Odd questrian re horse afraid of me and static shock

Mule

Mule

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This may sound like an odd question but a few days ago when I touched my horse's muzzle I got a really strong static shock. We both jumped backwards. He has been afraid of me since then.
I have convinced him to reluctantly eat food from my hand but he still gives me a strange look and backs away from me if I don't have it.
He's on a rest from work at the moment so I'm not riding him. Has anyone any ideas on what I should do?
 
I would carry on as it it never happened, the horse may sense that you are being careful and that will be enough to make him suspicious.

I am a great static shock generator, if I remove my horses rug I always touch the floor before touching the horse again Even when grooming I can build up a charge - must be the synthetic clothes/boots I wear I think. In dry weather I have to touch the floor when I get out of the car before closing the door or I get zapped. I hate it!
 
Archangel said:
I would carry on as it it never happened, the horse may sense that you are being careful and that will be enough to make him suspicious.

I am a great static shock generator, if I remove my horses rug I always touch the floor before touching the horse again Even when grooming I can build up a charge - must be the synthetic clothes/boots I wear I think. In dry weather I have to touch the floor when I get out of the car before closing the door or I get zapped. I hate it!
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Good idea. I always get them when I touch the car after driving. They can feel as strong as a mild electric shock.
 
Just carry on as if nothing happened, my new horse snuck up behind me when I was raking and I didn't realise, so I moved the rake around and whacked her in the side of the head with the handle, needless to say I was the devil incarnate along with the rake!
I carried on as if it didn't happen and within a couple of days she started to relax and now is fine. I know it's not the same but just try to ground yourself before touching her as Archangel said and carry on, good luck!
 
Morag4 said:
Just carry on as if nothing happened, my new horse snuck up behind me when I was raking and I didn't realise, so I moved the rake around and whacked her in the side of the head with the handle, needless to say I was the devil incarnate along with the rake!
I carried on as if it didn't happen and within a couple of days she started to relax and now is fine. I know it's not the same but just try to ground yourself before touching her as Archangel said and carry on, good luck!
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Yes, apparently I'm also the devil incarnate :devilish:. Must remember to ground myself.Thanks for your advice.
 
I had to get the vet out before Xmas as my horse took a sudden dislike to her stable and was bucking, rearing and generally running around like a prat in an anxious state. Vet came out as I wasn't entirely sure she didn't have colic as she kept looking behind her and pawing the ground frantically. When I turned her into the indoor school she rolled like mad but she tends to do this anyway so it wasn't really obvious. When I put her into an empty stable to see what she would do she was still scooting around and looking extremely anxious. When I attempted to put her into her own stable again she totally planted and refused to walk in, even backwards and even with the temptation of treats, it took three of us with people trying to pretend to whip her behind, she just planted, of course I was upset about this, its awful to see. I thought it was either colic or she'd banged her head and had a stroke or something due to her bizarre and irrational behaviour. I knew I couldn't leave her in that state all night, I thought she was going to jump out at one point.

Got the emergency vet out who traipsed half an hour from her house and she had to give her an injection of ACP.Turned out we'd had a delivery of straw around the back of her stable and rain drops were dropping onto the tarp that people had put over the straw and it was this noise she didn't like - either that or the 'trauma' of the forks on the tractor delivering it, although she wasn't even in her stable when that took place.

Even with us standing in her stable for 3/4 hour and the ACP coursing through her veins she was very anxious, grabbing at hay and then racing to door, looking behind at wall.Vet said her back end looked like colic but her front end (head and eyes) were not colicky looking, ie she was bright and VERY alert, obviously she listened to her gut sounds etc. Said heart rate through roof. She said she'd never seen anything like it, and assured me horses 'live in the moment' and she would forget all about it come the next day. To say I was dubious at this comment was an understatement!! Left her eating hay and went home, had sleepless night, came up really early the next day and her rug was covered in shavings so she'd obviously laid down in her bed (wouldn't do that if terrified) and had head hanging over door calmly. That afternoon when I came up she had her bum to the wall facing away from it and 'the monster'. After that 'episode' she was fine, she occassionaly looks at the wall but is very happy in her stable, lies down, eats at the back wall, etc as if nothing had ever happened. The vet was right!

My point is horse do 'live in the moment' and will forget! A simple static shock will be soon forgotten, and like others have said I think she's feeding off you and your anxiety as horses are very good with that!
 
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I've got a pair of boots that turn me into some form of electricity generator! OH tells me its the soles and its definitely stopped since I changed wellies.
 
Yep, any dry weather in spring, summer or autumn and I generate a lot of static! Especially when getting out of the car to open/close the yard gate. I always get one on the car door or the gate itself!

Had a similar issue when taking off B's snuggy hood. Had got a shock a couple of times so he would stand stock still when I started to take it off, waiting for the zap! Bless him. I would just carry on as if it hadn't happened. This was 2 years ago I think, not happened in a long time. He doesn't seem to remember!
 
Embo said:
Yep, any dry weather in spring, summer or autumn and I generate a lot of static! Especially when getting out of the car to open/close the yard gate. I always get one on the car door or the gate itself!

Had a similar issue when taking off B's snuggy hood. Had got a shock a couple of times so he would stand stock still when I started to take it off, waiting for the zap! Bless him. I would just carry on as if it hadn't happened. This was 2 years ago I think, not happened in a long time. He doesn't seem to remember!
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I suffer with static too and taking off A's snuggy hood is definitely the worst one. I fold it up to his ears now and rub my hands up underneath it to loosen it before taking it off - it seems to help.
 
Snuggy hoods are the devil for static shocks as are Bossy Bibs, my big lad shoots backwards across the yard when I remove his Snuggy and my little lad now can't wear his Bossy Bib as the static generated is dreadful and he starts anticipating the shocks as soon as I start undoing his rug, his bum stays at 12.2hh while his head becomes 16.2hh :-(
 
Boysy said:
Snuggy hoods are the devil for static shocks as are Bossy Bibs, my big lad shoots backwards across the yard when I remove his Snuggy and my little lad now can't wear his Bossy Bib as the static generated is dreadful and he starts anticipating the shocks as soon as I start undoing his rug, his bum stays at 12.2hh while his head becomes 16.2hh :-(
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Ahh your poor boys. lol. In the summer my horse gets a lot of static under the fly sheet and I normally get a cloth that I use for drying legs and put it over the sheet so I don't get a shock although she still does when I pull it off.
 
I another highly charged individual. Shocks from the car and also the parking meter machines, so I have to use the car key with plastic end to touch the buttons and get the ticket out ! Old horse used to get shocks when I was taking rugs off, but cob never had a problem. Another reason why people want to own cobs :D
 
Not really a solution, but a bit of background, I have experience with control of static electricity both from a safety management point of view but also in my past life as a safety engineer at a rocket engine and explosive production plant. Here even low levels of static electricity can be catastrophic, hence control of static is of the utmost importance (which is why I ended up getting so involved with it!).

It is not generally the person that is the primary cause of static but a combination of the shoes and clothing that the person is wearing. This is demonstrated by the fact that not everyone carrying out the same tasks in the same area receives problems with static discharge, so it must be more closely linked with individual factors such as clothing or footwear, as opposed to common cause like the environment that everyone is exposed to.

The ground will generally have a good electrical earth (Which is why you would get electrocuted if you touched a live 240v wire while stood on the floor!). The reason static builds up is that people move around and they generate static electricity on themselves from their clothing. As the charge builds up it cannot dissipate through the floor due to the shoes that the person is wearing as they are insulating the wearer. Horses don't generally build up static as they earth themselves through their (conductive) hooves. They may build up a small amount quickly when dragging a rug off, but when walking around the field in a rug static dissipates through their nose and hooves (which is why electric fences work on horses!)

When the person then touches something that is earthed, like a horse, then they discharge the current to the earthed object and both receive an shock. (The horse may actually receive two shocks, one at the point of contact from you, and one where it leaves them to earth). Static build up is more likely on people that may drag their feet or heels slightly when they walk or wear synthetic clothing, especially winter fleece type materials.

Low humidity is a major factor in increasing the static build up, the drier the air, the more likely it will be that levels of static increase. Issues with static discharge are greater between November and March where cold, dry external air more likely.
 
UPDATE: horse is no longer afraid of me :D
I just treated him as usual and didn't make a fuss. Thanks for the good advice
 
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