Acting like a grownup

I was very please with Ace today. He has been so rough on his Mom, that we are starting to develop a weaning agenda. Today when I walked into the barn at lunchtime, Mom says "the plan is, I'm bringing Copy into her stall, and you're going to hold him back and make him behave for a bit." Apparently, he has been a monster.

So, I put a rope on Mr. Bitey Bitey, and Mom took Copy to her stall. He was fine with that, and stood relatively quietly in the arena. After a bit, I led his down the aisle. Mom was with Copy (who could NOT have cared less) in her stall and she said "keep walking him past". Ace led quietly past, and stood in the aisle visiting politely with everyone though the stall fronts.
I said "if we had someone out right now (flies are bad today), I'd just put him in a different stall". Time to build a portable for one of the older horses. Acey needs a big boy room! I want him to spend the winter assigned to the hay drop which is outfitted as a tie stall (and also has a gate across so he doesn't actually have to be tied all the time), but for starters he needs a sturdy box stall.

Then, before I left my husband stopped by and wanted me to take Ace out to show a friend. I went in and haltered him ("my goodness he's mannerly today" says Hubby), then led him out alone to stand in the aisle while Copy munched hay. Everyone acted so normal. It gives me hope for an uneventful weaning.