Why Mineral Supplements Matter

SALT FOR HORSES

Deficiency Symptoms
Horses deficient in salt will lick or chew on mangers, fences, dirt, rocks and other objects. They also develop depraved appetites, rough hair coat and reduced growth. Mares experience reduced milk production, according to reports from the Mississippi Station. Horses with severe salt deficiency, brought about by a low salt intake and considerable sweating, become fatigued and exhausted. Horses that sweat profusely can lose as much as 82.5 grams of sodium per day. Consequently, level of activity and degree of heat stress has a greater affect on salt requirement than any other farm animal species.

Effect of High Salt Level
The 1989 National Research Council horse publication states that “horses are tolerant of high levels of salt in their diets if they have access to fresh drinking water. However, salt poisoning can occur if salt-starved animals are suddenly exposed to an unlimited supply of salt, or if liberal amounts of water are not available. In such cases, the horses may develop digestive disturbances. Severely poisoned animals die of salt cramps. Horsemen can easily prevent this occurrence by not giving salt-starved horses smaller amounts of free access salt until they start leaving some behind in the mineral box and by making sure plenty of water is always available to drink.

This is why mineral BLOCKS are helpful as they help regulate salt/mineral intake because the horse has to lick the block to acquire the mineral, regulating intake, rather than potentially over-consuming in loose form which could be dangerous.

Salt Requirement Information
The need for salt varies considerably, depending on a horse’s level of work, riding or heat stress. Because sweat contains about 0.7% salt, the more a horse exercises the more salt is lost via sweat and the more it is needed in the diet.

Michigan researchers measured salt consumption of 12 horses during the harvest season in the hot months of the year from May to August. Salt consumption averaged 0.64 ounces per horse in May and rose each month to a high of 3.18 ounces per horse in August. Such variations in monthly salt intake and among individual horses shows why it is risky to feed a specific amount per horse or a fixed percentage in the feed. The study also explains why salt is often self-fed to horses, even though it is also added to the diet.  A pressed “BLOCK” regulates consumption and allows you to feed “free choice” as the animal will consume what it knows it needs (rather than automatically adding arbitrary amounts to loose feed)

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Salt Feeding Recommendations
0.5% to 1.0% salt should be added to horse concentrate feeds. If the concentrate feed is used as a small part of the diet, it should contain 1% salt. If it is used as a major part of the diet, such as a complete feed,then 0.5% salt should be added. If extra salt is lost due to sweating or if the horses are being managed in a grazing situation, free-choice feeding of salt is recommended to ensure adequate intake.