SALT & ELECTROLYTES
SALT – FREE ACCESS
Horses should always have access to a clean salt block near clean water. In some cases it may be enough with salt block, but most often you also need to add salt with the feed. Salt for horses should be based on a pure salt e.g. vacuum salt, which is the purest form of salt (minimum 99.9%). Studies show that in hot weather or when the horse regularly performs sweat-driving work, it compensates its salt losses poorly if it only has a traditional salt block as a source of salt. The salt block is thereby usually an insufficient source of salt.
All horses need a supply of salt even if the need for salt varies significantly from horse to horse and is also season-dependent. The variation seen in different horses depends among other things on how much the individual horse sweats. Giving the horse free access to salt does not put it at risk of excessive salt intake as the horse’s kidneys will excrete any salt that is not utilised. A horse usually needs around 10-30 g of salt a day.
With heavy sweating, the horse loses large amounts of salt and it is very important that this loss is replaced quickly, especially before a performance, as salt has an important role in regulating thirst. A horse that has a low salt concentration in the blood may have severe dehydration without feeling thirsty. Salt concentration in the blood controls the horse's thirst reflex, a horse that has lost both water and salt during a performance can enter a real vicious circle if the salt loss is not compensated. In extreme cases, the horse can be really dehydrated, but still not show any desire to drink. Therefore, it may be a good idea for the horse at a competition to have access to salt to restore the salt balance. The horse compensates the fastest by drinking a physiological saline solution - ie. a solution with the same salinity as the horse's blood. It is easy to mix, in a liter of water dissolve 9 grams of salt. In order to be sure that the horse drinks salted water, it is required that it has been trained to do this for a long time. If you water the horse via automatic water cup, this can of course offer difficulties. The horse should therefore be watered in buckets and the addition of saline should be gradually increased up to the recommended dose. There are also ready-mixed electrolyte solutions where fructose facilitates the uptake of the salt. However, make sure to also offer a bucket of water without salt so the horse still have access to clean water.
Foal & salt
Foals may get diarrhoea from licking salt off a salt block/lick and young foals get the salt they need from the lactating mare. While the foal is still suckling, it is recommended that the stone block/lick is put in a slightly elevated position within reach of the mare but without reach of the foal. Once the young foal is ready for its own feed rations and is no longer suckling, it may be given free access to a salt block/lick.
How much salt does my horse need?
The need varies considerably from horse to horse, in general you can use the following guidelines:
Adult horse in maintenance - 5.1 g / 100 kg horse
Adult horse in light work - 7 g / 100 kg horse
Adult horse in medium to hard work - 9 g / 100 kg horse
Adult horse in hard work - 9-13 g / 100 kg horse
1 tbsp = spprox 17 g of salt.
Can I buy regular salt in the grocery store?
It is recommended to give pure salt without iodine to horses, either via salt blocks or loosely dosed in the food. Himalayan salt is something that has become popular for horses. It is not processed but in addition to salt it contains some good minerals and some less good ones. Less good include arsenic, uranium & thallium. Therefore, Himalaya salt is not recommended in the first hand. However, buying salt in the grocery store is fine as long as it is free of iodine and is not a mixture of several spices.
I give my grassing horse Himalayan salt on pasture, does it cover the horse's mineral needs?
It contains a small amount of minerals, but generally it is in too small amounts for it to cover the horse's total needs. Horses are bad at sensing their need for minerals, the tastefulness and the horse's salt needs will therefore be absolutely decisive for the amount of minerals the horse ingests. Himalayan salt also contains (in addition to some good minerals) some less good minerals, but since the mineral content is generally relatively low in these salt stones, it has so far not been seen that it does any harm to the horses. However, an analysis of the minerals should be included when you buy Himalayan salt so you can see which minerals it is and in which amounts. Read more about minerals for horses HERE.
ELECTROLYTES
It is not only water that is lost through sweating, but also the group of substances that are usually called electrolytes. Electrolytes are a summary term for substances that affect the regulation of the body's fluid balance. This includes e.g. sodium and potassium.
It is not only fluid and salt that a horse loses when sweating but also electrolytes. Electrolytes are a summary term for substances that affect the regulation of the body's fluid balance. In addition to salt (also called sodium), potassium also belongs to this group.
The horse has an impressive ability to store the electrolytes it needs and thereby adapts the uptake to the individual's current needs. There are no visible signs that the supply of electrolytes in an "artificial" way would be harmful, but one intervenes in a function that the horse's body itself handles in an efficient manner.
The intestinal flora of the competition horse is particularly sensitive to disturbances and therefore an extra supply of electrolytes may be justified. The electrolytes help the horse to recover more quickly after repeated efforts. However, it is not possible to "charge" a horse with electrolytes for future performances. They are not stored in the body but are excreted immediately via the kidneys with the urine. This eliminates a fairly common motive for supplying horses with electrolytes before competition.
Electrolytes can also be entitled to the horse with wet and loose stools or in situations where the horse has sweated more than usual.