Assurance Feed

07/23/2024

75 Day Assurance Feed "Show filly" transformation~

Switched from a " Premium National brand" in the "Before" pic to Assurance Feed in the after.
Went from lean body condition, dull, flat haircoat, & more ✨TO ✨developed muscling, grew like a w**d ( height and width), glossy hair-coat, plus strong legs and tendons, and so much more~

07/20/2024

Equine Ulcers!

🤷🏼‍♀️Do you suspect your horse has ulcers?
🤷🏼‍♀️Are you having issues with your horse...irritated when training/riding, spookier, cinchy?
🤷🏼‍♀️Are you having a hard time keeping weight on a horse you had no problems with before?

✴️✴️Studies show that the prevalence of ulcers in adult horses is a WHOPPING 60-90%

✴️Compound that with....an estimated 40 to 60 percent of horses suffering from stomach ulcers ALSO also have hindgut ulcers!!

✴️Plus, many horses have hindgut ulcers without any signs of gastric ulcers.

⭐️ASSURANCE GI SOOTHE⭐️
G.I. Soothe is a "state of the art" feed for SOOTHING the whole digestive tract, the stomach and hindgut!

FORMULATED by the WORLD LEADER in Equine Nutrition, Kentucky Equine Research!

Research supports GI health in three proven ways:
1) Buffering stomach acid to bolster gastric heath and reduce the incidence of ulcers.
2) Moderating the pH of the hindgut to prevent acidosis
3) Increases bone density for skeletal strength!

📌Why is this DRASTICALLY IMPORTANT?
Other "ulcer/gastric/GI Feeds/products that are available can temporarily buffer the stomach ONLY but they have little to no effect on the hindgut ulcers. Which often go undiagnosed.

🔐Assurance GI Soothe addresses BOTH THE STOMACH AND THE HINDGUT!!

✅Check out our customers success stories on our FB page~
Don't assume....BE ASSURED!!!
Contact us for more info at 1-800-645-5648

07/15/2024

Huge congratulations to Shawn and Deri Bennett and trainer, Darren Mitchem on your Res World Championship with TB Pillow Talk at the PHBA World!

What a journey from “before” to a World Championship Title!!

Phenomenal job!! 🤩 We are beyond thrilled for you all!!

And we are deeply grateful and honored that you choose Assurance Feed to fuel your Champion. Your support means the world to us!!

Here's to many more successes to come!
🎉💕 🐴 🏆

07/04/2024

💥 Happy 4th of July! 💥

On behalf of the Assurance Feed team, we'd like to wish you all a safe and wonderful Independence day filled with Fun, Friends, and Family!

Happy Birthday, America!! 🎂 🇺🇸

07/02/2024

The Fourth of July is almost here, and many horse owners are concerned about how their horses might react to loud fireworks. 🎆

In the graphic below are some tips to keep your pets and equine companions safe during the festivities.

If your horses are staying out overnight, now is a good time to check fencing and look for any hazards like rocks, branches, or holes that could lead to injury if an animal starts running. If you have a high level of concern about your horse's response, consult your veterinarian about the appropriateness of calming agents and sedatives in advance.

No matter what your plans are, please remember to practice safety and be considerate of the people and the animals living around you so everyone may enjoy the celebration.

Thank you to our Horse Owner Education Committee for providing this information.

07/02/2024

Fortified Feed or Ration Balancer: Which Do I Choose?

When it comes to balanced nutrition for horses, there is more than one way to achieve proper energy, protein, vitamin, and mineral intake.

First and foremost, it is important to consider the horse’s individual needs, including age, activity level, health status, body condition, and the availability and type of forage.

🌾 Forage should be considered the foundation of all horse diets, so its importance should not be undervalued. In addition to forage, most horses require a feed or supplement to properly balance the diet.

Here’s a quick look at products and the nutrients they typically supply.

✳️ Fortified feeds provide appropriate energy, protein, vitamins, and minerals when fed according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. They offer energy to support certain life stages (late pregnancy, lactation) and optimal athletic performance when the energy in the forage does not. The energy in fortified feeds may come from one or more of these energy sources: starch, fat, and fiber.

✳️ Ration balancers are low-calorie options for delivering protein, vitamins, and minerals to horses that do not consume fortified feed and do not need extra calories.
Ration balancers are useful for many classes of horses that can sustain their weight on just forage.

When it comes to selecting how best to nourish your horse, Catherine Whitehouse, M.S., a nutrition advisor with Kentucky Equine Research, said, “It is important to look at the horse’s overall diet and to identify any nutritional gaps. If the horse is underweight, a fortified feed may be necessary to improve condition and support performance.

On the other hand, a horse that maintains weight easily may simply need a balancer.

Let’s look at these products more closely.

💠Fortified feed 💠
Fortified feeds, sometimes referred to as “concentrates” or “concentrate feeds,” are provided to horses that require calories beyond what forage can supply to support certain life stages or exercise.

Typically, horses receiving fortified feed have difficulty maintaining weight or body condition on the available forage alone. High-level athletes, such as racehorses or elite eventers, usually need significant amounts of fortified feed to fuel heavy work.
Other horses may also need fortified feed. Horses that do not have access to good-quality forage or that are harder to keep weight on often benefit from the extra energy provided by fortified feeds. Fortified feeds provide energy, vitamins, and minerals and have a moderate feeding rate, typically 5-10 lb daily.

Example. Although feeding instructions vary, a fortified feed is typically fed at a rate of 0.5 lb for every 100 lb. of body weight.
For a 1,100-lb horse, that would equate to about 5.5 lb of fortified feed per day. The amount of feed may need to be adjusted up or down based on activity level, individual needs, and manufacturer recommendations.

If a horse is being fed a feed at a rate lower than what the manufacturer recommends, the horse may be missing nutrients and an appropriate amount of a ration balancer or vitamin and mineral supplement should be fed to balance the diet.

💠 Ration balancer 💠
Horses that tend to be easy keepers typically do not need fully fortified textured or pelleted feed and should consume a ration balancer. Ration balancers, contain concentrated amounts of protein, vitamins, and minerals; have a low feeding rate; and do not contain excess calories. Nutrients that are missing or insufficient in the forage source are provided by the ration balancer.

Example. For a 1,100-lb horse on maintenance that consumes a forage-only diet of approximately 22 lb of moderate- to good-quality grass forage, would only need 1/2 lb per day of Assurance Ration Balancer to fulfill nutrient needs. 🤩
{ Think of the Savings 💰~ a 50lb bag would last 100 days!!}

📝 If that same horse consumes a fortified feed, but less than the manufacturer recommends, a balancer should be provided at a lower feeding rate to make up the gap in nutrients that occurs when feeding a concentrate below recommendation.

Please note that each horse’s diet should be tailored to the individual. Consultation with our Equine nutrition specialist can help ease concerns about providing adequate nutrition for your horse.
1-800-645-5648

07/01/2024

More Assurance Growth please~ 🐴 😋

06/27/2024

Assurance Feed 💜

Premium fuel for peak performance~ 🏆

Healthy horses start here!

06/25/2024

With things heating up~ Stay Safe!!

Hot weather increases the risk of heat stress and heat stroke in horses. Knowing what's normal for your horse can help you take action early if you suspect heat stress.

ℹ https://z.umn.edu/heatandhorses

06/21/2024

FUN FACT: Blue feed & water buckets are better! 💙

Why? Horses like blue!

In a 2020 study, Kentucky Equine Research (KER) found that horses were more likely to drink out of turquoise or light blue buckets over red, yellow and green buckets! Their dichromatic color vision causes them to only see blue and yellow, and they prefer blue!

🐴💦💙

06/21/2024

Horse Heat Stress Management: Tips For Keeping Your Horse Cool In Summer ☀️

Summer is finally here. Winter blankets have been packed away with care. Bundling up for barn chores and breaking the ice in your horses’ water buckets are now distant memories. As you bring you fly sheets out of storage and hang up fans, it’s time to make a plan for how to help your horse beat the heat this summer.

🐴💕 Understanding Your Horse’s Basic Needs

Not only do the summer months bring warmer temperatures and longer days, but they also bring more opportunities to ride and compete with your horse. As temperatures rise, so do the risks of your horse experiencing a heat related stress, such as dehydration and heat stroke. To make the most of your summer riding opportunities, keep an eye on your horse and modify your training and horse care program.

💦 Water

The average 1000 pound horse at rest drinks 8 to 10 gallons of water a day. When temperatures rise above 70° F, horses in work can drink twice as much. Make sure they have access to clean, fresh and cool water at all times, whether your horse is turned out or in his stall. By drinking cool water, they will be able to lower their body temperature on their own. If your horse isn’t a big drinker, you can encourage water consumption by providing free choice salt blocks in your pastures and stalls.

🌳 Shade

Providing shade to your horse throughout the day is almost as important as making sure your horse has access to water. Whether you board in a barn or in a field, shade is needed. Obviously a horse in a stall is provided shade from being indoors, however they will need shade when they are turned out. Make sure your pastures offer several shade options.

If there aren’t shade-bearing trees in your field, offer an escape from the sun with a run in shed. With run-ins, the higher the roof the more air circulation and cooler the shed will be. As shade and water go together in importance, place your water troughs in shady areas.

Do you have a field that doesn’t have much shade? Alter your turnout schedule. Either turnout your horses at night, or if you have a horse that doesn’t require a lot of turnout put him in the field early in the morning. Both of these options will let your horse beat the heat and powerful rays of the sun.

🐎 Conditioning

Before the temps rise too much, learn how-to assess the body condition of your horse.

If your horse has been in regular work since the winter weather subsided, he will be more likely to be able to handle the rising temperatures. Horses that are out of shape, overweight and even thin under-muscled horses have a hard time dealing with the extra stress associated with heat.

If your horse hasn’t been in a regular exercise program, slowly build up their fitness and stamina as the heat and humidity rises. This slow and steady approach will help ensure your horse stays healthy and not overstressed this summer.

🪣 The Importance Of Equine Electrolytes

You know summer is here when your local feed store and tack shops start expanding their section devoted to electrolytes.

So what are electrolytes and how do they help your horse in the summer? According to Dr. Marty Adams, Equine Nutritionist, “Electrolytes are minerals in the horse’s body fluids and tissues that are involved in muscle contraction, thirst regulation, nerve function and maintenance of blood pH.”

Electrolytes can be found in your hay, pasture and horse feed. However, horses in work, (especially those who travel to compete) need additional electrolytes to maintain good health and perform at their highest level.

Like humans, horses use sweating as a way to cool off during periods of warm weather and while exercising. When a horse sweats, not only is water lost, but important electrolytes like sodium, chloride and potassium are lost. If too many electrolytes are lost serious problems like fatigue, muscle cramps, and colic can occur.

Dr. Adams says, “When looking for an electrolyte for your horse, sodium chloride should be listed first on the ingredient list, followed by potassium chloride as the second ingredient.” There are two types of electrolytes, salt based and sugar based. While sugar based electrolytes are highly palatable, you won’t meet your horse’s daily salt requirements without feeding a lot of the sugar-based electrolyte.

Electrolytes can be given to your horse in a variety of ways. You can add water and administer via dosing syringe, add the electrolytes to your horse’s feed, or add the electrolytes to their water. Each way works equally as well, just figure out what your horse prefers to ensure they are consuming the added electrolytes.

🐴 Horse Sweat Is A Good Thing

Often times you hear the phrase “no sweat” when people are referring to something that isn’t a problem. When it comes to horses, no sweat is a big problem. During a hot, muggy day it isn’t uncommon to see horses drenching in sweat when doing nothing more strenuous than simply grazing in the field. Although they may look uncomfortable, these sweaty horses are far more comfortable than their non sweating counterparts, as sweating helps regulate body temperature.

Anhidrosis in horses is the partial or total inability to sweat—and is a problem that can be potentially life threatening. When a horse is unable to sweat, he is unable to keep his internal organs and brain from overheating. Unfortunately no one knows what causes this condition and it can affect any breed, though it is most commonly seen in the Gulf Coast states including Florida and Louisiana.

⚠️ Signs Of Equine Anhidrosis

panting
poor tolerance to exercise
dry hair coat
hair loss (especially around the face and a reduction of sweat)
Immediately contact your equine veterinarian if you think your horse may be experiencing anhidrosis. While there is no cure, you can manage a non sweater in a variety of ways. You can relocate your horse during the summer months, limit physical activity, or install barn fans and misters.

🤗 Adjust Your Horse Care Schedule

When we hit the beach this summer, we are often reminded to avoid the hottest part of the day, typically 11 am to 3 pm, and apply ample sunscreen. This same rule should apply when trying to determine when to exercise your horse during the summer to try and avoid the heat of the day. When possible try to ride either in the morning or late evening, depending on what works best for your schedule.

In addition to changing the hours at which you ride, change the duration of your ride. A short workout in hot, humid conditions is the same as a longer workout in more pleasant weather, in terms of stress placed on the horse. Take plenty of rest breaks, to help your horse cool down during your exercise session.

After you finish exercising your horse, don’t just drop him off in his stall like a hot potato. Take your time and properly cool him off. Take him for an extended walk, hose him off and brush the water off scraping the water off to speed up the cooling process or put him in front of a fan.

🛻 Trailering Your Horse In The Heat

When competing this summer, not only do you need to think about how you will perform your best when you arrive at the show, you need to come up with a plan for how you will safely get your horse to the competition. The heat and humidity of the summer can create oven-like conditions in your trailer. So what can you do?

If you don’t currently own a trailer, consider buying a “cool” trailer to ship your horse(s) in. Studies show that dark exterior colored trailers can be 20-30° hotter inside than trailers that are white or silver in color.

Look for trailers that have large windows for maximum airflow and ceiling roof vents to draw air into the trailer. If possible, take a test ride in the trailer yourself to see what the airflow and temperature conditions are like when temperatures rise.
Even when the weather is cool and humidity is low, traveling is work for a horse. Riding in a trailer can fatigue a horse as they constantly have to work to balance themselves in the moving trailer. Add in warm temperatures and you can easily have a horse that arrives to its destination dehydrated and fatigued.

To minimize fatigue, alter your travel schedule and transport your horse either in the evening or early in the morning, whatever is the coolest part of the day. Before putting your horse on the trailer make sure you have opened all the windows and air vents to get cool air circulating prior to loading. If you have fans on you trailer, turn them on as well.
To minimize the impact of heat coming up from the road, place rubber mats on your trailer floor or bed the trailer down with shavings. Not only does heat come from the sun beating down on the trailer, but it also comes up from the black asphalt the trailer is riding on.

Hose your horse off prior to loading, in an attempt to keep them cool.
By modifying your trailering routine you will be able to ensure your horse travels as comfortable as possible regardless of the weather.

⛔️ Barn Fan Safety

Each summer horse owners everywhere put fans up in their barns to help cool their horses off as the temperatures rise. However, not all fans are appropriate for barn use. Most horse owners run out to their nearest hardware or discount store to stock up on box fans for their barn.

Before you follow suit, make sure you are buying a fan that is designed for agricultural use and not a box fan designed to be used indoors in a residential situation. Fans designed for agricultural use have motors sealed up to prevent dust and dirt from interfering with the motor and starting a fire. In addition to having unsealed motors, inexpensive box fans also have light weight cords which can eventually expose their wiring over time.

Barn fires are caused every year from faulty fans and improper installation of fans. To prevent the potential for fires, in addition to only using agricultural fans in the barn, only run fans when there are people in the barn. Turn fans off at night, most of the time barns are reasonably comfortable at night if you can open up windows and doors in the barn. Vacuum or blow off dust that accumulates around the fans that are placed on or in your stalls.

When installing fans, make sure you keep the cords out of the horses’ reach. One bite to a cord can cause a short circuit and potential fire. Remember horses aren’t the only ones to potentially bite the cords, raccoons and mice can also interfere with your cords. Always unplug the fans when not in use!

Another option when it comes to cooling down your barn is to get two large agricultural use approved floor fans and put them at either end of your barn aisle. These large high power fans do a great job of circulating air throughout the barn during the day.

☀️ Enjoy Your Summer

Summer doesn’t have to bring your equestrian activities to a halt. By changing both you and your horse’s riding routine you can both enjoy your summer while staying healthy and competitive. When in doubt whether to ride or go to the pool when temperatures are scorching, play it safe and go for a dip.🏖

06/19/2024

Horses and Allergies: Try Omegas! ~

By Kentucky Equine Research( WORLD Leader in Equine Nutrition), formulators of Assurance Feed

✨✨Assurance Feed BENEFIT: Balanced Omegas in all our feeds! ✨✨

Have you ever found your horse covered with hives? Those splotches of raised, itchy patches of skin seem to come out of nowhere and irritate your horse unmercifully.

Hives, also called wheals and urticaria, occur for several reasons, including pollens in the environment, medications, contact irritants (such as shampoos and conditioners), and insect bites, such as Culicoides spp.

“Diet can also contribute to the development of hives. Horses can be allergic to a number things, even any microbes such as fungi or mold potentially contaminating the feedstuffs,” added Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., a nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research (KER).

She added, “Supplementing allergic horses with omega-3 fatty acids, can provide relief from various allergens.”

✨👑By feeding Assurance Feed, horses receive the benefits of balanced Omegas: ( Ease of feeding, without having to add expensive supplements)
*Decreased inflammation response
*Decreased arthritis
*Helps eliminate response to common allergies
*Aids Immune system
* And more~

06/19/2024

Assurance Ration Balancers....
Grass or Alfalfa

🏅🏅🏅THE BEST and easiest way to make sure your horses are getting ALL the vitamins and minerals, and ALL the essential amino acids they need without adding the sugar, starch, calories and expense.

Low feeding rates..{ Only 1/2 lb per day for a 1000lb horse on maintenence}.
➡️ One bag would last a horse 100 days!!

Optimum nutrition and Cost-effective!!

⭐️Optimum Nutrition with a precise balance of Vitamins and minerals
⭐️Peak performance
⭐️Sound growth
⭐️ Improved Immune system
⭐️Reduce the effects of stress
⭐️ Better muscle Health & Integrity
⭐️WAY LOWER cost than many supplements!

06/16/2024

The HEAT is ON! ☀️🔥

Here are Five Tips for Equine Hydration and Water Management:

Did you know the average 1,000-pound horse at rest drinks 8 to 10 gallons of water a day? Add in high temperature and humidity and a horse at work can drink twice as much in the summer.

How can you get your horse to drink more and stay hydrated this summer?

💧💧 Clean and available water~
Make sure your horse has easy access to clean water at all times. He shouldn’t have to go searching to find a clean water source. Tipped-over, leaky, funky-smelling water buckets aren’t appealing. Develop a weekly schedule for cleaning troughs and water buckets.

💧💧 Encourage drinking~
Offer electrolytes and salt blocks to your horses to stimulate their thirst. Electrolytes can be given in different ways: mixing with water and using a syringe to dose directly into the mouth; stirring electrolytes into feed, or dissolving electrolytes in water. Be sure to read the instructions on the label carefully and follow them exactingly when giving electrolytes. If you choose to put electrolytes in water, always give the horse access to additional water that does not contain electrolytes.

💧💧 Soak it and mash it in feed~
Get extra water into your horse through their feed. Soak hay flakes or cubes prior to feeding. One flake of wet hay can absorb 1-2 gallons of water. Adding water to your horse’s feed or bran to create a mash is another excellent way to increase water intake.

💧💧 Keep their water cool~
Horses prefer cool water in the heat. Try using your insulated water buckets from the winter to keep water cool in the summer.

💧💧 Spice it up~
Have a picky drinker on the road? Flavor the water with sports drinks, peppermint oil, or apple juice to get your horse interested in unusual water. Try this at home first to make sure you have a flavor your horse likes.

06/16/2024

06/13/2024

⭐️⭐️ Assurance GI SOOTHE ⭐️⭐️

Soothe the discomfort and "Fire" out of your horses GI system, Stomach AND Hindgut!
➡️ That "AND" is critically important!!

It's in a CLASS of its own!! Not only Buffering stomach acid to bolster gastric health and reduce the incidence of ulcers,
✨BUT ALSO✨ moderating the pH of the hindgut to prevent acidosis.

And as an added bonus!! Helps increase bone density in growing horses and athletic horses, which is especially important for horses involved in intense training such as racehorses, three-day-event horses, polo ponies, reining, barrel racing and other horses required to work at speed.

💠 The ASSURANCES of Assurance Feed:

✔️Include Chelated Minerals ( 180% more absorbabable)
✔️ Include Omegas in balance ( Decreased inflammation,Upped Immune)
✔️ Include Natural Vitamin E ( Improved immune, antioxidants)
✔️ Include Biotin
✔️ Include ALL the ESSENTIAL Amino Acids!!!

06/11/2024

Summer temps are on their way~ ☀️

Resharing some great info from the UMN Equine Extension Program:

Horses can acclimate to hot and humid weather conditions; however, air temperature and relative humidity can affect your horse’s ability to cool themselves.

It is recommended to avoid (or use caution when) riding or exercising a horse when the combined air temperature (in Fahrenheit) and relative humidity (%) surpass 150. For example, if the temperature is predicted to be 92 F with 69% relative humidity, the combination of the two is 161.

When the air temperature + relative humidity is less than 130, horses are very effective at cooling themselves. Between 130 and 150, a horse’s ability to cool themselves is decreased. When the combination is greater than 150, a horse’s ability to cool themselves is greatly reduced, and if the combination is greater than 180, conditions could become fatal if the horse is stressed.

06/10/2024

Tis that time of year ~It's important to Protect Horses Against Mosquito-Borne Diseases
🦟 🚫🐴

Several equine neurologic diseases are spread by mosquitoes. These include West Nile virus, eastern equine encephalomyelitis, and western equine encephalomyelitis.

Horse owners can follow these management steps to reduce the risk for these diseases.

1. Vaccinate. Check with a veterinarian to determine which mosquito-borne illnesses can be prevented by vaccination. The best time of year to vaccinate and the number of boosters per year will vary based on climate, anticipated size of the local mosquito population, and other factors. Remember that it takes some time for the horse to develop full immunity after being vaccinated, so injections should be scheduled well before the onset of warm weather.

2. Eliminate breeding areas. Mosquitoes lay eggs in still water, and only a small amount of water is needed. Drinking bowls for pets, birdbaths, water standing in a blocked gutter, and storm drainage in a shallow ditch or tire track are all ideal breeding areas. Water containers should be emptied and refilled daily to prevent development of larvae, and frequent property surveys should be conducted to find and deal with all standing water near barns and pastures.

3. Think about turnout places and times. Though mosquitoes can appear at any time of the day, they are most active at dawn and dusk. These insects don’t like moving air and will be somewhat less likely to bite horses that are kept in barns equipped with fans to keep the air stirring. If possible, horses should be turned out in fields that are not close to swampy or wet areas.

4. Use sprays, wipes, and sheets. Physical or chemical barriers will help to keep mosquitoes from landing on a horse’s skin. Insect-repelling sprays and wipes need to be applied frequently for the best effectiveness. Fly sheets, scrim leg wraps, and mesh facemasks also offer some protection..

06/07/2024

Congratulations to all the graduates out there!
🧑‍🎓 👩‍🎓

Your hard work, dedication, and perseverance have paid off, and you should be incredibly proud of yourselves.

As you move forward, remember that this is just the beginning of a new chapter in your journey.
Embrace the opportunities and challenges that come your way, and never stop learning and growing!

Way to go Class of ‘24!

06/06/2024

Updated AAEP deworming guidelines.

Please stop deworming your horse just because you think you need to. The parasites are developing resistance to the products due to overuse and deworming a horse that does not need to be dewormed. Always start with a F***l Egg Count:

*Perform f***l egg count reduction tests annually to ensure that you are using effective dewormers in every herd or barn.

*Recognize that no anthelmintic will eliminate all parasitic stages from a horse.

*Continue using f***l egg counts once or twice per year to stratify horses into low, medium and high shedders to reduce pasture contamination.

*Deworm all horses at a baseline rate and target selected horses more often based on f***l egg counts.

*Not use f***l egg counts to diagnose disease in horses as there is no correlation between f***l egg counts and disease-causing parasite life stages.

*Discontinue deworming all horses with fixed intervals year-round and stop blindly rotating anthelmintic classes.

https://aaep.org/post/aaep-publishes-updated-internal-parasite-control-guidelines/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR0d52S-EdNZBsZM-5ReunVrAqeen_lVy_-ZVI1oDlu45IRCEIDWmu2DZT0_aem_ZmFrZWR1bW15MTZieXRlcw

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has issued revised Internal Parasite Control Guidelines to help minimize the risk of parasitic disease and maintain the effectiveness of current drugs for as long as possible by delaying further development of anthelmintic resistance. The guide...

06/05/2024

🌞Horses Need Protection from Sunburn🌞

By Kentucky Equine Research, formulators of Assurance Feed

As the hours of sunlight increase in spring and summer, pastured horses are exposed to long periods of sunshine. While it isn’t a problem for most equines, strong sun could be a mixed blessing for horses with light-colored coats, as increased exposure to ultraviolet light can cause painful sunburn on spots with minimal hair cover. Muzzles, eyelids, and legs are most likely to burn, as are areas of pink skin under white patches and markings.

There are a number of ways to protect horses from sunburn. Using a lightweight turnout sheet, leg covers, and a fly mask with an extension that covers the muzzle are simple steps. Providing a shady spot in the pasture, such as trees, a run-in shed, or a roofed shelter without walls, will give horses a place to get out of the sun’s heat and light. Keeping horses stabled during the hours of most intense sunlight will also help to avoid problems. Various sunscreen creams are available; owners should choose a type designed for horses.

Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research, warns that if a horse consumes certain common pasture w**ds, chemical reactions can greatly increase the skin’s sensitivity to sunlight.

These plants include buckwheat, St. John’s wort, smartw**d, and perennial rye grass, among others. An agricultural extension agent will be able to identify dangerous w**ds growing in particular localities. Treatment with tetracycline, some sulfa drugs, and other medications can also make horses more susceptible to reactions from sun exposure.

Preventing sunburn is better than dealing with a horse’s discomfort after the fact. Owners should take precautions against sunburn as the hours of sunlight increase and should watch all horses for early signs of sun sensitivity.