Salt?? Eletrolytes? Lo Salt?

[pipper]

I currently feed a little amount of normal household salt daily in a feed. BUT I am wondering if I am doing right? Should I add lo salt too? should I add more things to make up an electrolyte? should I not do any of the above?? My horses are 'worked' every day and do not overly sweat up. I say worked in the very loose sense of the word. Hacked 1 1/2 - 2 hours or schooled lightly for 1/2 hour.
I am confused as to what I should be doing, and having tried to look it up on the interweb am now TOTALLY confused?
Please help??

 

[Equilibrium Ireland]

I was always taught that unless in hard work that salt is just fine. The thing with electrolytes is that it can knock things out of balance. This goes for people as well. So unless my horses were in event training or racing I would keep them on what they already get.

Now is this right? Have no idea but nobody has died or is acting out of character. I may give some after a competition but I do think unless it's definitely needed it could cause other issues.

It is all rather confusing!

Terri

 

[Hen]

It sounds like you're doing the right thing just supplementing with table salt. At least, that's what I am doing so you make me feel better!! And like you, I don't have a horse that sweats a great deal.
My understanding is that horses need the sodium to prevent potassium excretion in the urine (if sodium levels are low, the kidneys get rid of potassium instead, in order to preserve sodium levels in the bloodstream) so a good intake of salt is necessary all year round. Electrolytes, if needed, only do their job properly if the sodium balance is already sufficient. I haven't had any cause to use additional electrolytes this year as I'm not competing or training hard, and none of the horses have been demolishing salt licks like they were last year before I started adding a tbsp. of salt to each feed.