salt

[skint.spotty]

I was under the impression that it was recommended to give at least 22g salt daily, especially in this heat. But mine won't eat salt in feeds - only lick salt licks - which I was under the impression wasn't adequate to replace amounts lost through sweat. Can anyone suggest anything please. Thank you

 

[ycbm]

Watching with interest. I have a horse who isn't taking a salt lick, I find it really difficult to believe that he needs any salt in his feed of he isn't picking a block. He won't eat it anyway so I try not to worry about it.
.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Can you bulk out the feeds a bit to dilute the taste?

Just some chaff or something if they don't need extra calories?

I had to remove my salt licks as one horse took great lumps out of them at a time - he hadn't read the memo that they were there to be licked .

 

[poiuytrewq]

Watching with interest. I have a horse who isn't taking a salt lick, I find it really difficult to believe that he needs any salt in his feed of he isn't picking a block. He won't eat it anyway so I try not to worry about it.
.

This has been my theory. He never bothers with the Salk rock hanging in the stable or the one in the field, my two
Ponies love them, so I try it in his feed and can add a tiny bit but after half a teaspoon he won’t eat anyway.

 

[Melody Grey]

Mine all love the licks/ those Himalayan salt ones, especially the sweaty cob (no surprise there!). I think letting them sort regulate works for mine.

 

[Surbie]

Mine won't touch a salt lick. He wouldn't eat it in feed either to begin with, other than in incredibly tiny amounts. I gradually increased salt in his feed over 6 months and I am up to a teaspoon in each feed.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

Mine used to love his salt lick when we lived North Manchester.

We moved to Cheshire and he was no longer interested.

There's a lot of salt mining in Cheshire so I assume he was getting what he needed from the grass and didn't have a need for the salt lick anymore.

 

[ycbm]

Mine used to love his salt lick when we lived North Manchester.

We moved to Cheshire and he was no longer interested.

There's a lot of salt mining in Cheshire so I assume he was getting what he needed from the grass and didn't have a need for the salt lick anymore.

Very interesting! Mine's on the Cheshire salt plain. He drinks a lot!
.

 

[SEL]

Put a trug of salted water out alongside plain water - some horses prefer it to salty feed.

 

[Sossigpoker]

They need salt daily , not just in heat. If you introduce gradually so they get used to it , upping the amount in the heat won't be a problem
Mine gets about a table spoon a day , split in two feeds. More in this heat.

 

[expanding_horizon]

They need salt daily , not just in heat. If you introduce gradually so they get used to it , upping the amount in the heat won't be a problem
Mine gets about a table spoon a day , split in two feeds. More in this heat.

The sodium in Salt it is a basic daily dietary requirement. Horses dont self select salt and their tongues do not enable them to get enough from a lick. Lots of research to support this. Feeds and forage do not typically contain sodium. Nor do most balancers.

I find I can feed 2 x 25ml of salt all year round across two feeds. More and the taste becomes an issue. In hot weather / sweating I add high sodium / low sugar flavoured electrolytes and soaked recovery mash to top up sodium.

 

[Birker2020]

I was under the impression that it was recommended to give at least 22g salt daily, especially in this heat. But mine won't eat salt in feeds - only lick salt licks - which I was under the impression wasn't adequate to replace amounts lost through sweat. Can anyone suggest anything please. Thank you

Can you get a 'sweet' tasting salts I.e Applelytes Electrolyes. The Cherry flavour was particuarly appealing.

Tip: don't be tempted to lick your finger in it. It is still disgusting to humans although it smells lovely

 

[expanding_horizon]

Can you get a 'sweet' tasting salts I.e Applelytes Electrolyes. The Cherry flavour was particuarly appealing.

Tip: don't be tempted to lick your finger in it. It is still disgusting to humans although it smells lovely

that is one I use as a top up. I do have to feed a tasty wet feed all year round so my horse eats the salt, vitamin and mineral powders.

Applelytes Equine America is pretty good, as in mostly salt, and not too much sugar and seems palatable.

The other option is science supplements do an encapsulated salt that is tasteless, but works out quite expensive.

 

[expanding_horizon]

Tip: don't be tempted to lick your finger in it. It is still disgusting to humans although it smells lovely

Echo this

 

[skint.spotty]

would the added dextrose cause issues for ponies with PPID? Also not really looking to feed any more potassium because my grazing is crazy high already, or magnesium because they get a balancer with it in as well as MgO

 

[Birker2020]

would the added dextrose cause issues for ponies with PPID? Also not really looking to feed any more potassium because my grazing is crazy high already, or magnesium because they get a balancer with it in as well as MgO

Have no idea, sorry.

 

[skint.spotty]

I really just need a way of getting sodium into them

 

[expanding_horizon]

would the added dextrose cause issues for ponies with PPID? Also not really looking to feed any more potassium because my grazing is crazy high already, or magnesium because they get a balancer with it in as well as MgO

Ingredients Per 30g Serving

Magnesium 500mg	Dextrose 2200mg
Chloride 12200mg	Calcium150mg
Sodium 6800mg	Potassium 2000mg

So a 30gm scoop gives 19gms sodium chloride, 2.2gms dextrose (sugar), 0.15gms calcium, 2gms potassion, and 0.5gms magnesium. I am not a PPID expert but I would expect that 2.2gms sugar is not significant, especially if your PPID horse manages to eat grass. I would also think the magnesium and potassium levels are not a problem. All grass AFAIK is high potassium.

 

[SEL]

would the added dextrose cause issues for ponies with PPID? Also not really looking to feed any more potassium because my grazing is crazy high already, or magnesium because they get a balancer with it in as well as MgO

It doesn't cause my PSSM horse issues and she's super sensitive. She'll have some salt in her bucket feed but she doesn't get much food to hide it in so when it's like this I add NAF electrolytes too

 

[dorsetladette]

Put a trug of salted water out alongside plain water - some horses prefer it to salty feed.

This is what I do. although learnt the hard way that it needs to be in a tub tall enough the sheep cant reach.

We are close to the sea (less than a mile as the crow flies to the back of the harbour/sacrifice land) and find that they don't really use salt licks, but do drink a lot of salty water if available.

 

[expanding_horizon]

Or this works out at £25 for six weeks - https://sciencesupplements.co.uk/products/safesalt-horse-salt-supplement?variant=45150375575858

 

[Chianti]

I was under the impression that it was recommended to give at least 22g salt daily, especially in this heat. But mine won't eat salt in feeds - only lick salt licks - which I was under the impression wasn't adequate to replace amounts lost through sweat. Can anyone suggest anything please. Thank you

Have you tried you of the salt supplements where they encase the salt in fat?

 

[expanding_horizon]

Have you tried you of the salt supplements where they encase the salt in fat?

That’s what I’ve just posted link to.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Can you get a 'sweet' tasting salts I.e Applelytes Electrolyes. The Cherry flavour was particuarly appealing.

Tip: don't be tempted to lick your finger in it. It is still disgusting to humans although it smells lovely

Been there done that

 

[Birker2020]

Been there done that

It is pretty gross, however, I think the molasses respiratory lick is the most disgusting thing I've ever tried and would win hands down.

Whereas the Apple little lickit is a devine sugary treat from heaven and I used to allow myself a few too many fingernail scrapes before I would let the horse anywhere near it! I swear I bought it more for me than Bailey! Sorry OP, didn't mean to hijack your post.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Lickits are amazing, someone used to buy them for a laminitic horse I had, for his own sake I ate them for him (bars not a whole lick it!)
I can’t say I’ve ever been even slightly tempted by any sort of molasses lick thing though….yuck

 

[Sugar Plum]

I was wondering the same thing for the last few weeks. I googled, as I am sure everyone on this forum has done, and obtained the amount required for my horse's weight. I then approached my feed supplier and asked them how much salt (sodium) was in their balancer, This turned out to be around 1.5%. So based on the weight of feed I provide to my horse per day, I need to add around 2 teaspoons a day. This is better than the 2 tablespoons I would need to add to his feed without this calculation so worth checking

 

[Chianti]

Pure Electrolytes | The Pure Feed Company

Pure Electrolytes is a high spec horse supplement that replaces electrolytes your horse loses through natural bodily processes. The fat coating and micro-bead technology bring a host of benefits to your horse. Buy here.

www.purefeed.com

This works out much cheaper than the Science Supplements ' Safe Salt'. My pony is very fussy but is happy to eat this.

 

[expanding_horizon]

I was wondering the same thing for the last few weeks. I googled, as I am sure everyone on this forum has done, and obtained the amount required for my horse's weight. I then approached my feed supplier and asked them how much salt (sodium) was in their balancer, This turned out to be around 1.5%. So based on the weight of feed I provide to my horse per day, I need to add around 2 teaspoons a day. This is better than the 2 tablespoons I would need to add to his feed without this calculation so worth checking

Most balancers don’t include salt, but worth checking. Typically horse feeds don’t have salt.

 

[expanding_horizon]

Pure Electrolytes | The Pure Feed Company

Pure Electrolytes is a high spec horse supplement that replaces electrolytes your horse loses through natural bodily processes. The fat coating and micro-bead technology bring a host of benefits to your horse. Buy here.

www.purefeed.com

This works out much cheaper than the Science Supplements ' Safe Salt'. My pony is very fussy but is happy to eat this.

It doesn’t look cheaper? science supplements was providing 19gms sodium chloride a day and lasting 6 weeks for £25 and provides £1.6kg of sodium chloride a pack. Provides 22.4gms sodium fed at RDA.

Pure electrolytes are 1.15kg for £33 and says lasts a month. Provides 757gms sodium chloride a pack.

Says provides 13.5gms of sodium chloride / per 20ml scoop (20.5g)