Ad-lib salt. Yay or ney?

[Equi]

I have a big salt bucket. It is placed in my stable halls so the horses can access it when they want to really as my field opens to the stable but obviously when stabled they can't. I moved it into my new mares stable cause i was cleaning up and just left it there and she has been licking it some, but should i leave it in the stable? I know when i give likits etc all my horses lick them until they are done, but what if my mare is licking the salt too much or will she stop? If it should be adlib i might get my little ones some too but again i think they might just lick it until its gone

 

[thatsmygirl]

Is it loose salt or like the big bucket simply systems do? Will follow this with interest

 

[be positive]

Salt is nothing like a lickit, they will stop using it so much once they have taken in enough, unlike the block of pure sugar that they will lick until it has all gone, if she is using it a lot try giving her some extra salt in her feed as she may need more than she can get from the lick, mine usually use it for a few days now and then but they do get salt in their feeds as well.

 

[my bfg]

Am reading this with interest as my girl currently seems addicted to hers, its tied up outside her stable now as she went crazy on it when it was inside, she's currently upping her workload so makes sense there may be an increase in requirements but if you add salt to feed to make up for a possible difficency is there a rule? I.E. amount vs body weight? X

 

[tallyho!]

I do both. Add about a tablespoonful to feed and she has a lick.

But NOT A HIMALAYAN SALT LICK!!!! If genuine these are mined in horrendous conditions and if not genuine they contain very high levels of bromide!

 

[Equi]

It's a simple systems bucket one. I was going to use empty likit holders to make the minis one each. The salt moustache is quite cute lol

I just didn't want them dehydrating and running out of water in their buckets

 

[spotty_pony]

Mine has a mineral lick all the time in the stable. Interestingly, before he was clipped he used to lick it a lot, probably because he had sweated and needed to replace the salt he had lost. Now he is clipped, he doesn't seem to lick it as much.

 

[JillA]

There is now evidence that they can't get enough from a lick of whatever sort, their tongues aren't rough enough. Read about salt here http://www.calmhealthyhorses.com/solution/salt.html. Mine all get a tablespoonful in their feeds

 

[Shay]

Personally I prefer ad lib rather than in the feeds. The horse can then choose what he wants. My lads both have salt blocks available and both consume them at different rates. But in hot weather or on heavy exercise I do also add electrolytes to the Eventer's feed after he went down with dehydration at PC camp a couple of years ago! I've never known a problem with them not being able to access enough salt - their tongues don't have to be rough. Surface water collects on salt blocks as it is hydroscopic. They just lick the water off. Or they can bite the edges if they really want to - although mine tend not to!

 

[Shady]

i have a mineral and a salt lick hanging between the 2 stables, plus a salt lick in the field shelter, sometimes they use them a lot depending on weather and exercise and always at a different rate, sometimes not at all. Shays right they can bite the edges, mine do on the mineral lick, probably because it's got molasses in it!