Sweaty horse - Daily Electrolytes? Salt?

[alinni1336]

So my mare gets very sweaty after each ride. Soaks the saddle cloth. Should I be supplementing her with electrolytes daily? I would like to say she is fit but we just imported her and she has been basically chilling 3 months, light work with all the quarantine etc. So she might not be as fit as when we just bought her or should I just feed her salt daily and some electrolytes on the days I ride her? How much salt then?

 

[NZJenny]

Generally salt will be just fine - up to 50 grams a day, but mine only get 30 if they are working hard. You can certainly feed electrolytes on work days, and if you are in a hot climate, it's not a bad idea.

However, they are generally just expensive salt, with flavouring. I stopped using them a long time ago, even when endurance riding as I was reading a lot of the European trainers were just using salt even when competing in the UAE. My horses did just fine and nothing terrible happened.

 

[Birker2020]

It's my understanding that if giving Electrolytes before or after a competition as a rule they have to be fed three days before and at least two days after but I might be wrong. If that's the case you would have to feed electrolytes on a daily basis.

I give my horse salt or sometimes garlic salt but I only feed it to give him a change and for a different taste in his feed, not for any other reason. You have to be careful not to over supplement your horse with salt.

You can make your own here is a link http://www.stockyard.net/vbulletin/feeding-horses/88026-electrolyte-recipe.html

Here is one for humans too http://www.fitday.com/fitness-artic...how-to-make-a-homemade-electrolyte-drink.html

 

[milliepops]

You have to be careful not to over supplement your horse with salt.

my understanding was the complete opposite. Unlike with humans, horses do not get high blood pressure or similar from too much salt. Any excess (within reason!!) is excreted.

OP, I give a tablespoon every day and more if the horses have sweated a lot. None of mine use a salt lick and most people say that horses can't consume enough via a lick anyway.

 

[Birker2020]

my understanding was the complete opposite. Unlike with humans, horses do not get high blood pressure or similar from too much salt. Any excess (within reason!!) is excreted.

OP, I give a tablespoon every day and more if the horses have sweated a lot. None of mine use a salt lick and most people say that horses can't consume enough via a lick anyway.

the following from this link: Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/hors...a-recipe-for-health-37522#ACabe1wXtdR4sJ4D.99

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/horse-care/feeding/are-supplements-a-recipe-for-health-37522

Electrolytes: High-performance animals, such as racehorses, eventers or endurance horses, require electrolyte replacement afterstrenuous exercise.

Over-supplementation, such as with salt, can be harmful, but small amounts of potassium are helpful, particularly for endurance horses

 

[Birker2020]

my understanding was the complete opposite. Unlike with humans, horses do not get high blood pressure or similar from too much salt. Any excess (within reason!!) is excreted.

OP, I give a tablespoon every day and more if the horses have sweated a lot. None of mine use a salt lick and most people say that horses can't consume enough via a lick anyway.

No, like humans too much salt is detrimental to a horse. Unlike humans horses don't suffer high blood pressure from too much salt like humans do but they can suffer from other problems as a result.

http://www.lifedatalabs.co.uk/artic...3-can-excess-dietary-salt-affect-hoof-quality
this link on how it can affect hoof quality from the sodium in the urine if too much salt is in the diet

And this

Electrolytes: High-performance animals, such as racehorses, eventers or endurance horses, require electrolyte replacement afterstrenuous exercise.

Over-supplementation, such as with salt, can be harmful, but small amounts of potassium are helpful, particularly for endurance horses.

Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/hors...a-recipe-for-health-37522#e3VuJrhRj5CBKrQW.99
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/horse-care/feeding/are-supplements-a-recipe-for-health-37522

NOT SURE WHY THIS HAS REPEATED TWICE!

 

[milliepops]

That first article assumes that a horse is firstly over fed salt, and then secondly left in a pee - soaked stable to fester. Well, yes, the hooves of any horse left to stand in a pissy stable will suffer
the same article says a horse in work needs 50 to 200 (!!!) Grams per day. Quite a wide margin there

 

[twiggy2]

No, like humans too much salt is detrimental to a horse. Unlike humans horses don't suffer high blood pressure from too much salt like humans do but they can suffer from other problems as a result.

http://www.lifedatalabs.co.uk/artic...3-can-excess-dietary-salt-affect-hoof-quality
this link on how it can affect hoof quality from the sodium in the urine if too much salt is in the diet

And this

Electrolytes: High-performance animals, such as racehorses, eventers or endurance horses, require electrolyte replacement afterstrenuous exercise.

Over-supplementation, such as with salt, can be harmful, but small amounts of potassium are helpful, particularly for endurance horses.

Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/hors...a-recipe-for-health-37522#e3VuJrhRj5CBKrQW.99
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/horse-care/feeding/are-supplements-a-recipe-for-health-37522

NOT SURE WHY THIS HAS REPEATED TWICE!

the first article indicated more that poor stable management resulting in urine soaked bedding and raised ammonia in the environment are health issues-not sure how either of those can be blambed on salt and the second says over supplementation but gives no idea what levels would be classed as too much.