Sun Cream?

NicP

Cody's mum
Feb 22, 2007
2,369
0
0
Cambridgeshire
My new horse is grey but has a white snip on his nose and I am concerned that he may get sunburned.

Any recommendations as to what to use?

Thanks.
 
I'd heard that sudocrem could be quite drying. I use a human factor 50+ sunblock on Tess, they are on BOGOF at Boots at the moment.
 
You can buy sun cream for horses in tack shops but its basically just the same as high factor human sun cream (which most people on my yard use).

ETA: Sudocreme is good for sunburn but not for prevention
 
i used nettex last year, you can apply to you as well as the horse. unfortunately my mare is allergic to it :( so i took it back to the shop and got a refund :)
 
Sudocrem is very drying tho, I tried it on my son when he was younger and it tended to dry the skin a lot.

I've just bought factor 50 baby suncream from tesco's (tesco's own make) for £3 and its hypoallagenic (sp) suitable for the most sensitive skin so should be ok for hosses snout!!

I'm going to try it this week on tara as she has a nice pink nose which was peeling when I bought her from being burnt :eek:

Will let you know how it goes
 
I found that Ria just rubs off sun cream, even the more solid ones. Give it a try, but if you find that happens, the Equilibrium fly masks with a nose piece are fantastic (the nose piece has a velcro strip so it can be left off on shady days). It's worked for Ri's little pink nose for a while now! :D
 
Thanks for the suggestions - I will start with a cream as most of his nose is quite dark (for a grey!). If that doesn't work I will try a mask.

What a great site this is for advice!
 
If you go down the sun cream route, kids warterproof in the highest factor you can find works best. This can be expensive and not very effective. Factor 50 sun cream gives only 50 minuites of protection. The horse will therefore need it re-applied every 50 minuites! It also rubs off!

A better solution is a fieldsafe headcollar with a UV blocking nose shield. There are several makes but I use the Equilibrium ones. They are about 8 quid (price of 2 bottles of sun block!
 
Aaaaagh my previous post has hexed me! Just went down to the yard to give her ladyship a nice scratch and some fuss in the field, and found a new patch of sunburn on her lower lip - where the nose piece doesn't cover, and where sun cream would rub straight off :( Really stumped now - but it'll surely recover over the bank holiday weekend cos it's bound to rain! ;)
 
Factor 50 sun cream gives only 50 minuites of protection

I read that the factor multiplied by the normal amount of time taken to burn gives the amount of protection. e.g. if your horse is outside and starts to burn after 15 minutes, (factor) 50 x 15 (minutes) = 750 mins or 12.5 hours assuming it hasn't rubbed off. Although it wouldn't really last that long I think it would be OK just being reapplied every few hours.
 
I've had limited success with sunblocks as even the waterproof ones rub off,only one that works for me is Sudocreme, keeps my cobs nose and lips well protected from the sun, and I do get caught out by unexpected sun and leave it off, I've found that applying it in the evening brings his nose back to its lovely pinkyness by morning.
Flys hate the stuff, so keeps the flies off too around his nose so I also slap it on the pink skin around his sheath where he used to get bitten alot.
 
I bought expensive suncream last year and it just washed or rubbed off.

I'm trying sudocreme this year - might take a look at that nappy rash cream from tesco too :)

His poor sheath area is spotted with blood marks with the bites - he drops his head in relief when I apply it. I have noticed that the flies are not biting as much now if I apply it very thickly twice a day in that area.

Not enough sun yet to know if it is working on his nose and chin but I'll keep you posted.
 
He'll toughen up...if it's not close to the eyes or on the top of the nose it wouldn't warrent my attention...I would use a mask if it bothered me that much.
 
newrider.com