Zinc and Castor Oil Cream

[Old but trying!]

Hi, does anyone out there use Zinc and Castor Oil Cream on their horses pink noses? I was recommended this as a good sunscreen has anyone got any experience with it?

[intouch]

Very messy and not a great sun screen - a good quality human sun lotion is better. If your horse develops scabs from the sun soften them with emulsifying ointment, when they come off use sun lotion. Good for cracked heels too.

[Cochise]

Yes brilliant for mud fever/cracked heels!

[virtuallyhorses]

Much better as a barrier cream for mud fever than for sunscreen.

Its a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde for sunscreen - zinc very good\ oil very bad - so stick to proper sunscreens, there are plenty made for horses which are not only formulated to keep out the sun but recognise that horses won't understand that you're trying to help so have lots of 'stickability' :)

[Old but trying!]

Thanks for your inputs, I knew it was good for Mud Fever but it sounds like good old sun cream should win the day. Thanks again.

[ros]

I had a big horse with a BIG white nose, and the only thing that worked on him was the Barrier sun lotion - can't remember exactly what it was called but their stuff is in white bottles with green writing.

On the subject of sunburn, Frank also used to get what I THOUGHT was sunburn, but he used to get it when their wasn't much sun. It could possibly have been a form of photosensitivity, but then we realised that it usually occurred in warm damp weather, and not necessarily when it was sunny. So we came to the conclusion that it may well have been something fungal, and we named it Devon Nose Rot :D

And funnily enough I saw a friend's horse for the first time a couple of weeks ago - a Shire cross mare with a big white nose, and guess what! She had "sunburn" on her nose, even though we haven't really had much sun at all lately until the last couple of days, and I think it looked suspiciously like DNR...

[virtuallyhorses]

Lots of horses here wear nose protectors (and shade rugs) instead of trying to keep up with the sunscreen.

[ros]

Which reminds me, I saw a very effective home-made sun net - it was just a deep frill of net curtain material attached to the noseband of a headcollar. I was quite impressed at the time!

[Big Ears]

I used the Barrier Hygiene sun cream on my coloured cob - it is quite a runny consistency so needs reapplying quite a lot - i found that a childrens or surfers sun cream worked better.

For a more permanent solution, there are a number of fly visors which have a nose piece to shield from the sun.

Alternatively one year I took an ordinary tea towel, wrapped it over the noseband of a leather head collar and stitched it with baling twine. It stayed in place all summer and though it looked daft, it worked perfectly.

[Lgd]

Best to use is one of the really high factor water resistant sunscreens. I usually use one of the E45 ones, not cheap but very effective.

[AJB]

I use Zinc and castor oil in the winter for protection against mud fever and boots factor 50 baby suncream-it goes on and stays on-buy it in the autumn is my tip and store as you ususally find boots and superdrug selling it off half price or less!!!

[Tybaz]

After getting my buddy back after him being stolen his whole muzzle and nose is completely cracked sore and very burnt,he is white as snow and burns very easily but after smothering him in the wonder stuff Sudocream,after only 1 night the cracks are more softer and the scabs come off more easily,swear by the stuff as any other mother will tell you too,bloody nightmare when he nuzzles me though!!.