Is there someone in your life that makes you feel all tingly when you’re with them? Not necessarily giddy emotionally, but someone who sends shivers down your spine or lightning bolts through your body?
When Does the Tingle Strike?
I admit my horses make me feel all tingly. My two boys are Poncho, a Missouri Fox Trotter, and Exuma (after The Bahamas), a red dun Quarter horse. In addition, this story includes my late Mustang, Napolean.
Winter is the time I get especially tingly about my horses. The Sonoran Desert can be very dry. As I write this in January 2025, we haven’t had measurable precipitation since November 4, 2024. The horses have grown their long-hair winter coats. They feel so cuddly. Of course, the beginning of winter here was overly warm, so a lot of sweating happened.
Protecting my horses is a top priority. I dress them in fly sheets not only to shield them from flies but also to safeguard Poncho’s (a paint) white patches. After all, humans are not the only ones at risk of skin cancer.
The clues I’ve provided (I really want to write mysteries) will explain the tingly feelings. Remember, as a child, when you would shuffle your socked feet across the floor and then touch a metal object, such as a doorknob. Or maybe you rubbed rabbit fur on a balloon and made it come to you. So many great experiments demonstrating static electricity.
Something similar happens when you peel a fly sheet off a long-haired horse in dry air. The sparks fly! The electricity crackles, the horses flinch, and I endure many electrical shocks. Poncho and Exuma try to be stoic but can’t help but flinch. Napolean would jump aside and try to bolt. We suspect an electric prod was used on him back in his wild horse days. I, too, try to be stoic, but sometimes the electricity surges through my whole body. I say, “Sorry, sorry,” but I really want to say, “Ouch, ouch!”
I lessen the static discharge by passing a wet hand under the sheet or spraying it with water. That helps negate the electricity somewhat, but not completely.
With the dryness of the Sonoran Desert, I can only imagine the unique experiences my horses will continue to bring me. I suspect they will be making me feel all tingly all year round.
You may be wondering why the fly sheets are in a zebra pattern. Scientists have found that the stripes decrease fly biting. I like my little herd of zebras.
If you loved this horse tale, be sure to check out more of my captivating stallion stories.
