AGH! Evil Fleece Blanket Static Fu

My horse has 3 blankets: a good thick heavy Rambo Original for when it is *really* cold, a Weatherbeeta Orican for when it is wet, and a Rambo Newmarket Fleece Cooler for inside the stable, and layering under the Weatherbeeta when it's too cool for just the rain sheet but not cold enough for the heavy blanket. He seems pretty comfortable in that he's not shivering, or burning through a lot of extra hay, or losing weight. Mostly, he's in the fleece cooler/rain sheet combo.

The problem is that this fleece cooler - soft and pretty - builds up a MONSTER static charge. And Huey is not at all laid back about getting shocked. I peeled him - as carefully as I could - this afternoon, and still managed to shock him (and myself) three times. Not little shocks, either, although he hates even those. These big shocks had him blatting his nose, stamping his feet, and glaring at me like I was Public Enemy Number One. I can't deal with this. I've got to be able to peel the horse, and I've got to do that without causing him to distrust me. I can't blame him - I wasn't happy about the whacking big shocks *I* got, and I understood why they happened and expected them.

I did some research online and people suggested spraying the blanket with static-guard, or drying it with dryer sheets. Problem is, I board him, and so I'm not usually the one putting the blanket on and taking it off. I would prefer not to put the obligation for the static guard on the barn help. And it doesn't seem very practical to take it home every week and wash it. I'm thinking I just need to go with a different kind of blanket. I own several fleece garments myself, and rarely use them because of the static shock problem, so I know that the fabric can be a problem.

What I don't know is whether I'd expect this same phenomenon with other types of blankets too. Is this an issue with wool blankets? Or with blankets that have nylon linings? I think his Weatherbeeta has a taffeta lining, and I haven't noticed him getting shocked with that, but most of the stable blankets I've been looking at onlline have nylon linings.

I do a similar layering thing and find its *much* worse when its been under a rug with a nylon lining. But I think it is really just the fleece material and some types of fleece give bigger shocks than others. Has it ever been washed? People say they get less staticy once they have been washed. Wouldn't know personally but its perhaps worth a try! Don't think other rug materials give shocks however so perhaps a cheep waffel weave rug could be a simple solution!

I have yet to find a 'static free' rug. There are some who say they are 'static resistant' but if it's dry, then it shocks me and the horse just maybe to a lesser degree. 2 things I do that work pretty well. If I remember to take a dryer sheet outside with me, I can unclip everything, PICK UP the tail half and fold it back, rube the back half down with the dryer sheet and then do the front half the same way. Works pretty well to stop the shocks. The other thing you can do if you forget the dryer sheet is to take a brush and dip it in some water and shake out the excess. By having a tiny bit of water in the brush and running it over them, you can kill static fairly well too. A sprits of Healthy Hair Care Conditioner or maybe even some Show Sheen, anything that adds a little moisture back in should help.

Hmm...when I consulted my new BFFs at SmartPak earlier, they suggested the Show Sheen route as well. Will have to look into that one more thoroughly!

Trying doing it in the dark, looks wicked!!!

Hahahaha!! I do this with my cat - he's not nearly as bothered by the static as my horse is, and it's great fun to watch the little sparks fly!

Put 1 C liquid fabric softener in a spray bottle and fill it up with water. Spritz the inside of your blankets with it every week.