We normally recommend iodized salt for horses as they can suffer from iodine deficiencies in the overall diet. The only exception might be if some high iodine supplements, such as kelp, are being used in the diet at fairly high levels.
Lite salt contains a mixture of potassium chloride and sodium chloride, so it has less sodium than regular salt and supplies more potassium. This is frequently used when horse owners are making their own electrolyte products and want the added potassium.
The ratio has been used for many years in making homemade electrolytes for use prior to, during and immediately following exercise. Key is to have adequate salt available free choice, particularly during hot, humid weather. So what about the larger coarser sea salt mixed in grain vs. Will that make any difference? Hello Alex, Thanks for the question. Nutritionally, there is no difference between the two options. From a consumption perspective, the larger coarser sea salt may sift to the bottom of the feed pan more easily, in which case the horse will simply lick it up if it wants to.
As soon as the first cold night hit, my horse was found having a mild colic episode in the morning. He gets SmartLytes every morning, and he has gotten them for two years.
This afternoon, I noticed him licking it for almost an hour, with only a five minute break in the middle. And despite my efforts to keep him hydrated, he had two more mild colic episodes.
He used to colic four or five times per year, but that stopped when I put him on SmartGut. He went two years without an episode. Do you have any ideas? Hi Erica, Thank you for your interesting question. Colic associated with weather changes resulting in changes in water consumption certainly is a concern. It sounds like you are taking active steps to reduce the risk to your horse.
We have had some success with some horses in improve drinking and electrolyte intake by providing loose salt instead of a salt block. The normal salt requirement for a horse in a thermal neutral temperature zone with no work is about 2 ounces per day This can increase to ounces Smartlytes is well designed and contains nutrients in addition to the salt. Depending on your feeding rate, your horse may still benefit from additional straight loose salt.
I recommend loose salt a horses do not lick salt blocks as efficiently as cattle. If you are feeding 60 grams of Smartlyte, a commonly recommended dose, you would still not be providing the grams of salt that your horse may need, depending on the salt content of the total diet. You can provide the loose salt in a separate container that is protected from rain and wind.
If your horse is slightly salt starved, you may notice higher consumption initially. This normally levels off in a few days. It is very important that your horse have unlimited access to cool, clean water when you introduce the loose salt. Water consumption drops if the water is too cold near freezing or too warm, so keeping the water fresh and keeping it in a shaded area is important.
You may also notice higher urine output in the transition as your horse consumes more salt and consumes more water. Loose livestock salt is available at most feed dealers. If it is not, you could also buy plain white iodized salt used for human consumption. Dental issues can impact both chewing and water intake. My 9 yr old Morgan gelding loves to lick.
If there is no salt in the stall,he will then begin chewing on the wood. My riding partner feels he is digesting too much salt.
I feel it keeps him from becoming bored, plus he does tend to sweat more then most horses when being ridden. Should I be concern with his salt consumption? Has two bucket of water with thermal blanket on them. Also watched him eat snow today. Hello Judi, Horses in thermal neutral conditions require ounces of salt per day and easily ounces per day with exercise or in warm, humid conditions.
As long as your Morgan gelding has free access to water, level of salt consumption should not be an issue. That said, I would recommend taking a look at the total diet to make certain it is balance for macro minerals calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium and trace minerals copper, zinc, manganese and selenium as other deficiencies can alter eating behavior.
Also make certain that he has adequate long stem fiber. You may also consider offering another toy in the stall for your horse to play with to see if that changes the salt consumption. Always good to have more than one toy! This is not a block, and no longer in pellet form. Is this safe to give to the horses? Hello Mike, Thank you for the question regarding use of reduced or mush salt from cleaning out a water softener. There is probably nothing in this that would be detrimental to animals, but because there is a chance that something may have been introduced from your home system, I would be reluctant to offer this salt to horses.
Hello Leonnie, Thank you for the question. If that is the case, then lite salt is a combination of potassium chloride and sodium chloride used to reduce sodium in some diets people, not horses. For horses, it has been a common practice to mix up a combination of lite salt and regular salt to use as an electrolyte, so you would be fine in proceeding down that route.
My pony refuses organic unrefined sea salt when it is offered to him. Conscious that I have never overtly included salt, I ignored his reaction and added it to a feed — which he then refused to eat!
Is it therefore reasonable to assume that he has sufficient salt in his diet? Hello Heather, Thank you for contacting us. We would suggest that you try offering a different source of salt to cross check need for salt. Organic unrefined sea salt may have an aroma or taste that your pony finds unacceptable. If your pony consumes a different source, that would suggest a palatability issue with the initial source.
Horses are much more sensitive to very faint aromas than humans. My 26 year old black Tennessee Walker consumes a smaller Salt block within about three days. Is this indicating any health issues? Hello Sarah, Thank you for your interesting question about your 26 year old Tennessee Walking horse that consumes a small block of salt in about 3 days while being out on pasture.
A maintenance horse may require ounces of salt per day. This increases to ounces per day during exercise or during hot, humid weather that causes the horses to sweat. If a horse has been without salt for some time, it is not usual for them to over consume for a few days until they adjust to the salt being available.
As long as water is available, the excess salt consumption just results in more water intake and higher urine output. That said, excess salt consumption could also indicate the horse is may be missing another nutrients in the diet. Depending on the pasture, the horse could be deficient in either of these nutrients. In some cases, depending on the pasture type and amount available, a senior horse cannot physically eat enough to meet some of the requirements.
You might consider trying the following: 1. Offer a loose mineral free choice. Feed a couple of pounds a day of a balancer type product to go along with pasture. Straight pasture may not be a balanced diet for your senior horse and may not be providing adequate protein. Depending on body condition and hair coat, you may want to start using a Senior Horse Feed.
If you tell us more about your pasture and how your horse looks for body condition, might be able to provide some additional suggestions. I have a question My well water has a very high level of salt and iron it. Is it safe to give to our filly? Hello Marg, Horses have a fairly high tolerance for iron in their total diet, including what might be contained in water.
Iron oxide is fairly unavailable think rust. Sulfate forms are more available. Salt in the water will reduce voluntary salt intake from salt block or loose salt provided. You may want to check with your local extension service for additional guidance. If the water is safe for human consumption, will be OK for your filly. Hi Roy Had the well tested for salt and it showed , which is to high for humans to drink.
We can drink it only if we install a reverse omois under the kitchen sink. Human can stand up to of salt in there drinking water. But mind well has salt in water which is double the amount for a human to drink. This is why i was wondering if it was safe for the filly to drink. I did not know how much salt a filly can handle, expressly in drinking water. Hi i wonder if my horse had 2 oz of un refined sea salt, good quality forage and un molassed beet.
Would i need to add further supplements to keep him minerally balanced Thank you. Hello Jo, Thanks for the question. Beet pulp is not a well-balanced feed.
It has low mineral content, is a very poor amino acid source, and only contains about 9. Beet pulp fits into a feeding program very well as an energy ingredient, but it needs to be balanced for the other nutrients. We offer one, called Empower Balance , and there are a variety of them on the market from other feed companies, so you should be able to find one at the feed store near you.
An old horseman gave us this recipe that we used to feed free choice. Any thoughts on this? Thank you for the interesting question. The good news or bad news depending on perspective , is that I am old enough to remember when this was a recommendation! The red salt would be an iodized trace mineral salt.
If offered free choice, the horses would consume enough to meet salt requirement and in the process would get an intake of calcium, phosphorus, iodine and a limited amount of copper, zinc, manganese etc. It is not as precise as the modern mineral mixtures that are currently available with specified levels of each nutrient and which can be selected basis the type of forage.
The mixture might also be a bit lower in trace minerals than we might currently recommend, but it was a step in the right direction and better than many of the alternatives. If you used calcium carbonate instead of bone meal, you would get an end product that would be higher in calcium and lower in phosphorus. The salt level would both drive consumption and control intake.
Horses might over eat a bit if salt starved, but would level off and no harm would be done if the horse had adequate water. If the salt requirement of the horse was ounces per day, the horse would probably consume ounces of the mixture, depending on heat, humidity, level of work and other salt sources. I was just wondering about feeding Saltpeter to a yearling stud colt. I really do not want to geld him until the fall and I thought maybe salt peter would keep him from thinking of the mares. Thank you for contacting us.
I do need to find it in bigger bulks though cause these at Walmart do not last long with 6 horses, do I give them 1 tablespoon twice a day in there grain? Hi Sheila, Thanks for the question! Yes, that product is perfectly fine to use with horses. Try checking your local feed store, though, for perhaps a less expensive bulk loose salt alternative! Hi, My gelding does not touch a mineral block or the Himalayan salt. I have read articles on adding salt to feed by a spray bottle.
Can you please suggest how to do this, or should I switch to sprinkling loose salt on his feed? If I use loose salt, how should I measure it, tablespoon, or what? Thank you. Your horse sweats more during the summer, making electrolyte supplementation worth considering. But electrolytes alone will not protect against dehydration. Your horse needs to have enough sodium salt , especially if he is in work of any kind. One way to accomplish this: provide a plain, white salt block, Redmond salt rock, or Himalayan salt rock in close proximity.
But make sure your horse licks it; many horses do not. Even better is to offer coarsely granulated salt free choice by pouring some in a small bucket. You can also add salt to each meal. Be aware that electrolyte supplements should be given only to a horse that is already in good sodium balance.
Electrolytes are designed to replace what is lost from perspiration and should contain at least 13 grams of chloride, 6 grams of sodium, and 5 grams of potassium per dose. Do you plan to blanket your horse this winter? Yes, my horse will wear a blanket this winter.
Yes, my horse will wear a blanket, but only during inclement weather. No, I do not plan to blanket my horse. Featured Horse Listing. Color: Dun. Breed: Mustang. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. If you continue to use the site, we'll assume you're okay with this. Accept Read More. Close Privacy Overview This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website.
Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The smaller sizes on a rope are also great boredom busters in the stall! This is a no-frills standard white salt block by American Stockman. This is one of the more weather-resistant variations of the plain salt blocks.
Because it does not contain added trace minerals for a specific animal, it is appropriate for use in all species. This includes cattle, horses, sheep, and pigs! The only ingredients are salt, mineral oil, stearate, and calcium. We love this 5. This compressed block means there is an equal distribution of salt and minerals throughout the entire block. Edges are rounded for comfort when licking, and the block is suitable for all animals. This fits in most commercial salt pans, and the size makes it suitable for pasture use.
This is optimal as Himalayan salt blocks withstand weather better than plain white blocks. These Sturdy Steed blocks are great for turnout or stall use. This one comes with a vinyl-coated wire holder with rounded corners for safety.
The mineral blocks are 4-pounds and available in a variety of appealing flavors. This specific free-choice supplementation block is candy apple flavored to encourage horses to lick. Although available in a standard mineral option, many owners will opt for the added selenium. We love this mineral salt block for several reasons. It is specifically formulated for horses which is preferred unless it is a shared pasture. The block offers both trace minerals and vitamins, with increased bioavailability.
It is weather resistant making it suitable for pasture use and has added antioxidants including vitamin E. If owners choose to dress their own feeds to administer salt, this product is an all-natural mineral sea salt.
0コメント