How can I make my pony not mind having her rug taken off?

Question

My pony has always been fine with putting rugs on and off shes 11 years old so is really used to it and is normally really chilled and fine about having her rugs taken untill the other evening i was taking her fly rug off and it gave her a static shock which is bad I know. So now when ever i take her rug off she freaks out and will refuse to stand still when i am trying to take it off. I dont know how to help her get back to normal and stand still while i take her rug off. Any ideas would be really appreciated on how to get her to stand still while i take her rug off.

Answer 1

You gotta start from the beginning.  My horse was the same way with the clipper, she was fine with it, then she got a static shock and was all freaked out.  Just keep pulling it on and off and on and off and on and off... until she relaxes and realizes it isn't going to hurt her.  Good luck!

Answer 2

Look into clicker training!

You could teach her to stand quietly when any "scary" thing including rug removal is happening.

Or you could use classical conditioning to get her to associate a GOOD thing not a scary thing with the rug.

Answer 3

Don't put her on crossties!!!!  That's the LAST thing you should do, unless you want a real disaster to deal with.

On a halter and lead, in the arena, put the rug on, and off, etc. until she accepts it on her back and you can walk her around in it.  Next, do the same thing in the barn aisle, NOT tied to anything...you holding the lead...until it can be buckled without a response.  Then remove it promptly and next time, try to just do it in the aisleway from the get-go, but don't be surprised if you have to go back to the arena and start over from scratch a few times.

Answer 4

you might want to look into crossties. they're good to use in a corridor or a stall that hold the horse's head still so you can do work on their backs.  they can't go too far when they're in them and it seems to keep them pretty calm.

Answer 5

Have also had this happen.....I solved the problem by undoing all the straps, and slipping the blanket off the side or over the horses rump.  DO NOT take it off over their heads in the event static electricity is in the blanket.....I am also careful of the shoes and socks that I wear while doing this....some shoes will conduct electricity more readily than others....it's up to you to determine which pair of shoes and socks is the culprit.   Any polyester and cotton combination in a sock will add to the problem.  

Fly sheets seem to conduct static electricity no matter what you do.  You might try a dryer sheet rubbed down the fly sheet before you remove it from your  horse.  Just a thought.

I also remove blankets and flysheets in stalls in the event there is a static shock..keep your stall door closed while you're in there removing the blanket....if your horse moves away from you when you take the blanket/sheet off there's no where for her to go.