“Hi Stacy! I have a overo paint with a really white face and last summer he got burnt pretty bad. Do you know if sunblock is ok to put on a horse? I put a fly mask but that only covers half his face. What would you recommend?”-Amy S.
He is very cute and I can see how that nose could be at risk. Years ago I had a horse in training that had a history of burning his nose. The vet recommend sunblock. I can’t remember what brand we used because the owner brought some with him. They basically said that if it was safe for kids it was safe for horses.
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I bet there are many other people out there who have horses who have faced this same challenge. If you have ever dealt with this before please leave a comment telling us how you prevented burns. Have you used sunblock on your horse? What type?
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Is there anything else you would recommend?
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I have a red dun paint who not only gets a sunburnt nose but his body also gets sunburnt on his white patches. I use zinc ! He is a rescue and also had very bad mud fever when I got him – zinc also! They use it in hospitals – great stuff
My paint mare also gets burnt really bad on her nose. I use equate baby on her this past summer and she didn’t burn once ☺
Avon has a product, Skin So Soft that works wonders — for people & animals. It has the added advantage of also having a bug repellent. and no, I do not sell Avon.
We have always used a 30+SPF baby sunblock!
I have a white Walkimg Horse. I use sun block(spray) and I keep a fly mask and blanket on her. I like the finer material that covers better. Neck, ears and muzzle are all covered along with her butt. All sensitive areas. I keep a fly mask on her all winter also to protect her eyes.
I was always taught that sunblock is OK to use on horses so long as it is PABA free. Also, remember to reapply regularly.
Our paint mare has the same issue. We’ve been using a gray fly mask that stretches down to her nose. 3 years and counting, with no sun burning issues whatsoever. I have heard that for some people, the horse tears through fly masks frequently, but our girl has never had that issue. Granted, she’s the sort of horse that doesn’t get mud on her blanket either. But with no blisters, we have no reason to complain!
I’ve used Waterbabies sunblock on my horses nose. Never had a problem with a sunburn after that.
My Pony Sun Block™ Natural Sun block For All Types of Pets and Animals.
Horses, Dogs, Cats, Cows & Pigs — Good for all types of white-haired, pink unpigmented skin!
Uses pharmaceutical-grade ingredients and is fragrance and chemical free!
Safe for all animals, it is made with all natural non-irritating minerals, which have a natural affinity to the skin.
Daily application of minerals gives instant chemical free protection that will last all day!
I have a few spot Appy and he did not react well to zinc sunblock products on his face. However My Pony Sunblock is a powder and you can use a powder puff (remember those??) and that is awesome even staying on in the rain so that is what I recommend!!!! It probably has zinc in it but in a different form – I’ll go down the shed and check the ingredients. 🙂
(diaper cream) Xinc Oxide is what we used on our gelding. He had a reaction to human sunscreen. The higher level of zinc the better. Desitine brand has the highest the we could find at 45% zinc compared to most others have 15%. Desitine had great staying power as the gelding rubs his face on everything! Good luck 🙂
I have also heard that you can use yogurt. We did that for a couple of our Appies
I use water proof sunblock for babies. I’ve been using it for over nine years on my paints nose. It really helps his nose from getting burned in the summer.
Yep, high spf kiddo stuff for us, starting about now as the sun at 9100 ft is brutal and the reflection off the melting snow makes it worse. Our team of pink nosed Clyds are miserable otherwise. The don’t exactly cooperate for putting it on but they are a bit over dramatic about most things…the get used to the routine by the time it starts snowing again in the fall
They make a Sun block for horses. I have an overo paint and I use a full face fly mask with the sun block for horses. Works pretty good. It also protects his blue eye.
I have a horse with a very similar white pattern on her face and I use the highest spf in baby safe sunscreen i can find. They also do make full face masks that go to the end of the nose that i also use when I wont be home to reapply the sunscreen
I use a fly mask with a long flap that covers her nose and zinc (diaper rash cream), it does not rub off like sunscreen.
I do use sunblock on my mare and I use coppertone for kids
I use My Pony Sunblock on my girl. She used to severely burn before we started to use it, but now she doesn’t. She has a white nose and two blue eyes with white around them, so she was continually getting burnt. We started using this and we noticed a dramatic change. You only have to put it on once a day and it last all day. It is also a great show touch up for white faced horses. Covers up all the pink on her face and looks natural.
That’s the one – best stuff!!
Hi I use My Pony Sunblock it is a powder and you dab it on with a sponge. It lasts a couple of days and is great for dogs too.
My mare has same prob. Got full fly mask..covers almost entire nose. And use Avon’s sunblock. No reactions. Worked great!
Diaper rash cream is generally 40% zinc oxide. With a thick application my Appy mare’s pink nose stays burn-free up to two weeks. The cream soothes an existing burn and acts as sunblock.
I use waterproof sunblock for kids and it seems to work and hasn’t ever caused any issues.
I have a lovely paint mare with a white face and neck! The easiest thing to do is buy a fly mask with a long part to cover the nose. Or make one at home and sew it on – hers is made out of a pillowcase. I have used sunblock on her but have not found it very effective. You can use desatin, the diaper cream. It is what my mom used when she was young, in the days before sunscreen. You glob it on pretty thick and it will protect the skin. My mare also wears a fly sheet and neck cover to protect her body from the sun.
We discovered that instead of using sunblock which is thin and only lasts a couple of hours, Desitin or diaper cream works much better! The Diaper cream is thick and protects the skin from burning, as well as softens the already blistered skin! Even when the horse is on dewy grass the cream stays on and protects. 🙂
For many many years I used to used people sunblock, the highest spf I could find. It took me years to realize it wasn’t doing any good and he seemed just as scorched as when I didn’t use it. I came to the conclusion, after reading an article cautioning about using people sunblock, my horse was allergic to it. No wonder he hated having it put on. I switched to zinc oxide which he has no problem with me putting on his nose and around his eye.
Hi Amy, I have a pally and her nose is very white. I use a cream called Filta Bac. If is a type of sunscreen for horses. I would recommend using a zinc based cream as it is alot thicker and stays on better. You could also use normal zinc or nappy rash cream works really well I alsp use a product called Sudocream. Hope that helps a little bit.
Cheers Mia
I have a Gunner with the bald face, I use one whole tube of Sun block 50 water resistant for kids and mix it with 500 grams of vaseline. I mix it very weel until it’s nice and smooth and apply it to the nose. The vaseline makes it more resistant and lasts longer than the sunblcok alone. I got great results.
I use a cream kid safe sunblock on my two paints. Every other day or so seems to work fine. I have also found that the less “sunscreenish” it smells the less they seem to object, so I think I used a kids sport type.
Sunblock on the pink noses or switch to overnight turnout and stay in the barn during the day.
I have a cremello quarter horse, I use the long nose cashel fly masks with geat success. As long as he leaves it on! 🙂
i have a paint mare all white with 2 blue eyes and all pink skin except three brown spots one over her ears, one on chest, one on her belly. i use diaper cream in the summer. we live in arizona and she wont stay under her shade
My paint mare gets sunburned on her withers. I use sunblock but also keep her in the barn during the heat of the day.
Yes! I have used sunblock on my mare’s white nose. I use Waterbabies sunblock. I figured if it was safe for babies it would be safe for her!
Water Babies sunblock. I apply every other day with great results & no ill effects.
We have a bald-faced paint in our barn and basically do the same as Erin. The Cashel “long nose” fly mask covers almost the entire face, and a blob (we don’t spray) of any sun block rubbed in on the muzzle takes care of everything else perfectly.
My beautiful man is the same, in Australia we can get fly masks made with high uv protection that comes down over the nose. If you can’t find you can always sew a piece of shaped fabric (trashed cotton rugs are perfect because they are soft) to the band across the nose so it covers the nose and cheeks. Just short enough so it doesn’t get wet in the water trough. Xxx
I now use vetpro. It is in a powder form with a sponge, and this stays on very well compared to the cream sunblock for horses and dogs. Easy to apply, and seems to stick.
My friend’s horse has a white nose and got very burnt several summers ago, creating a nasty scabby area. Human sunblock has helped tremendously.
Yes, I had a paint with white on his face. I used sunblock and it helped him not to burn, but his hair came out! Then we had more skin to protect, and yes the hair regrew. I would not recommend sunblock.
What brand make hair fall out? And what did u use when u stopped with the sun cream?
My horse has the same problem. She’s a few spot appaloosa. Basically she’s wearing a mask similar to this one (http://www.tackeria.com/contents/media/cashel%20long%20nose%20no%20ears.jpg) when she’s in the paddock/outdoors. While riding I use regular sun screen. Works fine for her. I only know the mask has been imported from the US. I got it with the horse from the previous owners.
What brand is this fly mask?❤️
I use sunblock made for babies on my pink noses. I also found fly masks from Kensington with UV protection and an extra long nose piece that extends to the very tip. 🙂
I have a chestnut overo paint gelding as well. He has a bald face and pinky nose. I use baby sunblock and it works really well.
My horse has the same problem (few spot appaloosa). Several years ago, the previous owner bought a mask and imported it from the US to Europe. This mask covers her entire head. I only use sun screen when I go riding when it’s sunny. The mask is for when she’s in the paddocks/meadows. It works fine for her. This is the mask similar to hers: http://www.tackeria.com/contents/media/cashel%20long%20nose%20no%20ears.jpg
You could also get a fly mask with a nose cover that’s uv protected. That helped my horse.
I really like using the stick sunblock. Available in many brands, it rolls on super easy like a glue stick. No drippy mess for you or your horse.
i have never used it myself but I know a few people who have used and love “My pony sunblock”. I just don’t have a horse that needs sunblock right now but if I did I would try it!
I use the highest spf sunblock i can find. I found the spray stuff works best…spray enough on your hands and rub on face. I have a paint mare with a bald face amd she doesnt like her face being messed with i general and o found the spray works the best.. I also put a fly mask with ears and a long nose on her. Cashel makes a great fly mask. Very durable.
I just used the equate sunblock in situations where a fly mask isnt ideal and used a fly mask that extends to the bottom of the nose in other situations 🙂 I have used both as well and my mares nose never burned this last summer.
The baby equate sunblock haha
Yes, I’ve used Waterbabies too. 🙂
I used zinc n caster oil nappy cream mixed 50/50 with sudacrem worked well