Electrolytes

[Leo Walker]

I must have the world's only fat cob that is so fussy that she will leave her feed completely untouched of it doesn't meet her requirements! She will eat equimins powder but not pellets and the latest thing is salt 🙄 she sweats when she works and I like to feed a large dose of salt for the feet etc.

Are there any electrolytes that don't actually taste like salt? I don't want to waste money buying them if madam isn't going to eat them!

 

[milliepops]

My fussy one likes the equine America apple lytes.

 

[milliepops]

Should add,I don't know what they taste like but they smell nice 🤣. She wont eat salt or electro salts or any of the others 🙄

 

[LegOn]

Another one for the Equine America Apple Lytes - they smell like apples & my fuss pot eats them aswell!!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Equine products do a strawberry flavoured one - it tastes like sherbert!

 

[flying_high]

My fussy one likes the equine America apple lytes.

It is tricky, as the main needed electrolyte is Sodium and it doesn’t taste very nice.


Some electrolytes contain high proportion of sugar or low amount of sodium, so are tasty but you aren’t feeding enough actual sodium.





I feed as much table salt as horse will tolerate (in my case 25 ml) and then top up with Equine America electrolytes. As my horse will eat these, and they are reasonable amounts of sodium and sugar content.





If my horse would eat just table salt I’d feed that.





In simple terms, main electrolyte needed is sodium, and electrolytes an expensive way of giving this, and lots of brand electrolytes contain insufficient basic sodium and other unnecessary stuff and lots of sugar.

 

[LegOn]

Table salt is also very heavily processed so alot of the good minerals are removed from it, although it is still has a high sodium content of course! Definitely worth keeping an eye on the sugar content of electrolytes aswell.

 

[Ellietotz]

My fusspot happily eats the Naf one

 

[Hormonal Filly]

I've always fed table salt, as was told thats the cheapest and best way to feed it? Is that incorrect?

Sorry to jump on the post!

 

[milliepops]

I've always fed table salt, as was told thats the cheapest and best way to feed it? Is that incorrect?

Sorry to jump on the post!

nope I feed normal salt to the ones that will eat it. I just have one that just flips her bucket over if I put it in her feed, so she needed special treatment

 

[Steerpike]

I mix 1kg of table salt with 2 pots of lo salt cheaper than branded electrolytes, all the electrolytes I have tasted taste of salt!

 

[Ellietotz]

I've always fed table salt, as was told thats the cheapest and best way to feed it? Is that incorrect?

Sorry to jump on the post!

I was always led to believe that pure natural salt without anti-caking agents was best. I feed natural fine sea salt everyday but will add NAF Electrolytes if my mare has been particularly sweaty during work. I know a lot of people feed table salt without problems though.

 

[Leo Walker]

The anti caking thing is just completely OTT. Normal table salt is fine and costs pretty much nothing. She just will not eat it at any more than a teaspoon though and I'm wasting buckets of feed. She doesnt care if I leave her stood in all day with nothing else. She will not eat it. She drives me mad!

She will eat anything sugary but I try to avoid that at all costs. I'll try the equine america one.

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

Mine likes the equine America applelytes, he has them as he swears quite a lot in the summer when ridden probably due to his Cushing's

I dont think they taste of apple I'd say they are more cherry flavoured! The strawberry ones ekw mentioned sound delicious 😂

 

[Ellietotz]

The anti caking thing is just completely OTT. Normal table salt is fine and costs pretty much nothing. She just will not eat it at any more than a teaspoon though and I'm wasting buckets of feed. She doesnt care if I leave her stood in all day with nothing else. She will not eat it. She drives me mad!

She will eat anything sugary but I try to avoid that at all costs. I'll try the equine america one.

It took me ages to get mine to eat feed with salt in, I literally had to start with a pinch of it and work up. I don't feed the NAF electrolytes everyday though and she doesn't mind it when it's added on the odd occasion. No idea why that is okay and actual salt wasn't!

 

[poiuytrewq]

Equine products do a strawberry flavoured one - it tastes like sherbert!

Have you tasted it? We have one at work that looks and smells like sherbet but tastes absolutely foul 😂
It smells so annoyingly good we just keep testing it 🤭

 

[rara007]

I add a sprinkle of horsequencer to mines feed to get him to eat it... Got it to encourage him to drink from autowaterers (without success!) so have a fair bit to use up!

 

[PapaverFollis]

Table salt is completely fine if they'll eat it. Hope you find something that works, LW. The Beast gets a measure of Equimins DeTye and Drink (smells of cherries) as extra electrolyte-ness on top of the table salt but not entirely sure what's in it. Anti tying-up goodness I assume. Hahaha.

 

[hihosilver]

I was told to feed half table salt and have low salt for the balance of sodium and potassium, this advice was given by a eventer. She never feeds electrolytes as double the price and its basically the same!

 

[DabDab]

Big horse won't eat salt in his feed (despite the fact that he isn't remotely fussy with anything else), but will lick it off my hand if I sprinkle it on my palm, so I just do that - might be worth a try? Fortunately little mare loves salt in her feed, despite being obscenely fussy about feed in every other respect. Horses eh...

 

[cold_feet]

My very fussy eater eats the Science Supplement one.

 

[chaps89]

I'm afraid my super unfussy fatty wouldn't touch the equine America electrolytes. As with most things it's a bit trial and error I guess as what some horses like others won't.

 

[blodwyn1]

Mine all eat global herbs black salt with no trouble.

 

[C1airey]

Apple-lyres taste weird - like salted apples 🤢. They used to do small pots of them but they’re now only available in 2.5k tubs. Might be worth ringing a few places to see if they have any old stock left before you end up with a couple of kilos of the stuff.

 

[tankgirl1]

I offer a bucket of salted water alongside plain water. She rarely drinks it but she has the choice

 

[Leo Walker]

shes a sod about drinking as well so I darent start that! I'm wondering if I could try mint first. The problem is mainly that she was fed sugary crap her entire life until I got her, and the bland low sugar feed I offer is not to her taste! So something like mint or apple juice might be enough to "trick" her into thinking its delicious tasty junk food!

 

[JFTDWS]

My mare is fussy about a lot of mineral powders, but she actually prefers it if it comes with a good load of table salt. She's a wee weirdo.

 

[tankgirl1]

There is an apple flavoured fibre mash, I can't remember the make or name of it, but Dolly went nuts for it, she would have eaten anything that was in it! It smelt lush too!

 

[Leo Walker]

My mare is fussy about a lot of mineral powders, but she actually prefers it if it comes with a good load of table salt. She's a wee weirdo.

I'll take her sort of weird any day!

 

[OldNag]

Does she like mint? If so why not try adding a good dollop of spearmint or peppermint? It disguises most things. Mine happily eats his with table salt, turmeric and all sorts but if I run out of mint he leaves some.

Edit.. just seen you mentioned mint earlier. I buy spearmint from Progressive Earth, a bag lasts blooming ages and it's really strong stuff. I add about a 50ml scoop.

 

[DabDab]

My mare is fussy about a lot of mineral powders, but she actually prefers it if it comes with a good load of table salt. She's a wee weirdo.

Glad mine isn't the only one - she won't touch anything that has even been near a vit/min supplement, but goes potty for salted feed

The agrobs alpen mash is very appetizing without being full of rubbish LW if you wanted to try a different feed to put it in.