Despite being one of the most important nutrients in a horse’s diet, sodium is possibly one of the most common deficiencies seen in horses as grass and forage tend to contain naturally low levels of this. Being deficient in sodium can have a number of negative impacts on a horse’s health so it is important that their diets are supplemented sufficiently with this.
Common salt is composed of approximately 40% sodium and 60% chloride and is possibly the main dietary source of sodium. An average horse requires around 25 grams of salt per day, but this requirement can greatly increase for horses that work hard and during the Summer months.
Importance of Salt in a Horse's Diet
Salt plays a number of important roles in the horse’s body, these include:
Nerve and muscle function: Sodium facilitates the transmission of electrical impulses in the body, which are required for normal nerve impulses and muscle contractions.
Reduces Dehydration
Salt can stimulate thirst and encourage a horse to drink, which is important for reducing the risk of dehydration. Many owners find that providing salt in the diet is a great way to encourage their horses to drink during the Winter months when they are typically less inclined to due to the cold weather. Dehydrated horses are put at a much greater risk of impaction colic, as water is required for the smooth passage of food throughout the digestive tract.
Maintaining Electrolyte Balance
Sodium and chloride are both essential electrolytes. Salt supplementation is particularly beneficial during the Summer months and for horses in harder workloads as these electrolytes are lost through sweat.
Cellular Function
Sodium and chloride play important roles in acid-base balance, ensuring cells remain at the optimum pH for bodily functions.
Signs of sodium deficiency:
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Reduced water intake & dehydration
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Muscle spasms
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Lethargy
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Decreased athletic performance
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Decreased appetite & weight loss
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Loss of ability to sweat
Horses with a severe salt deficiency may engage in pica behaviours where they will lick and consume dirt and other inedible objects to try and obtain nutrients.
Supplementing Salt for Horses
Salt is very easy to provide in the diet. Where possible horses should be given free choice access to salt in the form of a lick. Alternatively, the simple addition of table salt in feeds should also be sufficient. For an average horse, we recommend providing 2-4 tablespoons of salt in the diet per day depending on their workload. Additional salt should be given if horses have been sweating.
Horses tend to favour salty flavours so adding small amounts of salt to the diet should not affect palatability. For particularly fussy horses, loose salt can be introduced gradually or split between multiple feeds.
When giving salt to horses clean, fresh drinking water must be always available. Some owners will add salt to water buckets to encourage greater water uptake, if doing this always ensure a separate bucket of fresh water is also available. It is very unlikely that horses will overdose on salt. Salt toxicity is uncommon as excess salt is easily excreted by the body so long as fresh drinking water is readily available.