Sodium is one of the essential electrolytes in your horse’s body and it is vital for their hydration. If sodium levels are low, the body will strive to keep from flushing away the sodium and signal the horse to avoid drinking. This could be detrimental at any time of the year but is most dangerous in the summer as dehydration can happen much quicker then.
Providing enough sodium during the warmer months will encourage your horse to drink more and stay hydrated. When horses sweat they lose sodium and other essential electrolytes that need to be replenished. Sodium also works in conjunction with chloride to manage muscle and nerve functions, and reactions. Inadequate salt intake can also result in abnormal eating or licking habits, such as eating dirt, to get the nutrients his body is telling him he needs. *Side note- pregnant women can also experience these abnormal eating habits if their body lacks an essential electrolyte too!
Salt can be given to your horse in the form of plain white blocks, red trace mineral blocks, Himalayan licks on a rope, loose table salt, iodized salt, sea salt, Himalayan salt, and more! The options are endless and really should be based on your horse’s needs and preferences. The most common ways horse owners tend to supplement their horse’s salt intake is by adding a white salt brick/block, red trace mineral brick/block, or a Himalayan salt lick on a rope where the horse is kept.
What’s the difference between those three options though and how do you know which one to choose?
Let’s start with plain white salt blocks. White salt blocks solely contain sodium chloride. If you are unsure which type of salt your horse needs, this is the best option.
Next are red trace mineral salt blocks. They contain trace minerals (copper, zinc, manganese, cobalt, iron, and iodine) in addition to sodium chloride. Trace minerals are an important part of the horse’s diet, but some forages and almost all grain rations contain important trace minerals. So should you even bother supplementing them? It is actually pretty rare for your horse to be getting too many trace minerals by supplementing with a red trace mineral block because they contain minimal levels of the minerals, so they won’t cause any undesirable results.
Lastly, we have Himalayan rope salts. These are mined out of the earth in parts of Utah and the Middle East. Because it comes straight from the earth it is considered to be some of the purest salt available. Since these can be hung up on a fence, many horse owners find these to be the most weather resistant and choose them over salt bricks/blocks. Also, if you have a picky horse who has turned up its nose to the salts listed above, it’s possible you have a horse that enjoys the finer things in life, and you should give Himalayan salt ropes a try!
What type of salt do you feed to your horse? I’d love to hear! Drop a comment below or reach out to me on my personal Insta at @unbridledmama
