Pine Sap

[LEOArabs]

GAK! I got home from work tonight and found that my horse has managed to chew the bark in the pine tree in his paddock, and rub one whole side of his body on the fresh sap.  Then he rolled.  His ENTIRE right side is a sticky, sandy, icky mess.  I bathed him in Dawn detergent, tried WD-40 on his mane, and lots of elbow grease.  All I got for my efforts is a wet, still sandy and sticky cranky horse because he did not get his dinner until I was "done".  I will tackle this again tomorrow, but does anyone have any ideas?   

[polomare]

Bathe him as best you can, and then you might have to body clip him!

[mysterypickles]

So far the only thing I've found to get rid of the pine sap is time and shedding out the sappy hair. Though I've never had as much sap as you describe, just a patch here and there. Hopefully someone will have a good idea. Sorry! 

[Delia]

You might want to try bathing him in a 50/50 baby oil & warm water solution.  Let it sit on him for a while, and it certainly won't harm the skin.  Of course then you'll probably have to use the Dawn again to remove the baby oil.  A vinegar rinse will help with the oil and his skin.
What a mess!  Good luck 'cause it's a lot of work.

[karen]

My son got a lot of sap in his hair, I used baby oil, straight baby oil.. It got most of it out, but then his head was so  greasy even after washing, I then clipped his hair!! Wa-la!!! Good as new!!  Good Luck! You could also try that goop off, i think that's what it's called, at home depots..

[equisician]

Goo-gone, WD-40 and Oil Soaps are all extremely toxic. Please please please do not use them on your horses! Several years ago we had a pony with a horrible tree sap rubbing addiction. We tried baby oil, olive oil, mineral oil, petroleum jelly, pure lanolin (babies r us in breastfeeding section), and clippers. All worked okay however what really seemed to do the trick is a very high-end  lubricant sold online called "boy butter" truly the most slippery stuff in the world. Sometimes I wish you could post things on this board anonymously.

[saddlediva]

I've had success with baby oil and Corona ointment (lanolin). It took days and lots of re-applications but eventually.