Re: Shocking questions!!

["Duncan Fletcher" <dfletche@gte.net>]

Go barefoot. Or perhaps wear some soggy leather boots. Or find some more
attractive way to ground yourself (electrically) before touching the horse.
Carry a metal post and stick into the ground before touching the horse. Well
(electrically) insulated boots prevent any static build up from dischaging
to ground - the horse becomes the discharge path. Depending on the surface
the boots are walking on, they could even contribute to the generation of
static, although there are other possible culprits. Low humidity is large
factor in the generation of static, but there is little you can do about
that. The brush against his fur could be a generation factor, and yes ground
him (stand him in puddle) could help if static is built up on him rather
than you. Keeping the grooming brush wet will eliminate static generation
from this. Winter coat and dirt play no major roles in this.

Duncan Fletcher
dfletche@gte.net


----- Original Message -----
From: <MBlanchrd@aol.com>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Saturday, September 25, 1999 7:55 PM
Subject: RC: Shocking questions!!


> Hi, campers,
>
>  I have a problem that I don't think I've ever seen addressed anywhere, so
> I'm throwing it out to you.
>
> Lately, and apparently, when I groom Jordan, he gets a shock of static
> electricity from me. Obviously this is very rapidly making him shy of
being
> touched..tonight, while grooming him he suddenly took off and wouldn't let
me
> near him. When I finally did get him to stand, he reached forward to me,
> touched my outstretched fingers and must have got zapped again, because he
> backpedaled and looked at me with a hurt look on his face.
> Needless to say, this makes me feel like an ogre. The look on his face is
one
> of betrayal and bewilderment, because he knows he's being zapped by me for
> what???
>
> Some background information....he's rapidly growing his winter coat. Since
he
> has Cushings, he's never truly shed out, though I clipped him twice this
> summer. The last bath he got was back in oh, May. It's been dry here, and
> when he rolls, he gets the fine silt we call dirt here into his hair. Much
of
> it comes out when I groom him, but some still stays in.
>
> When I groom him, I wear boots with urethane soles. I can be standing on
the
> rubber mats in his stall, or I can be standing outside his shed on the
> dirt..both ways, he gets a shock. I've tried "discharging" the buildup by
> touching the steel supports in his shed, but apparently it does no good.
> I use natural bristle brushes. I'm thinking the static charge only builds
up
> when I'm brushing him, not when I am using the rubber curry combs. Nor
does
> it happen when I'm brushing his mane and tail.
> He has no shoes on, and there's no concrete I can walk him onto to brush
him.
>
> Now what can I do? It's too late in the year to bathe him, as he's in
pasture
> full time with his shed to run in and out of. (this is a nice way of
saying I
> don't have a nice barn to keep him in). I have been stepped on too many
times
> to ever not wear boots around horses. He NEEDS brushing, I try and groom
him
> daily. He's already got a nice buildup of lanolin in his hair, and he's
going
> to need it with our wet wet winter almost here. This has just started
> happening, so I'm certain his hair growth has something to do with it.
> By the way, this is a horse who I can groom without so much as a halter on
> him. No restraints, nothing but a "stand!" when he takes a step or two out
of
> my reach, which is seldom.
>
> Is there a way I can put a grounding strap on him? Has anyone ever had
this
> sort of problem before?? My husband even suggested turning off the hot
fence,
> to see if that helps, but I think he's grasping at straws, too.
>
> This hurts me, my wonderful horse is suddenly afraid of me because I'm
> "punishing' him for nothing. The wierd thing is, I don't ever feel the
> shocks. Never. So honestly, I think I'm guessing that this is what it
> is...static electricity.
> I need HELP!!!!!!!!!!
>
> Michelle and Jordan (what, mom, what? what did I do wrong???)
> MBlanchrd@aol.com




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