KEEPING HORSES SUN SAFE

Horses need protection from the sun just like humans do. The ultraviolet rays from the sun can put a horse’s health at risk. As important as it is to keep your skin protected while out training and riding with your horses, keeping your horse safe and protected from overexposure to the sun and other environmental damage is important too. Many horse owners may not realize that horses can be just as vulnerable to skin damage as people are.

Health EQUINE

My horses love spending time on a hot summer day under the trees behind my farm house. The big old pine trees and apple trees keep them cool and provide plenty of shade and protection from wind, rain, and sun. In the fall when the apple trees are full of ripe apples the horses love to stand around the apple trees and pick apples right off the branches with their teeth. When my horses are outside in their pasture on a hot sunny summer day, I make sure they have access to plenty of fresh water, a salt lick stone, a little hay throughout the day—and shade. Horses, like people, can get sunburned if left out too long and if exposed to excessive sunlight. When we look at a horse, the first thing we see is their coat, but if we could look beyond their coat, we would see that their skin is very similarly structured to our own with the same functions. The top layer of skin is the epidermis, about as thick as a sheet of paper, the first defense against the harsh elements of the weather. The dense and free flowing oils in the horse’s skin keep this layer healthy and well protected. If we looked even deeper we would discover the second layer of skin, the dermis which has a protective function also and controls the hair follicles, sweat glands, and oil glands. When these skin layers are jeopardized by too much sun, heat, rain, wind, or cold, the natural protective oil barrier that protects a horse’s skin starts to break down, leaving it vulnerable to all kinds of skin conditions. The lighter the color of the horse’s coat the more prone a horse is to sunburn when exposed to the harmful UV rays of the sun. Darker colored horses are also not safe from sunburn but because of their darker pigment and ample melanin in their skin they are less likely to get sunburned than lighter colored horses. Regardless of color, though, all horses are prone to sunburn and heat stroke if left unprotected and exposed for a long period of time in the hot summer sun. The first obvious place one can detect a sunburn is around the nose or muzzle of the horse, but other places can also show signs of sunburn by showing redness and swelling. It is important be alert to that possibility in the hot summer. When horses are found to have sunburn it is important to keep them out of the sun and treat the sunburned area with aloe vera and other sun lotions

available in your horse supply store or feed store. If the burn is a very severe one, you should always consult a veterinarian. Horses like people can develop skin cancer and other skin conditions. Horses may be susceptible to a fungus known as rain rot. Rain rot is usually caused by leaving horses unprotected for long periods out in the wind and rain. When my horses get wet I always make sure I have a few clean cotton towels available in the barn to towel them down with, and sometimes I even put an absorbent blanket on them too. To protect my horses from unnecessary pain and possible suffering from sunburn or rain rot I make sure they have lots of shade and cover in all kinds of weather. I also use a protective grooming spray and SPF before I send them out to the pasture. Even though we need to protect horses from too much sun exposure, they still need a moderate amount of sunlight to help them synthesize vitamin D to keep them healthy. When my horses are out behind the farmhouse grazing, my routine is to check on them every few hours. Often when I walk back home from the field my horses follow me to the barn. Generally when they do this they are ready to be brought into their stalls and fed their grain, hay, and fresh water for lunch. Horses are very expressive and by following me back to the barn, this may also be their way of letting me know that they would like to be in the barn and out of the hot midday sun. When the temperatures become cooler outside in the later part of the day, I let them back out of the barn again to stay outside until dark. It does take a lot of juggling and attention to keep horses well hydrated and safe and protected from the sun during the summer months. I have learned to listen to what my horses are telling me. Observing them closely and listening to what they are telling you is the best way to keep your horses safe during the hot summer months.

Karin Matey is the author of Sebastian’s Adventures: Diary of a Champion and My American Horse Family. For more information, please visit her website at www.karinmateybooks.com