06/05/2024
12 Important Salt Facts For Horses
Sodium, one of the compounds in table salt (sodium chloride), is an essential mineral:
🧂 Sodium is an electrolyte mineral that helps to maintain healthy body fluid balance and pH level.
🧂 It is essential for muscles and nerves to function.
🧂 Approximately 30% of the sodium in the body is stored in the bones. The rest is found in bodily fluids like plasma, blood, and sweat, and in tissues, such as the skin and muscles.
🧂 Sodium is short in many working horse diets due to being lost in large amounts in sweat and urine.
🧂 Licking behavior can be a sign that your horse is short of salt.
🧂 Providing salt not only encourages your horse to drink more water but also supports the cells’ ability to stay hydrated and maintain proper electrolyte balance, which is critical for muscle function, nerve transmission, and overall health.
🧂 Sodium also aids in the absorption of nutrients in the gut, particularly glucose and amino acids, by helping to transport these substances across cell membranes.
🧂 Along with sodium, other electrolytes such as potassium, chloride, calcium, and magnesium are crucial for maintaining overall electrolyte balance.
🧂 Common sources of sodium for horses include salt blocks or loose salt, as well as commercial feeds and supplements formulated to provide balanced electrolytes.
🧂 Other signs of deficiency include poor performance, lethargy, decreased sweating, nerve and muscle dysfunction, and reduced appetite.
🧂 Excessive sodium intake can also cause issues such as increased thirst, urination, and potentially an imbalance with other electrolytes.
🧂 The average horse weighing 1,100 lbs should consume between 0.75-1 oz per day. A working athlete or a horse living in hot, humid conditions may need to consume even more to compensate for the additional loss of electrolytes through sweat.
Learn more about electrolytes and how they can help, or harm, your horse here including 5 ways in which electrolytes aid in muscle function and exercise recovery - https://koperequine.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-electrolytes/
