What’s your favorite sunscreen for horses with white muzzles? I’ve been blessed to have black, bay and chestnut horses so I haven’t had to consider sunscreen for horses until now…a chestnut paint with a big, wide blaze down his face and his poor muzzle is getting pink.
Zinc oxide. It’s thick, messy stuff that the horse will rub all over everything but it’s one of the few products that is heavy-duty enough to have any effect.
Having said that, the horse will rub it’s muzzle through grass all day so nothing will last for long. Reapply often!
Or would a fly mask with extended nose cover the pink skin?
Also, take a close look at what he is (and maybe is not) eating. Certain plants and vitamin/mineral deficiencies can cause photosensitivity. https://thehorse.com/17869/burning-up-photosensitization-and-sunburn-in-horses/
(And I feel for you. I had a mare with three white legs and a pink spot on her muzzle that was prone to sunburn … she was a challenge to keep comfortable.)
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Zinc oxide tube and tubes. Goes on each morning and old is wiped off at evening. I tried everything else. Zinc oxide works. Works on rump and neck and shoulders.
I’ve had much more luck with a long fly mask that covers the nose than sunscreen, for what it’s worth. Cashel is my mask of choice.
My BO has a chestnut with a wide white blaze turned out with her others. She has tried the long-nose fly masks (these masks work well for my horse’s palomino neighbor who can mostly keep it on), but the BOs other horses pull it off. She has pretty good luck with sport waterproof 50 spf rubbed to excess each morning before feeding. Good luck!
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Currently Banana Boat Baby SPF50 with UVA/UVB protection. I use it on me too. I prefer the sunscreens with a zinc oxide base for horse noses.
Long nose masks worked wonderfully for my QH (his entire blaze burned because his summer haircoat was so fine) but the current white nose refuses to keep a long nose mask on his head.
My special beast also gets contact dermatitis from some thing growing in his pasture. When the scabbies get bad I put zinc ointment on to soften them up and help heal the skin. He doesn’t like me putting goop on his nose but he’s learned he must tolerate it.
Years ago Vaseline made a combination sunscreen and skin lotion that was fantastic for horse noses. I saw a sunscreen/skin lotion this year though I can’t remember who makes it - maybe Neutrogena? I’m going to have to look for it.
Thanks everybody! A long-nosed fly mask is on the way but I think some sunscreen as back-up may help (as I have my suspicions if his pasture mate will let his fly mask stay on).
Maybe this is a dumb question, but it sounds like you can use human sunscreen on horses? We use the Badger Suncreen which is Zinc-Oxide based - can I just rub some of that on him until the smartpak order arrives?
DH’s TWH had a baldfaced blaze & pink lips - his lips would blister if they got burned.
Bullfrog sunscreen worked great & it is water-resistant
Yup! If your horse has sensitive skin you could try those marketed for kids, babies, or sensitive skin. Back when I groomed I had a couple pink noses under my care. I walked around with sport sunscreen in my pocket. I would regularly pull it out, apply it to my face, the horses noses, and the noses of the pony kids at the barn :lol:
Is there anyway you can do night turnout?
www.mypetsunblock.com. This tub of mineral powder works great, stays on surprisingly well, seems to have some sort of “static cling” properties even in wet weather. I’ve used it for pink noses and for pink fetlocks with success. Daily application is best, although for the fetlocks it did the trick even with a day skipped here and there. The powder lasts a loong time, more than one season for me.
I also think that long nose flymasks are good–Cashel and Shires both make good masks. The Shires mask has a removable nose piece (zipper) so when I begin using a grazing muzzle at some point I can remove the nose piece.
My horse only has a snip, so not a whole muzzle to cover, but I’ve had really good luck with a mineral (zinc) based sunscreen stick for babies that I got from my local grocery store.
it looks like a little stick deodorant, so it’s pretty mess-free, and it’s also fragrence free. Important for my guy, as he objects STRONGLY to anything scented near his nose.
Oh heck yes with the human sport spf 50 sunscreen. I think you’re the first person I’ve seen use non-human sunscreen on a horse nose. :lol:
