I like to go out by myself a lot and go around the empty fields by my house because it's too much work to wait for anyone else if they're there and they're pretty miserable riding buddies.
Unfortunately, my horse doesn't like it so much... Partly because he thinks he's a big bad stud that needs to stay with his little herd of mares, partly because that's where the food is at, partly because I only get to ride him once a week, and mostly because he's a lazy son of a gun. (in other words, fat herd-sour pasture potato)
If I had the time to take him out more often I'm sure he'd behave himself more, but he's not too bad and I don't blame him for acting up, it's not his fault that I don't have that much time to work with him.
Usually it consists of spinning/ trying to run off back home, VERY rarely a little rear or buck. He likes to stop and back up, to refuse to go forward, but that's the best he does. Once we get farther out he settles down, sometimes he'll attempt to turn home but I just make him run in circles until he quits pulling/ turning. On some days he doesn't even try that, he's so happy to be out and about. He always listens to me well, kind of a "but I don't waaaaant tooooo" kinda deal ha ha.
If he was afraid, I would take my sweet time and be gentle, but I know that he's not so I take more of a tough approach, with more push than give. Today, for some reason, he acted up a lot more than he usually does and for a longer time, although he still snapped out of it and we had a good ride overall. Basically, when we got to the end of our road where I cross into the fields, I tried to turn him to the left down the intersecting road, and for at least ten minutes he tried to turn around and bolt home/ to the neighbor's horses, who were all lined up at the fence watching the show. Usually when he turns I just use my leg and follow with my opposite rein because he's a sensitive horse and always listens even when he's throwing a tantrum, but for some reason he was NOT listening to anything- the more I tried to stop him, the harder he pulled the other direction. I don't know how to explain it, but basically I had very little control. Eventually, after a while, I got sick of it as he wasn't letting up at all and I grabbed my reins and popped him HARD. Of course, after my gentle reminder that I'M STILL THERE all of a sudden he started listening to da hooman, ha ha... he still tried to turn and (this is the most frustrating thing for me, ha ha) "drifted" to the left, but we got up the road without incident and only had to do some cantering circles at the top of the loop around the fields, when he realized that we were changing towards the home direction/hay barn/studly's herd of mares who don't seem to return his affections. Overall, though, he's a good boy- even when he's having his little freak out sessions, he still listens pretty well to my aids and I never lose complete control (although I know that if he was terrified, I definitely would... he's a very strong horse and although he doesn't scare easily, when he does, his mind goes far away. Fortunately 99% of the time he's just a butt)