This Sounds Ridiculous...but "Static?"

[ChelseaA]

Hello!

I hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season and staying warm. The temperatures where I am have been super cold (-10ish celcius) and so I've been putting extra care into keeping my mare warm. I have been dressing her in fleece coolers (while brushing) and because it's super cold but dry the static is unbearable.
Yesterday I went to give her head a nice rub and I gave her a huge shock between the eyes! She retreated into the corner of her stall just terrified. I held out my hand to her and she sniffed it- only to get shocked again!
It's awful and it took me a solid 15 minutes after that to convince her that I wasn't an awful person. Even today she wouldn't let me touch her face in the stall.

Any suggestions for combating this ridiculous problem? I was thinking of bringing out some bounty dryer sheets and rubbing them on her before and after I use the fleece coolers...what else is there?:rolleyes:

Let me know- and I'm sorry for the wierd thread!

Thanks,
Chelsea.

[SweetLatte]

Actually, I've had great luck with bounty dryer sheets, also show sheen helps :)

[Moogles]

[QUOTE=ChelseaA;3743442]Hello!

I hope everyone is enjoying the Christmas season and staying warm. The temperatures where I am have been super cold (-10ish celcius) and so I've been putting extra care into keeping my mare warm. I have been dressing her in fleece coolers (while brushing) and because it's super cold but dry the static is unbearable.
QUOTE]

Seriously, that is not cold! Yesterday is was -30 degrees celcius before wind chill :eek: Try spraying your blanket with static gaurd.

[turningpointequine]

Holy crud! Where do you people live?!?!

P.S. I second the dryer sheets.

[TikiSoo]

Eww on dryer sheets!
Full of chemicals and perfumes I wouldn't want in contact with my body!

Dryer sheets are designed to release chemicals when in contact with damp fabric, stay on clothing for a long period of time and slowly release throughout the day, which leads to prolonged exposure to toxic chemicals.

I sometimes spray vinegar on larger items with static, like a blanket and it helps a lot.
I prefer natural hand lotions with oatmeal, vitamin E & aloe over my own hair to cut static and wouldn't hesitate to rub it on my horse.

[jn4jenny]

Stop using fleece coolers. Seriously, this is the reason that I don't own any fleece products for my horse! :lol:

Barring that, a few years back some brilliant COTH'er determined that spraying your horse with a very light coat of diluted Nexxus Humectress conditioner helps with this issue.

[imissvixen]

I have had that happen a couple of times with my warmblood gelding recently. The crude solution is to lick your hand before patting your horse. Alternatively, let your horse lick your hand. Mine is more than happy to do so.

[Bluey]

Get a hand sprayer, fill it with water and mist lightly yourself, the horse, brushes, blankets, etc.
The water mist should keep static electricity at bay.
I can't hardly get out of the pickup and reach over to touch my little dog to lift her out without shocking her, if I don't first "ground" myself by touching something else.:eek:
We are so windy and dry here, static electricity is a problem for us and our animals year around.
Our horse's tails look like a fan much of the time.:yes:

[MassageLady]

This happens to me in the winter when I massage horses-I always keep lotion with me. That helps alot to keep the static out of my hands.

[Pookah]

I've used dryer sheets for years, although I might be rethinking that after TikiSoo's post! I also find that Show-Sheen type products (I tend to use Vetrolin Shine instead) help a lot. But most of all, I would switch from fleece to wool. I bought a couple of fleece and polarfleece coolers and such when they first came out, thinking that they would be great, but I really hate them, mostly because of the static. Really not great barn materials. If you want to stick with those types of materials, it seems like using some extra fabric softener and dryer sheets when you wash them helps, too.

[ChelseaA]

Great suggestions everyone!
Thanks!!

[KatieD]

I've had to accept that as a horse owner prone to conducting electricity, I will very rarely be able to touch my nags in the winter time without at least a thin glove on. I used to shock my horse all the time, and after he started to get a bit head shy, I decided to wear gloves all the time.:D I'm like some kind of cool mutant! :lol:

At least that's what I tell myself....

[jetsmom]

I use dryer sheets. I can't see it being a problem for horses, since
1) They don't live as long as people, and we've been using static sheets and then wearing the clothes they've touched for hours at a time. Never seen a link between fabric sheets and any human problems.
2) It's not like the horse is being wrapped in fabric sheets for hours...Just rubbed with one daily. It isn't like the chemicals are being ground into his skin for hours.

[the_other_mother]

Static Guard is your friend........blue can w/ an orange top.....Walmart.
Or, just lick you hand finger /before you touch your horse. :yes:

[TikiSoo]

I bought a couple of fleece and polarfleece coolers and such when they first came out, thinking that they would be great, but I really hate them, mostly because of the static.

I use a really nice cotton waffle liner next to the horse and a polar fleece liner on top of it. This method works great as the fleece is light and drizzle snow or rain just beads on it instead of soaking in. Plus, the fleece is easy to launder and wears very well.

The lightness of this combo was appreciated by my senior, as her waterproof wool winter blanket was uncomfortably heavy and flattened her fur.

[tpup]

You can put the dryer sheets in your shoes - seriously. My parents live in an older apartment building that is SO dry. In winter, if you touch ANYTHING metal - and I mean anything - lights, lamps, silverware - even the corners of their walls that have the metal border under the paint! You get TERRIBLE shocks. It seriously was putting a damper on my visits to them. I was afraid to touch anything, and honestly don't know how they live there!! Someone suggested putting a Bounce dryer sheet in the soles of my shoes. It works!!

[ChelseaA]

Awsome suggestion "tpup" !
I will definatly try that. My mare has not at all forgotten the shocks...
everytime I try and pat her she flinches. She also retreats in to the corner of her stall when I try and pat her when she's loose. She won't even let my mom touch her now!

It's very sad; she just gives me a sideways, forlorn look like, "What did I do wrong?"
truly heartbreaking...poor girl.

Anyone know of any good equine therapists? ha-ha

[Peggy]

Water should work (but, beware, water is a chemical;)) since it increases the humidity. Keeping a dryer sheet in you pocket and rubbing your hands on it will also help to discharge the electricity, but it does increase your exposure to them. Not sure what the vinegar (a mixture of acetic acid in water) would do that plain water wouldn't other than make everything smell like salad dressing. I, for one, prefer the smell of most dryer sheets (and they, at least come in odorless versions) to that of acetic acid.

IIRC, there was an article in The Horse Journal about this issue within the last year or so.

Remember, all chemicals are not toxic and not all isotopes are radioactive:D. I'm not saying that there might not be something bad in dryer sheets but, as a chemist, it annoys me when people automatically apply the modifier "toxic" to chemical. Not that the above poster made that absolute correlation. Carry on...

[Huntertwo]

This tip always works for me (I think I've posted it before)

Before even sliding the blanket off - Place one ungloved had flat on the horses withers and leave it there. Do do pick it up or move it around.

With your free hand, slide the blanket off.