Sunburn Species: Horses

Summer means sunburn and our horses suffer the same as we do, the lighter the skin the easier the burn. Even your darker bays and blacks can be affected by the harsh rays of the sun and sunburn is as painful for them as it is for us. Sunburn means red raw skin that is hot and sore to the touch and if left untreated can become flaky cracked and then blister. So we need to prevent it the best way we can.

Keep them out of the sun

It would be great if we all had well ventilated cool stables to house our horses through the heat of the day but for those of us that don't we have to make sure they have plenty of shade in the way of trees or a shelter.

Many owners will pop on a lightweight rug and neck rug for protection but always consider the weight of the fabric as they need to be cool too.

Protection

The areas more susceptible to sunburn are around the eyes, tips of the ears and the muzzle especially if the skin is pale as with greys, paints, palominos etc. Applying sunscreen is advisable in these cases or another alternative is to fit your horse out with a fly mask, preferably with ears, some of them also have an extension that protects the end of the nose.