Removing bitumen from horses coat

karenjj

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Does anyone have any tips for removing bitumen from a horses coat? I have moved my horses to a new field and the fence appears to have been painted with it, in the heat it has melted and my boy has rubbed his bum all over it! Thanks
 
i would imagine the only thing that would get it off is paint thinner but dont know if that will do skin much good!
 
A cob at my yard is forever getting it on his nose and the only thing I tried was to scrape it off with my nail-carefully! I suppose it you were to soften it with fairy liquid and warm water, you might be able to remove it that way?:confused:
 
try butter or baby wipes
mum told me to use butter to take pine sap off, it did work but left a very shiny patch
baby wipes seem to remove just about anything
 
According to the ebay shop I just bought some Avon skin so soft from, it will remove tar from cars and glue from hair, so I would imagine a little bitumen would be dealt with, no problem.

Oh and I bought the SSS as fly repellent for the horses, not for myself you understand....coughs in a manly sort of way and walks off with manly swagger to his step.
 
You need to be very sure it is bitumen (which is usually a road dressing) and not creosote or tar (which are wood dressings.)

The basic principle of oil and fingernails is good for any. I'd be a bit more wary of anything soap based just in case. If oils keep it off the skin, soaps will remove the natural oils in the coat and may make matters worse.

But if there is any risk he has tried to chew it off himself then you should contact your vet for advice. They are all poisonous to a greater or lessor extent but creosote is really nasty.

Are you sure its a fence dressing? Some fly creams go black with dust and set into crusts. I know it gave me a scare at the yard the other day when I couldn't figure out what one lad had coated himself with!
 
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