A sunburn will feel hot when touched. The skin may be more pink than normal or peeling. If the skin is blistered and bubbling or if you notice clear or yellowish fluid seeping from the burn, call a vet. These are signs of a more serious burn. A horse with a sunburn may become head shy or refuse to put on their bridle.
Make sure that your stable is well-ventilated so that the horse does not suffer from heat exhaustion during the day. If you take your horse out, try putting on a fly mask or another sun blocking mask to protect burnt areas.
Depending on how bad the sunburn is, it may take a few days or a few weeks for the horse to heal.
Most minor sunburns should heal after a few days. If your horse’s sunburn is not healing, there may be something else wrong with the horse. Tell your vet if your horse is currently taking any medications like tetracyclines or sulfa antibiotics, which can increase their sensitivity to the sun.
Your horse’s symptoms should go away once they stop eating the plant. If they continue to eat it, they may be at risk of developing liver damage. If these plants are found, you will need to eliminate the problematic plants from your field and introduce safer plants.
If the sunburn is very severe, the vet may inject an antibiotic. An over-the-counter triple antibiotic, like Neosporin, can be helpful for treating open sores.
Some stables have a night turn out, where horses get grazing time at night to protect them from the sun and heat. If your horse has lots of white in its coat, ask the barn if your horse can take part in the night turn out. If you do let your horse out during the day, make sure they have shade. Let them rest under some trees or in a covered paddock.
Extra strong zinc oxide works great on the sensitive, pink skin around the muzzle.
If your horse doesn’t like the fly mask, try gently pressing it against their face or hanging it from their ear to let them get used to it. The fly mask can get goopy from sunscreen. If this happens, rinse it out with a hose and let it dry in the sun.
