads, and trotted out easily and even both directions as well.
There had been some 4-wheelers in the woods a little earlier which spooked her, but they were gone by the time we got to the arena and I didn't hear or see anything. Usually if she gets spooked by something, she'll turn and stare at it, or stop and stare. Not go off half-cocked.
I'm not sure what set her off other than my asking for a canter, but the one thing I am sure of is she intended to dump me. That's what makes me sad. I thought she enjoyed our canters yesterday. I only tried again today because I thought she would enjoy it again.... Instead, she looked very pleased with herself after I was on the ground.
The only thing I can think of is the energy buildup from the extra feed in her diet. The only time she has been rebellious and aggressive in the years I've had her was when I accidentally overfed her. On a hay/pasture (with grazing muzzle) only diet she is peaceful and stays in good weight. I added in the feed because she'd lost a little more weight than I liked over the summer. Usually they lose a little in July due to the flies, but gain it back in August when the worst of the flies disappear. This summer, instead of our normal cooler, dry August, the weather continued very hot and very humid, with a lot of flies, so she continued losing weight instead of gaining it back. I started her on a tiny bit of feed in September and her weight stabilized until her winter coat started coming in and she started losing a little again. So I upped the feed. She didn't look ribby, but had no fat over her ribs so I could feel them a little too easily. And now that the nighttime temps are going into the 30s, the grass is higher in sugar as well.
It's hard to gauge her weight at this point -- I can't tell if there is a bit of fat again on her ribs or if it's only fur. But this afternoon's personality was back to her bratty, obnoxious fat years again, so I'm thinking the covering on her ribs is fat, not fur.
= new reply since forum marked as read