Salt Lick - mine ate a whole one in a week!

[[59668]]

Hi

My horse is on box rest at the mo, and I put a salt lick in her stable. it was one of the blocks that goes on the wall.

Thing is, she ate the whole thing in a week! is this normal?

 

[Cliqmo]

It is unusual and not particularly good for them if they do it regularly

Does she sweat alot? Has she always had a salt lick and her consumption has gone up recently? or is this the first one she has had in a while?
Do you give her a vitamin and mineral supplement? It might be that she is crying out for vits and was using the salt as it was her only alternative? Another sign may be her coming in from the field with a muddy nose or black tongue, indicating she has been eating the dirt?

 

[ester]

Depends what sort it is, is it just a plain salt lick or a 'flavoured health lick' One of ours can get a bit keen with the flavoured ones so just gets one of these http://www.shopwiki.co.uk/Baby+Pure+Salt+Lick+-+2kg

which she goes at a bit less keen.

 

[Cliqmo]

Ah good point Ester! I have found these...

http://www.paksalts.com/image/cache/Rock%20Salt%20Horse%20Licks%20SE-5001-B-240x240.jpg

discourage over indulgence too, partly because they are not sugary and also because I hang it from a beam in the middle of the stable (rather than against a wall) so it makes it a bit more challenging and time consuming to get it

...

 

[ester]

yes, we often have a couple in the field too,

give her a rockies mint lick and she is well away.

Re the dirty mouth comment. - Frank won't touch a salt lick, much prefers his hole in the field!

 

[only_me]

I'd say your horse is bored! so eating the salt lick is the only way he amuses himself

I wouldnt worry!

 

[finefeathers1]

Hmm, mine loves salt licks and is a huge pig, but he wont do a whole one in a week. Mind you, he did demolish an apple flavoured Likit in an afternoon with no apparent ill effects. I wouldnt worry about it too much.

 

[[59668]]

Thanks for your replies.

Its the first one she's had and was a plain salt one.

She's going on restricted turnout tomorrow, so that should solve the boredom. Wonder if it's because she wasn't getting minerals she normally was getting from grass cos she was in.....

 

[curio]

mine did that and it turns out he was magnesium deficient

 

[spookypony]

Just gave mine one because he was licking the walls, the floor, people, generally everything he came across. I'm giving him access to it now about 1h/day (nowhere to put it in the field), and the last two days, he spent the whole time happily licking it. We'll see if he slows down in a bit.