Feeding loose salt/cornish sea salt

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lucymay9701

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Hi everyone, (just thought I'd post this in tack room aswell to see if anyone else can help) Please can somebody give me some advice on feeding loose salt to my horse and if anyone had any views on this particular salt or had used it I'd be really grateful. I usually use salt licks for my horse but have decided I'd like to try her with loose salt having read that horses don't have rough tongues like cattle to get what they need from licks. However I wanted to get the most 'natural' salt possible, free from anti caking agents and things which seems to be in most plain table salts. Anyway I came across this one on the Tesco website and wondered if people thought this would be OK to use?

http://www.tesco.com/groceries/Produ.../?id=267680810

I'm not sure how much she'll go through a day and how this will work out cost wise but it doesn't look too bad so thought I might give it a try.

The only thing I was worried about was that I read the information on their website on the link below:

http://www.cornishseasalt.co.uk/disc...ed-table-salt/

And it says that it has a lower sodium content. I am unsure if this would be a problem for horses and just thought I'd see what people think? I would think its OK as its just plain sea salt and I came across this article:

http://www.calmhealthyhorses.com/solution/salt.html

that says unrefined sea salt is the best so I assume its not a problem but just checking that people think this salt will be OK to feed loose before I start! Also this particular salt says lower in sodium than most sea salts so just wondering if people think that's OK?

I did also read that natural trace mineral salt is better than sea salt as it hasn't been affected by pollution but I can't find any of this to buy in the UK although if anyone knew of any sources that would be great. :)

Thanks very much, Lucy

PS if anyone had any other recommendations for anything similar that I could buy that would work out cheaper that would be great aswell! :)
 
Ok so horses don't have rough tongues like cows but how may times have you supplied your horse with a lick and not found them making big inroads into it?

If you don't know how much loose salt you should be adding to a feed then I'd really recommend you don't do it. Try the big himalayan salt rocks and let your horse work out how much s/he needs.

Have a look at these - you won't get anything with fewer additives!

http://www.hiltonherbs.com/products/himalayan-rock-salt-the-lick-on-a-rope/227
 
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Hi, Thank you for your reply. I was just thinking of putting it loose for her to decide what she needs rather than adding to her feed. Sorry I should have put that in the post!
 
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My boy would not use himalayan salt licks other than to rub his tail on them, so I bought a big bag of pure coarse salt and put a small handful in his feed, [a tablespoonful] I don't really go for buying stuff at supermarkets as it is so extremely expensive and in tiny packs.
I also used branded minerals to ensure he got his daily ration.
 
lucymay9701 said:
Hi, Thank you for your reply. I was just thinking of putting it loose for her to decide what she needs rather than adding to her feed. Sorry I should have put that in the post!
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The trouble with doing that is that as soon as that damp tongue goes onto the salt she'll get a lot more than she was expecting and the loose salt will turn into a soggy lump. You either have to work out how much she needs and add it or use it in lumps.
 
MrsD123 said:
My boy would not use himalayan salt licks other than to rub his tail on them, so I bought a big bag of pure coarse salt and put a small handful in his feed, [a tablespoonful] I don't really go for buying stuff at supermarkets as it is so extremely expensive and in tiny packs.
I also used branded minerals to ensure he got his daily ration.
Click to expand...

I have to say that I was surprised that all of mine like it. Most of them wouldn't touch the mineral blocks but they all like the himalyan salt, especially the yearling who got over enthusiastic and bit his into pieces.
 
Thanks Jemima - never thought about that! Its just difficult to know exactly what they need. She likes her salt licks - uses ordinary and himilayan fine - she seems to use them alot though which makes me wonder if she needs more. She is a horse that likes licking though (licks your hand for ages!) so I don't know if she just enjoys licking them or needs the salt. I may just try her with a tiny amount loose and see if she eats it or ignores it!

Thanks MrsD123 - just wondered where you buy your big bag of course salt from please?
 
I feed a tablespoon of table salt (tescos) a day in feeds, much easier.

In summer I do put out a trug of loose salt and they lick up as much as they want, often they dribble water from the trough in it and lick the slop.
 
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