Does plain paprika work as well as Black as Night?

[beau159]

This will be a question for next year, as I know I am much too late this year!

I’m been riding Dexter this year, a really pretty black horse.

Two months later, I have a really pretty brown horse. LOL

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So for those who have tried both Black as Night and also paprika – did the paprika work as well for your horse?

How much did you feed?

I only show locally so I don’t need to worry about testing. And really, I don’t show anywhere big so it’s not like it really matters that much that he sun fades. But there is just something about a shiny BLACK horse!

He lives outside 24/7 and I only have access to a cold garden hose where I board. Especially in the spring, it is just not warm enough for me to hose him off after a ride. So I know he is going to bleach somewhat because of that. But curious if adding the paprika might still help somewhat.

Since it is so much cheaper, I’m thinking about trying the paprika anyway next year and just see what happens.

[PonyPenny]

I find flax and copper work best, but other than keeping them out of the sun, you cannot stop bleaching. Some horses just genetically stay dark.

[demidq]

A word of caution- I used food grade paprika to try and retain the beautiful dapples on my mare. First, she thought it was disgusting (even tho she is a pig), but more importantly she developed liver problems. The vet (and vet school) couldn’t find any info on whether there was a causal relationship, but recommended not to use again. Horse recovered fine, fortunately.
There was a thread recently on diet and fading which got a bit out of hand but had some useful ideas. Primarily, protect from sun and rinse frequently in the summer!