Sunburn in horses is not something that many of us pay much thought to. As human beings, of course we are aware of the dangers of staying in the sun too long. We know that if we spend to much time out in the sun we are very likely to end with an ugly sunburn instead of a gorgeous tan. We also know that, as well as being unattractive and painful, sunburns can lead to skin cancer. We use all kinds of tricks from sunscreen to light weight clothing and parasols to prevent our skin from frying.
Because they are big and appear to be so solid and undamageable (which every horse owner knows is a illusion) we often forget about the effect that the sun can have on our horses.
Just like people, horses too can burn in the sun. Sunburn is most frequently seen on horses with a lighter colored coat such as Appaloosas, Lipizzans, Pintos, Paints, Andalusians, and grays. People who own horses with white noses and a lot of pale skin around the eyes often have to treat their equine partners for sunburn. A sudden change in hormones, for example in horses that have been bred, can also cause a horse to develop sunburn. Although dark colored horses are not typically irritated by sunburn the sun often bleaches the dark hair. In some cases severe sunburn is believed to lead to possible liver damage.
Horse owners also need to know that some medications can trigger sunburn in horses. Tetracycline is one example.
Equine sunburn looks exactly like human sunburn. The skin turns an angry shade of pink or a hot red. If it is left untreated long enough it starts to chap and crack. Where a horse’s skin is suffering from severe sunburn, it will start to blister. Sunburn can also cause hair loss in some cases.
Treating sunburned skin around the eyes is fairly simple. All an owner needs to do is order a fly mask for the horse. To prevent eye infections it is extremely important to make sure that the fly mask is kept clean. Simply use a hose with a sprayer to rinse the dirt and eye gunk from the mask. After rinsing the fly mask hang it in the sun to dry.
Some fly masks have an extension that protects the end of the nose from getting sunburned. If you do not own a fly mask that covers your horse’s nose all you need to do is apply sunscreen to the nose. Check with your veterinarian but in most cases you can use the same sunscreen you would use for yourself.
Some horse owners, especially those who are interested in showing, try to prevent the sun from damaging their horse’s coat by keeping them inside during the hours when the sun is at its strongest. However, some owners feel that depriving a horse of sunlight can lead to depression, so they prefer to keep their horses covered with a light weight turn out blanket or fly sheet to protect the horse’s own coat.
The most important point is simply to be aware of the incidence of sunburn in horses and consider how best to protect your horse.
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