Thanks for the suggestions^. I never even thought about that - that patting him and talking to him to calm him might actually make him associate the attention with the scary thing. I'll have to be more mindful of that. Again, he is NOT food-motivated - to amount of hay or grain or treat will get him to budge. As for the butt-rope HA. I had two grown, 6ft+ men link hands around his rear and it was pretty much the funniest thing I've ever seen. His ass end was OFF THE GROUND but those front feet were rooted as ever. I think he may be part donkey