Who adds salt to their horses feed? And why please?

mightymammoth

mightymammoth

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Just wondering who adds salt to their horses feed? If you do why do you and is it just table salt?

I'm wondering If Its something I should be doing... Thanks
 
I used to chuck a couple of dessert spoonfuls in feed when we'd been working hard in hot weather and horse had sweated a lot. They just have free access to a salt lick these days though. Two of them go nuts for them and the other hardly touches his-he actually gets the most sweaty:rolleyes:

It was just ordinary table salt. Think you're supposed to give them something else too, if it's for electrolyte replacement-can't remember what tho:o
 
I think your supposed to feed 2/3 low salt and 1/3 'normal' salt if you do feed it due to sodium levels. I however dont feed salt, I used to but didnt feel it made any difference!
 
I do. It helps to balance their electrolytes. They have access to a Red Rockie and a Himalayan rock salt in the field but unlike cattle horses have smooth tongues and to gain the amount of salt they'd need fully, they'd have to stand and lick all day until they made their tongues bleed.
 
Simple table salt (the cheapest one from the supermarket is fine) provides both sodium and chloride.

Sodium

Sodium is the major electrolyte in the blood and extracellular fluids.

It is essential for absorption of many nutrients, as well as their entry to cells and also essential for the normal functioning of all nerve and muscle tissue.

It improves absorption of essential minerals like calcium and magnesium.

Sodium is also the major regulator of water balance in tissues.

The level of sodium within the blood is under strict control. Low potassium in horses is actually usually a result of low sodium as the horse’s system will sacrifice the potassium in favour of saving sodium.
Equine diets are naturally low in sodium at around 0.02% for a forage based diet. This equates to 0.02g of sodium per kg.

However, the recommended optimal intake is 1.6g – 1.8g per kg.

So a 500kg horse needs 10g of sodium per day.

Salt is 40% sodium, so this would be 25g of salt per day. This is in addition to free access to a pure salt lick.

This is only a maintenance amount! Moderate to heavy work would require twice as much sodium.

As little as 2% - 3% dehydration can lead to a 10% drop in performance.
Unlike humans, a bit too much sodium is better than too little. As long as the horse has access to water, any excess sodium can be easily excreted in the urine.

Chloride

Chloride is secreted in the stomach (hydrochloric acid). Chloride channel cells are involved in a host of reactions to maintain normal pH, fluid volume and the electrical conductivity of cells.
Given the incidences of stomach ulcers seen in horses nowadays – perhaps chloride should be given more consideration…..

25g of salt per day will provide 15g of chloride.

It is interesting to note that a horse can ‘run out’ of chloride after just two hours of exercise – resulting in a drop in performance.

When chloride levels drop, the horse’s body compensates by increasing the amount of bicarbonate ions, which have the same electrical charge. The alkalosis that is a result of the increased bicarbonate reduces the amount of calcium to the cells.
 
So is it 25g of salt whatever work they've done, as in daily. Or is just when they've sweated and worked hard?
 
I give seaweed, which I'm told is same as salt. I have to give it mine as we have a salt deficiency in our land, our old horse got Derbyshire kneck from it. A swelling just behind his jawbone at if he was ridden would of stopped him being able to flex and come onto the bit.
 
No just provide a salt/mineral lick old fashioned type. I do know people that put it in the water but I would hate to mess up my horse by over salting. Salt works opposite potassium I think "lo" salt contains potassium. Not sure about equines but too much potassium in humans can cause cardiac arrest so would prefer to keep it natural and just give good diet.

Can understand competition horses to help recovery if carefully monitored but wouldnt be happy to start administering myself etc.
 
Hello,
This may be stupid question, my youngster gets quite sweaty and then the next day is very nappy....i think he is shattered so i tend to ride day on day off. do you think salt in his feed would help??
I've never had to give it before.
 
We give ours a Himalayan salt-lick each. That way they can self-regulate their intake. It's interesting to see their different reactions to it and to see how those change according to which field they are grazing. I wouldn't want to give them all the same amount in their feed, as I imagine that they would all eat it regardless. I've learned over the years to keep supplements to a minimum.
 
Never give salt as standard - yuck why would you want your food saturated in salt? :o If you taste a feed with a tablespoon of salt it really salty and tastes revolting.

At most I would put some Applelytes in a feed after strenuous exercise like XC or if I had a especially sweaty horse but even then not full dose as my horse wouldn't touch it. Otherwise access to a lick in his stable.

My friends horse stopped eating his feed - no wonder it was so salty if tasted awful. I said leave the salt out and he started eating it again.
 
sussexbythesea said:
Never give salt as standard - yuck why would you want your food saturated in salt? :o If you taste a feed with a tablespoon of salt it really salty and tastes revolting.

At most I would put some Applelytes in a feed after strenuous exercise like XC or if I had a especially sweaty horse but even then not full dose as my horse wouldn't touch it. Otherwise access to a lick in his stable.

My friends horse stopped eating his feed - no wonder it was so salty if tasted awful. I said leave the salt out and he started eating it again.
Click to expand...

Not many horse feeds taste that palatable to me though :confused:
 
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