Shocking solution

[MBlanchrd@aol.com]

Hi, Campers,

  Thanks, everyone, who sent me suggestions on how to stop my shocking Jordan 
while I groom him. A lot of people said to use static sheets that one uses in 
the dryer, I haven't tried that, but I may just do that. 

Duncan Fletcher gave me a lot of good advice, other than  my going barefoot. 
Sorry, Dunc, not around horses and not in THIS state!! Otherwise, you were 
right on with your analysis of the problem..my boots were insulating me 
against the static and Jordan was getting the total amount of electricity.
So. What did I do, but take Basic Electricity 101 and put it to good 
use...the first time in my life that stuff ever came in handy.

I took a length of copper wire...I think it's 14 AWG or thereabouts, the same 
stuff one uses to wire for 15 amps (for a freezer).  I made a loose fitting 
bracelet for my self, and one for Jordan. To each wire..mine is about 6 
inches long and Jordan's 8...I wrapped the stripped ends of speaker wire. I 
taped the speaker wire to the copper wire with good old duct tape. I made the 
speaker wire (just one side, not double, but that would work just as well.) 
about ten feet long and wired an alligator clip to the other end. I will 
"draw" it below here, I hope it comes out:

    >-----------------------------------------------------C

The > is the alligator clip, the ------------- is the speaker wire, and the C 
is the copper wire.
The whole thing is a ground wire. 
I attached one on the copper wires around my wrist..I made it loose, and one 
of the copper wires loosely around one of Jordan's pasterns.  I attached the 
allligator clips of both  to the steel supports of his shed. One wire for me, 
one wire for Jordan, we were both grounded, if my basic electrical knowledge 
is sound....
Voil a!  No more shocks, though I think Jordan could hear the static as I 
brushed his furry back and was waiting for the shock. I can't believe he's 
getting any more shocks. I did have to halter him, for the first time in a 
year of grooming him daily, but once I did that he resigned himself. I don't 
think he wanted to admit he wasn't getting shocked. He does tend to play that 
game at times...Poor Old Horse.....

I made the copper wire big enough, and didn't wrap it tightly around me or 
Jordan, because I didn't want either one of us to be hung up in case he blew 
up. But he didn't even flinch at the wire around his pastern.

What I may do next is get a broader band of copper, rather than a wire..I 
think it's safer. But this worked for me, if he's still getting pops from 
static electricity, they have to be vastly reduced. Maybe if I use dryer 
sheets along with this system, it will eliminate the static completely.

Thanks, everyone, for your help, and I hope this helps someone out there. 
Michelle and Jordan "Mom, can I have my bracelet engraved with my name??"


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