Horse Sunburn - What You Should know
As human beings we're aware of the danger of remaining in the sunlight too long. We know that if we waste to much time out in the sun we run the risk of turning a nice suntan in to an unsightly sunburn. As well as being unpleasant and tender we are also conscious that sunburns can lead to skin cancer. We employ all types of tricks from sun tan lotion to light weight covers to prevent our
skin from crisping.
Because they're large and seem like infallible (a trait that every horse owner knows is an illusion) we frequently forget about the affect the sunlight has on our horses.
Horses, exactly like people, can burn. Sunburn is most often observed on equines with a light colored hair coat such as Appaloosa's, Lipizzans, Paints, Pintos, Andalusian, and Grays. Horse owners who own horses with pasty noses and lots of pale skin across the eyes often find themselves treating their equine companions for sunburn. A sudden change in hormones, like horses which have been bred, can cause a horse to pick up sunburn. Even though dark horses aren't generally irritated by sunburn the sun often lightens the dark hair. In some cases harsh sunburn is thought to lead to some liver damage.
Horse owners must also remember that some medicinal drugs could also set-off sunburn in horses. Tetracycline is one prescription that has been recognized to cause sunburn in various horses.
Horse sunburn looks exactly like human being sunburn. The skin turns an angry shade of pink or even a violent red. If skin is left raw long enough it begins to dry and crack. Horses that are suffering from harsh sunburn will begin to blister. Sunburn could cause hair loss.
Treating sunburned eyes is relatively trouble-free. All an owner needs to do is obtain a fly mask for their horse. When using a fly mask it is very important to make sure the fly mask is kept clean. Just use a hosepipe including a sprayer to douse the dust and eye gunk from the mask. Following rinsing the fly mask hang it by the sun to dry.
Various fly masks have an extension that protects the top of the nose from getting sunburned. If you don't own a fly mask that protects your horses nostril all you must do is rub your horses nose with sunscreen that you should purchase at a local drugstore.
A number of horse owners, in particular ones who have an interest in showing, try to prevent the sunlight from damaging their horses coat by keeping them inside through the day time hours when the sun is the most harmful. Extra owners choose to keep their horses covered with a light weight turn out blanket or fly sheet to guard their horses hair coat. Considered one of the reasons some owners desire a blanketed equine to one kept indoors is they think that keeping a horse stalled and fully free of sunlight can lead to depressive disorder.
If you're trawling the internet for horses for sale and ponies for sale, you could always try the Horse and Pony Directory.
