Do horses regulate their own salt intake?

[phantomhorse]

I ask because my horse will not consume feed with salt added. Not even a little bit added (1/2 teaspoon to 1/2 bucket chaff & mix). It's a nuisance since he sweats and the feed manufacturer recommends adding salt to their ration. I've tried offering a salt lick and a volcanic rock salt in his stable (has ignored both for years). And tried adding fine table salt and coarse ground rock salt to his concentrates without success. Is he telling me he doesn't need it or should I continue trying???

 

[foxy1]

No they don't, and salt is very important to aid the uptake of other minerals.

Could you try adding some to water? Or there are flavoured drinks to offer to competition horses to encouage them to drink?

 

[phantomhorse]

Right, if that's the case, can anyone suggest another route to get salt into this horse?! I was thinking of putting a salt block into his feed manger but knowing him he'd just leave the feed that was around it.

 

[be positive]

Try adding a little speedibeet to his feed that will absorb the salt more easily than chaff will, or try a ready made electrolyte, they are now in tasty flavours and sweeter than plain salt.
Putting it in water is not fair he needs to drink and this would I feel be a very bad idea.

 

[noblesteed]

I have a Rockies carrot flavour lick in a feed bucket in my horse's stable, for the same reasons you describe. My horse won't eat salty feed or natural rock salt lick etc. The rockies one isn't just plain salt, it has other minerals in it as well, but I suspect it must taste better than plain salt licks because over the 3 months it has been in there he has licked a nice dent into the middle - so he's choosing to have a bit when he needs it.

 

[BeanyG]

When I bought our shettie she was going through salt blocks in a matter of days, I asked our vet if this was okay and he said she must have a deficiency so keep suplying her with them and that she would settle, which she did after about four and now only has a lick on occasion
What I'm trying to say is they must know when they need it or if they don't
N&F