Electrolytes or salt?

PolarSkye

PolarSkye

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So . . . looking at giving the big grey boy some electrolytes now that he's working much harder, but wouldn't salt do something similar?

This is somewhat related to my thread about getting him to drink when out competing/doing clinics . . . and the other about him dropping weight directly after a competition. Would salt in his feed help balance out what he's missing/losing when competing . . . and would putting electrolytes in his water encourage him to drink (when out)?

Sorry if numpty question . . . (slinks off).

P
 
I always put a teaspoonful of salt in their feeds at night. Once they have worked and they have started to sweat I would add some electrolytes into their feeds.

Have you tried putting a small amount of feed into a bucket and added a lot of water , hence making a sloppy feed. Also had extra water to the feeds the night before a competition etc, that will increase the fluid for him.
 
paulineh said:
I always put a teaspoonful of salt in their feeds at night. Once they have worked and they have started to sweat I would add some electrolytes into their feeds.

Have you tried putting a small amount of feed into a bucket and added a lot of water , hence making a sloppy feed. Also had extra water to the feeds the night before a competition etc, that will increase the fluid for him.
Click to expand...

He already gets salt . . . will start adding electrolytes too :). And he does already get pretty sloppy feeds thanks to my lovely daughter who makes the Speedibeet really, really wet - he has to drink it :).

P
 
I would add at least a tablespoon of salt daily, they are not like us in that it is harmful to have too much and they do not really get any from other sources.
Electrolytes can be put in feed or water but I have rarely found a horse that will take them in water so doing this at a show may put him off drinking unless you find he likes it, which is unlikely from what you say about him;)
 
I'd add some electrolytes, other salts will be lost too :)
Don't have any need for them at the moment due to the beast only just being brought back into work :rolleyes:, but I always used ones which were added to the water, so would give one bucket of water with the electrolytes, and one without.
 
I got Jae a little tub of electro salts by naf. £5 for a travel pot size which was just enough to give him a competition dose over 3 days around the event yesterday.
I didn't want a big pot as it was expensive and he has salt anyway but Iwanted him to have the proper stuff for the event as I knew he would get sweaty :).
 
I used to make my own electrolytes by mixing normal table salt with Low salt. I cant remember why, the low has something extra in it. It was just half and half - I'd just bung it into an old supplement container and shake well.
 
If you follow the analyses of an elektrolyte you will figure out that is almost based on sodium and potassium .

For the reason that till to now any hay that I have seen was overloaded with potassium (in many cases about 200% and more) we don`t need potassium as a seperate elektrolyte.

Sodium is a bit different here, we might need it.

But tablesalt is sodium chloride and so it is perfect. And then again, most horses even don`t sweat that much that we need an "elektrolyte" and so we can keep the extra pressure away from the kidneys.
 
As and endurance rider I was an avid feeder of electrolytes for years and I also used the pastes at rides, because our horses needed them. Right?

Then I tasted the pastes and stopped using them there and then. They taste disgusting and must be the worse thing for a tired horse to have shoved down their throat. And you don't ever want to get the stuff in a cut or nick.

Then I started reading about the big name European trainers, a lot of whom train and compete in Dubai, who were just using salt. A table spoon or two in the horses feed, salt lick in the paddock/stable. That's it. Nothing else when competing.

So for the last three or four years I have just fed salt. Nothing has fallen over yet. I can't remember the numbers off the top of my head, but there is no way you could ever get enough electrolytes into a horse to replace what they lose on a big ride and those who have tried have ended up poisoning their horses.

To answer the original question - salt is just fine.
 
From Dr Gettys site:

salt, not electrolyte supplements, needs more attention during hot months

Your horse sweats more during the summer, making electrolyte supplementation worth considering. But electrolytes alone will not protect your horse against dehydration. Your horse needs to have enough sodium (salt). One ounce per day (two Tablespoons) is adequate for maintenance during cool months, but hot, humid weather calls for at least two ounces per day (and more if your horse works).

One way to accomplish this, provide a plain, white salt block in close proximity. But make sure your horse licks it – many do not due to tiny scratches that form on the tongue. Even better, is to offer salt free choice by pouring granulated table salt in a bucket (iodized only if your horse is not receiving iodine from another source). You can also add salt to each meal. Mineralized salt blocks are often neglected due their bitter taste.

Be aware that electrolyte supplements should only be given to a horse that is already in good sodium balance. They are designed to replace what is lost from perspiration and should contain at least 13 grams of chloride, 6 grams of sodium, and 5 grams of potassium. If your horse works more than two hours at a time, provide a dose of electrolytes after exercise by adding it to a gallon of water (be sure to keep fresh, clean water nearby).
 
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