The Horse, The Cat, and The Tarp

Nox doesn't like change.  If something in his environment is different than it was the day before, he gets upset.  It took him two weeks to get over his indignation when the stable owners parked the ATV in the corner of the indoor ring and covered it with a tarp for the winter (it usually lives outside next to the barn).  Nox snorted, pawed, and glared at the ATV.  I had to coax him with carrots to stand near it and it was a few weeks before we could ride in that corner without him spooking.

Nox has been fine about the ATV for a month now.  We can ride around and he doesn't even glance over there anymore. 

Until tonight.

One of the barn cats decided that tonight, while I was riding, she would dash through the ring and throw herself under the tarped ATV, making a loud rustling sound as she did so.

Yee Haw!  It was as if Nox thought the tarped ATV was some kind of magic transfiguring machine and the cat would burst from it a raging, hungry lion.  He launched us into the air and we landed about six feet the left.  The next instant we were at the other end of the ring, I was still in the saddle, and he was snorting at the ATV.

I made him stand quietly for a few minutes and then urged him towards the scary corner.  No luck.  He was spooky and mad and I'd lost his attention.  I stayed on until I could get him to walk in a semi-calm circle in the safe end of the ring and walk over a pole.  I untacked him in the ring and let him loose. 

I nonchalantly wandered over to the ATV - Nox only followed me halfway - and rustled the tarp.  The cat wasn't budging, but Nox seemed impressed by my bravery.  He came a little closer and snorted.  I whistled softly and flapped the tarp.  He stepped forward and sniffed.  This game continued until he standing next to the ATV and I prayed the cat wouldn't choose that moment to fly out from under the tarp.

She didn't. 

Nox and I walked calmly away and I gave him an extra long grooming session and some extra carrots in his bucket.

We'll see how he feels about the ATV tomorrow.

The scary tarped ATV.



Nox, worried about it.

Nox, one ear pointed at me, the other at the ATV.
He's not sure if it's safe, but he's willing to go this far, at this point.
He eventually stood next to it.