Luckily not! I don’t mind them being a bit hot (god knows the 20yo is still go go go under saddle!) but I don’t want explosive. The whole thing has definitely been a huge learning curve!
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My previous youngster was a dream. My current guy was an explosive nightmare as a young horse even though his full brother was a standing stallion that they like so much they bred 5 of him, he was worked with as a youngster and started by a dressage professional. He is such a friendly horse but is hypervigilant. His whole thing is managing his brain more than his body (he’s very athletic) under saddle.
Progress!! good 
if it were me, i’d reinforce that positive grazing opportunity in that spooky corner a couple more times soon.
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We had another great ride on the weekend…and then yesterday we spent pretty much the whole ride on a circle at the other end because it was all too much. I guess that’s horses! It was her first time being ridden in the rain (spring and summer are our wet season) and I don’t think she was terribly impressed by that. Good news is I am getting much better at sitting her spooks 
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I’ve found that a lot of horses “get spooky” 6-12 mos after being put under saddle. It no longer takes all their brainpower to stand upright with an extra weight on their backs and they’ve learned enough cues to autopilot a bit. So they start noticing the world around them a bit more, and sometimes decide it’s scary. I would take the opportunity to do a bit more groundwork (which we all tend to phase out as the under saddle education progresses), focusing on rewarding her for reacting with curiosity towards new objects and places (praise/treat aggressively when she CHOOSES to step toward a water tray for instance). You can also employ techniques like bending her body toward (her head away from) the scary object and SLOWLY leg yielding her into the scary corner like an outward spiral- reward a reduction in tension by slowing to a walk and giving a pat. Teach her it’s okay to look but she still needs to go where she’s told - there will be spooky corners all over the world and teaching her to cope is something to work towards. THIS TOO, SHALL PASS. My mare is finally coming out of the “spooky toddler phase” and it’s so nice to have my chilled girl back.
Other posters have mentioned - cold weather temps and potassium/sugar spikes in the grass as well as mare hormones in the transition seasons could also be at play here.
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My friend just went something VERY similar with her young TB gelding. Never looky, moved in slo-mo, jumped cute little flower boxes no problem, all of a sudden started spooking at the most innocent little plain crossrail.
Very unlike him and immediately had the vet out to check his eyes.
Turned out that he had very, very early EPM. Like, if he hadn’t spooked at the itty bitty crossrail she wouldn’t have known until it had gotten worse. It was SUPER early.
Horses don’t like to be bad on purpose, like others have said.
Ultimately I think this is probably a good chunk of what’s going on! This riding thing is normal now and needs less of her focus (well, in her head anyway) and so she’s started to pay more attention outside of me. And of course elements of tension etc etc.
The neighbour kindly offered the user of her sand arena the other day, and I was thrilled with how the pony handled herself. Totally new place (that can’t be seen from her paddocks), there were hedges, chickens, goats and even a mirror. She didn’t spook at all, just had a nice look at everything. I’m just so pleased that my impulsive gamble on a scrawny unbroken 3yo for a few hundred bucks has gotten me such a nice little horse with a good brain.
Thanks to everyone for their input! Truly so helpful, especially when I’m always out there on my own, I don’t have a barn full of people to bounce ideas off!
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Horses like to be somewhere that is safe. We know that. Many consider the corner farthest from the in-gate as totally unsafe. The ingate is usually safe because other horses could be there and it’s an exit. I’ve watched horses new to our indoor arena. Some are okay. Some are not. We call it the ghost corner.
Don’t make them go back there over and over. Figure out where they are okay and stick with that so they can settle down. Be sure to say good boy/girl constantly and maybe stroke them when they are doing what you want. Try to ignore what you don’t want. It helps them figure out what you are looking for.
Start expanding your route. If you feel any hint that they are getting uncomfortable go back to the path where they were okay. Always stop at a good point. Don’t force them to go somewhere if you suspect or know a spook is likely. You are looking for repetitions. You don’t have to do all of them today. I’ve had my horse for almost 21 years (age 27 for him, 73 for me). People credit the longevity of our relationship for some of the things he does. One secret is that I have been telling constantly for 20 years that he is a good boy when he is a good boy. The other is that I do something exactly the same way even if it’s once a day. He learned how to line himself up with the wheel chair-accessible mounting ramp - shift his butt over. He does it on his own.
I generally limit daily “training time” to 15 to 30 seconds. Since their attention span is about 3 seconds that potentially gets me 5-10 repetitions. Of course, I’m training him every time I’m with him. He is spooky and noises are most of the problem. I wasn’t there for Memorial Day. His turnout is at the far end of the outdoor a few feet from the 225-year-old historic family cemetery. The neighbors said he totally lost it when the bagpipes started. He headed to the fence and gate intending to jump. He got a foot caught and bent the top of the gate but didn’t try to jump. No damage to him, just the gate.
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Welcome to the experience of riding in climates where it snows part of the year. 
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It’s been a few weeks now since we last had a spook! My confidence has gotten much better, we’ve been walking around the whole property to cool down and even cantering up a hill too. Next step is venturing up the (usually fairly quiet) streets. It’s funny, my old girl is so much spookier and more inclined to just say a hard no…but I’m never ever worried by it!
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