Getting really frustrated!!

[chewitmonster]

I'm really getting annoyed with myself at the moment and my poor horse is suffering because of me!

Whenever I groom Silver I have this uncanny (sp) nack of giving him static shocks. Normally I just have to let mum take over because he ends up not wanting me near him! :( Today we'd had an 'interesting' groundwork session and after ending on a good note I decided to give him an extra good groom. Well I gave off one small shock that he didn't mind and so to be on the safe side I kept touching some metal after literally every stroke of the brush to discharge myself. The ONE time I missed touching the metal and gave him two strokes instead of one I gave him a huge shock that sent him flying. :( I feel so bad. Mum had to take over again and I was shunned to a corner to watch. He only just allowed me to put his stable rug on and take him to his stable. :(

I don't know how to stop it happening...any experts? I wouldn't care normally but its really frightening Silver :( Thinks his mum is a monster! xxx

[horseygal90]

Eek! Static electricity hurts... I hate it.

Where you wearing rubber? I think it stops the electricity from flowing down into the ground... But don't quote me on that!

[galadriel]

If you have leather-soled shoes that you can wear, that can keep you grounded through your feet. Wearing rubber-soled shoes will insulate you, unfortunately. I know it's winter and cold and soggy and so on, but those rubber soles will keep it building up on you instead of grounding.

Alternatively, you could try to ground yourself in some other way. This could be more trouble than it's worth. You'd either need something going from your body to the ground (restricting your movement), or somehow going through the sole of your shoe (compromising its water resistance).

[xAlicex]

cant help you but just wanted to say that i had that problem a while back. I was grooming somebody elses horse and everytime i toucherd her we both got a shock, i could hear it clicking as well.

She ended up spinning round away from me every time i went near her and she was nervous of me for ages :(

Alice xxx

[*HaRRY-J*]

I'm not sure if this would work, but if there is something metal nearby to where you are grooming him, then you could attach the end of an anti-static wriststrap to it and it would stop any static building up. They are meant for working on computers. I have one you could borrow, but I think it's only 1/2 a metre or so long.....

[chewitmonster]

Thanks Harry-J...just been thinking and I've been wearing my wellies because I've been having to wade through a swamp to catch Silver and he's off work till Monday after the dentist did some work on him (smoothed off his wolf teeth sockets) so I haven't been changing what I wear on my feet. :rolleyes: duh.

I'll try changing into my riding boots tomorrow and see if that helps...and I'm going to avoid wearing nylon as well. If not I'll be back!! mwahahahaha xxx

[martini55]

That happens to me all the time in the summer, so annoying and painful. Luckily my horse isn't too bothered, just flinches but it's not very fair on her. It only happens when I use a body brush, so I stick to a softer dandy brush.

[chewitmonster]

Thats really interesting that you've mentioned that actually martini55 - it only happens when I use a body brush too! How strange...I wonder why!? xxx

[martini55]

Must just be something to do with the type of bristle on the brush. Must create more static or something. Why not invest in a softer dandy brush and see if you get on better with that.

[Yann]

I'm guessing it's to do with the brush as well, try borrowing some different ones and see if the problem goes away. A posh natural bristle one would certainly avoid the problem.

[Merlinz gal]

try the bently slipknot brushes because they have rubber backs so this moght absorb the static.hope this helps

[chewitmonster]

Well i avoided the body brush and wore my riding boots and not my wellies today and had absolutely no shocks :D Going to go out and buy and natural bristle body brush as well soon. Today I use a dandy and a mit contraption that is fantastic for getting caked mud off - Silver loves to be mud colour!! Finished him off with a very soft, very cottony (like sheepskin) brush which he enjoyed.

Thanks for the help everyone...think I've got it sussed with him. Only prob now is that I'm a naturally static person - get shocked almost everytime I touch a car door etc! I'll just have to cope!!

Thanks again :D xxx