From My Saddle
Salt - Granulated or Block Form?
by Amy Blackwood
August 31, 2005

After reading the article “Summer Management for Horses” in the June 2005 Horse Source, I felt I had to respond.

Why is it that most instructors of horse care advocate block salt for horses? I’m not just talking about one certain kind of salt – I’m talking about all salt blocks, may they be plain salt, mineral or iodized salt or any block salt. If at all possible, salt should never be fed to horses in block form. The reason why, is a horse’s tongue is not rough like a cow’s tongue. A cow can lick the block of salt and get the daily amount of salt needed.

The horses tongue being smooth cannot get the amount of salt his body needs by licking, so what does he do? The horse bites the corners off the salt block, and that usually gives him a large chunk of salt, which is more salt than his system needs. The horse will chew it and consume it and you end up with a listless horse or a horse with dysentery. Also, block salt sure doesn’t help his front teeth any.

Salt should be fed free choice, in loose granulated form, by itself in a clean container whether in a box stall or in the pasture. If in the pasture, the salt container should be protected from the weather. Also, remember in hot weather your horse will consume more salt and your horse likes clean salt. Put your container where the salt will stay clean.

I’m sure I helped some poor old horses today.

Ed King
Ferndale, WA
360-380-5216

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Dear Ed,

Thank you for your comments – we very much appreciate hearing from our readers! We contacted a few local specialists to see if we could add some additional perspective on this important topic. Please keep reading to find out their responses…

Best,

Amy Blackwood
NWHS Editor

Comments from David Sauter, DVM and Gale DeYoung, DVM - Kulshan Veterinary Hospital:

Cows do a lot more licking in general than horses, perhaps because they lack upper incisor teeth, which horses have. Their tongues are, however, fairly sensitive. Studies have shown they prefer eating off of smooth surfaces.

Lon Lewis, a veterinary nutritionist, in his book "Equine Clinical Nutrition Feeding and Care", states, "Horses' salt needs can be met by providing either block or loose salt, although consumption of the loose form is generally greater."

It is important to listen to the observations of owners, to be open-minded and question our horse husbandry practices so we can continue to improve. However, science, nutritionists, and other horse owners suggest that feeding block salt is a safe practice.


Comments from Melissa Hines, DVM, equine internal medicine specialist at Washington State University:

In general, it would be rare for horses to take in too much salt - whether it be loose or block. In fact, most horses do not get enough trace minerals from a salt block (this has been shown especially with selenium, where many horses with selenium/trace mineral salt blocks have low or marginal concentrations of selenium if there is no other source. Some people feel that horses will eat more of the loose salt than block salt, but still many horses are deficient.) It would be difficult to document a sodium excess without looking at fractional excretions of sodium in the urine.

I am not aware of an association between listlessness and dysentery and block salt - this is the most common way salt is provided to horses. While some horses do bite off chunks, others do effectively lick the blocks. Even when people intentionally try to give large amounts of salt (some endurance horses, horses with kidney disease) it is not typically associated with any adverse clinical signs. That said, loose salt is fine and is recommended by many nutritionists. But again, in selenium deficient areas, another source needs to be provided – owners need to understand the differences between plain salt, trace mineral salt, and selenium/trace mineral salt.


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