Follysmum
Well-Known Member
Those people that give electrolytes, do you give daily all year round or just in the summer months.
Electrolytes
- Thread starter Follysmum
- Start date
be positive
Well-Known Member
I give just in the summer, daily to any horse working hard, salt in the winter, mine don't hunt but I may use them if they did, the pointer had them most days through the winter but generally they don't sweat so much in the winter. Having access to a salt lick is probably sufficient for the average horse most of the time.
Rosesandhorses
Well-Known Member
I feed a lot in the summer - basically any time the horse sweats he gets some in varying quantities depending on work. In Winter I only feed if the horse really sweats up, otherwise just provide a Himalayan rock salt lick.
SaraB
New User
I give my two (endurance) horses salt* all year round, approx 30g per day as basic amount. They then get extra electrolytes (thus salt with extra mineral salts Mg etc) on top during training periods and the competition season.
I've read a lot the last months about sodium and how the diet (roughage + hard feed) of many horses doesn't contain nearly enough. In fact I saw a presentation here in The Netherlands that provided the facts and figures. There's usually ample potassium in hay and gras, but roughage is very low in sodium. I guess that would also be true of the UK.
*I make a mix of normal table salt (100g) with diet salt (30g: approx 60% potassium chloride + 40% sodium chloride off my head!). I also give the salt mixed in with Speedibeet so it's dissolved in water. Idea being that it is kinder on the stomach, although got nothing to back that theory up!
I've read a lot the last months about sodium and how the diet (roughage + hard feed) of many horses doesn't contain nearly enough. In fact I saw a presentation here in The Netherlands that provided the facts and figures. There's usually ample potassium in hay and gras, but roughage is very low in sodium. I guess that would also be true of the UK.
*I make a mix of normal table salt (100g) with diet salt (30g: approx 60% potassium chloride + 40% sodium chloride off my head!). I also give the salt mixed in with Speedibeet so it's dissolved in water. Idea being that it is kinder on the stomach, although got nothing to back that theory up!
AAR
Well-Known Member
We feed salt all year round but up their amount during the winter as we hunt and so horses are sweating a lot.
We also have a headshaker and have found that giving him increased salt has almost stopped it completely.
We typically feed 1 tea spoon twice a day, after hunting 2-3 teapoons in evening feed. . The head shaker gets 3 tea spoons twice a day.
We also have a headshaker and have found that giving him increased salt has almost stopped it completely.
We typically feed 1 tea spoon twice a day, after hunting 2-3 teapoons in evening feed. . The head shaker gets 3 tea spoons twice a day.
SaraB
New User
That's interesting about the head shaker. Personally no experience with a head shaker, but I seen this mentioned a few times on nutrition websites that low NaCl intake is a possible cause of head shaking.