Question about preventing sunbleaching in a mixed mane

[hobbyhorse23]

For the first time I've got a horse whose mane seems to get sun-bleached and I'm wondering what you'd recommend to protect his color come show season. I'm not comfortable dying the hair as he's a silver buckskin with white frosting on each side of his mane like a Fjord so it would be hard not to make mistakes or flatten his nifty chocolate color. His tail seems to be doing okay and I don't notice much problem with the forelock but the topside of his mane is definitely more reddish than the underside and the rich chocolate-and-white below looks much more dramatic on his light coat.

For a tail I'd just put it up for awhile, but how do you do that with a mane? Fabric strips braided in? My boys are all pastured with plenty of trees to rub on so I'd rather avoid braiding if I can as a permanent solution. Is there some sort of sunblock spray that is effective and easy? A shampoo that won't ruin the white while it's darkening the middle? Help! He can't live in a slinky 24/7.

Leia

 

[targetsmom]

How about a neck sweat? Not a neck WRAP, but a lined neck sweat that covers the whole area? We use one on our gelding who likes to rub his mane out. Get the kind you can leave on all the time, but you could remove it overnight when sun isn't an issue - and you should remove it part of every day. So far he has not been able to rub the neck sweat off and no one else has removed it for him either!

 

[susanne]

I borrowed Kendra's idea -- she said to brush the mane to the opposite side of the neck. I had to braid it to make it stay, but it worked. This way the side you want visible for shows stays protected on pasture days, then you flip it back to the correct side and any sunbleached mane is hidden underneath for the show.

 

[Miniv]

When we were seriously showing, we had a wonderful BLACK little stallion.

Of course, black manes and tails tend to bleach out red.........and we didn't want to dye his mane unless absolutely necessary. So, we resorted to turning him outside after 4 pm and bringing him in the morning before 10 a.m. It gave him a chance to "be a horse"...........oh, and even during his turn out time, he had access to his stall.

I never thought of wrapping his mane and tail........that's not a bad idea!

 

[wildoak]

My show horses go out only at night too, during show season. I did have a mare we had to leave in a slinky though, even out at night she was putting her head through the fence eating and rubbed her mane (right before World!).

What about Black As Knight or some of the color enhancing products? Haven't used that one but have heard good things about it.

Jan

 

[Little Hooves]

I know there are UV Sunscreen sprays for horses. Maybe you can give that a try, too?

Here is one I searched for online: HHC Sunflower Sunscreen

Although, I have never tried it myself! I probably should since I have a few mixed black and white manes in my herd.

Brenda

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Brenda, let me know how it works! That's the kind of product I was hoping for feedback on. I truly don't want to bundle my horse up all summer and night-time turnout is not possible with my setup so I don't have too many other options. I can try flipping the mane but I think first I'll look into doing some feedthrough paprika (the primary ingredient in Black as Knight I'm told) and experimenting with the sunscreen spray. Someone also emailed me with the great idea of applying hair dye with a sponge brush to control where it goes and I'm much more comfortable with the idea of dying the mane if I can do it that way. We'll see!

Leia

 

[Aristocratic Minis]

Ask an experienced hairdresser for names of products which might have a sunscreen such as a spray or conditioner. I'm sure they must have that for people who want to keep from getting sunbleached hair.

If you are going to show the horse, don't feed paprika anytime near the show time as it will show up in a drug test. It contains capsaicin which is often used as pain relief for horses with sore legs or soundness problems. It has been one of the FEI banned drugs and some Olympians got banned for having it come up in drug tests.

 

[Knighthawke]

On the paprika how long would the horse need to be off it before a show?? Any idea??

I was told to try it with my palomino mare.

 

[Aristocratic Minis]

On the paprika how long would the horse need to be off it before a show?? Any idea??
I was told to try it with my palomino mare.

I do not know how long to be off of it before it would not show up in a test. Some of the testing procedures must be very sensitive because some of the horses banned had the capsaicin rubbed on legs and contained in a liniment. I have no idea how much a horse could get through liniment absorbed through the skin as opposed to giving it internally.

Here was the report:

August 21, 2008<H3 class=post-title>Four Olympic Jumpers Test Positive for Capsaicin; Liniment Suspected </H3>

From the FEI, governing body of Olympic equestrian sports, comes this official notice just hours before the show jumping individual medal finals:

The following combinations will not be competing in the Jumping individual final competition held tonight (Thursday, 21 August). They have been provisionally suspended by the FEI further to doping/medication control tests that indicated the presence of capsaicin in each horse.

Bernardo Alves (BRA) on Chupa Chup

Christian Ahlmann (GER) on Cöster

Denis Lynch (IRL) on Latinus

Tony Andre Hansen (NOR) on Camiro

Capsaicin is classified as a "doping " prohibited substance, given its hypersensitizing properties, and as a "medication class A" prohibited substance for its pain-relieving properties.

As previously communicated, the FEI provisionally suspends all competitors who test positive in doping or positive medication cases at the Olympic Games in the interests of the integrity of the sport.

Christian Ahlmann was notified of his suspension yesterday evening (Wednesday, 20 August) further to receipt of the test results by the FEI from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Laboratory yesterday afternoon.

A preliminary hearing was held at 10h00 this morning (21 August) before a member of the FEI Tribunal who confirmed the suspension.

The other riders--Tony Andre Hansen, Bernardo Alves, and Denis Lynch--were notified earlier today (21 August) further to receipt of their positive test results this morning. All three of them were provisionally suspended.

Preliminary hearings were held with the respective National Federations in the following order: 14h00 – Brazil; 15h00 – Ireland; 16h00 – Norway. The hearings were held before a member of the FEI Tribunal who confirmed the suspension.

FURTHER STEPS

Confirmatory analysis of the B-samples will be carried out very shortly according to the accelerated procedure in place for the Olympic Games. Upon report of a positive B-sample result, evidence and written submissions will be requested from the rider, and a three member panel of the FEI Tribunal will be appointed. This panel should take a decision as to the applicable sanctions as early as possible further to the accelerated procedure, and providing for a hearing to be held as necessary. The competition results will be amended as indicated in the Tribunal’s final decision.

 

[VerticallyChallenged]

I had read a couple of different places (one of them being a Friesian group, and they of course don't want their black horses sunbleaching!) to feed black oil sunflower seeds with their feed. I was going to try it this spring with my grulla QH mare....because she has such a beautiful grulla color, but when she bleaches out, she gets to be a real washed out tanish color....

They say too that the paprika works, but does show up in a drug test....so the black oil sunflower seeds can't hurt to try! But you have to start it before "bleaching season" starts in order for it to take effect. My vet told me this.

Angie

 

[krissy3]

I use the black sunflower seeds and it does make a nice shiney black horse. i am also a hairdresser , and I can tell you there is not a product in the world that will protect the hair from sun damage, for humans or animals. I have tried them all and nothing works completely. this year I purchased a fly net ,webbed neck protector. It allowes air to get in , so its not hot for the horse. With the mane braided , and this mesh covering I hope it will lessen the sun bleaching , or at least it will be mixed throuout the mane and look more natural . I dont mind highlights , but I hate the frizzy red top layer. Some hair products contain oil , that will dry out the hair , dry hair is porus...porus hair looses color faster....soooo sometimes adding a conditioner or oil treatment will make the hair worse. I know from expierence. My suggestion , dont over shampoo your horse , it will strip the natural oils...I will try a beer shampoo... a thin layer of fat just under the skin feeds the hair, and provides shine. I also believe animals and horses need sunshine, good source of vitamin K , I dont like the idea of depriving people or animals of sunlight, its better to just put a rinse on the mane and tail then to not allow the horse of playing in the summer sunshine , or having a sun bath.

 

[susanne]

I'm a great believer in BOSS (black oil sunflower seeds) for giving a sleek, glossy coat, but they have done nothing to prevent sunbleaching for my bay boy.

As for topical products, I have an identity design client who is one of the top hair colorists in Portland, and he echos what Krissy said -- no products will protect hair from the sun. His rule: wear a hat whenever you're outdoors.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

*sigh* Dye it is. Thanks guys!

Leia

 

[susanne]

Since you'd most likely dye right before your first show, you might try the "comb-over" approach to begin -- you'd still have plenty of time to dye if you need to. You wouldn't be out anything, and you might have the natural salt-and-pepper silver buckskin mane without much work.

 

[Knighthawke]

I just looked in ozark mt supply they have a mesh fly sheet with a neck cover it is suposed to have uv protection. I am going to get one for my palomino mare to see if it helps make her darker. It $99 for blanket and neck cover. You would just have to watch the forlock and keep the tail up.

 

[Ellen]

My concern with BOSS is the articles you read about the seeds getting stuck in the cecum and causing major problems. So what I reccomend is to buy a cheap coffee grinder and have at it. I mix in soybean and flax seed. I did not know about paprika being an issue. Thank you for the post.

One product I love is GammaShine. Try it, nothing makes your horse shine like that feed thru!!!!

 

[susanne]

The problem with any feed supplement such as BOSS is that while good nutrition is key to producing lush, healthy body coat, mane and tail, once the hair grows out past the skin it is dead, and all the special supplements in the world cannot change it.

Even if you feed the "perfect" diet and produce gorgeous hair, it can still bleach out when exposed to the sun. Once hair (human, equine, or whatever) leaves the body, the answer is to protect it from harm, not try to repair it.

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