Have to know your limitations

The cold weekend weather wasn't here yet this morning so I decided to ride Sadie, wind out of the west came up while I saddled and will bring the cold tonight but this is high plains country the little mare is used to wind after 5 years of life so I decided to ride anyway taking my usual route heading east. She was doing OK, a bit angst at going out alone + watching tumble weeds sail by. Not bad but a bit of trying to whirl and turn around mixed with 'not continuing forward' but being correctable so I figured its good exposure. Still I was thinking "I'll probably cut this ride a bit short, maybe just turn left at non-maintained county road and just go a quarter mile north and head back so we don't have to go by the junk next to the road that continues east. There is often some new or moved cardboard and so it gets well eyed even when the air is still. Almost to the corner I see the the neighbors SIL heading out for some target practice in his lot that borders the road I'm on and he fires towards the road that would be my left turn. I guess he was going to get some practice in windy conditions. Sadie does not have Shade's deep fear of gunfire but she gets a little fussed by nearby bangs. So I decided I would cut the ride very short and turn around before he even started his target practice. Little mare may be 5 and have experienced lots of wind but she hasn't got a whole lot of miles under saddle. Then I got to convince Sadie that we were not going to run home. She was again not bad, started cantering a few times and fairly up and down strides a couple times but not bucking and I just reminded myself not to haul back on the reins with both hands and give her something to brace on, just asked her to slow to trot with LH/RH squeeze and release on the reins and she did. I was wondering if she would stand to let me dismount when we got back, but she did after just a couple circles. She figured she deserved horse treats afterwards and I concurred.