Loose salt for horses guides and excellent online stores? According to the Merck Vet Manual, horses most often become deficient in these 12 essential minerals and vitamins. Copper: Deficiency may cause a dull coat, poor hoof, weak ligaments and tendons. Selenium: Deficiency may cause white muscle disease and rhabdomyolysis (tying up). Vitamin A: Deficiency may cause night blindness, watery eyes, bone and muscle growth defects, a dull coat, reproductive problems, and increased susceptibility to disease and infection. Vitamin E: Deficiency may cause muscle weakness, typing up, impaired immune function, reproductive failure, and neuromuscular disorders. Vitamin D: Deficiency may cause reduced bone calcification, stiff and swollen joints, stiff gait, and irritability. Thiamine: Deficiency may cause confusion, weakness, weight loss, incoordination, and gait abnormalities.
What are Equine Electrolytes? According to this article in Scientific American, electrolytes are chemicals that, when dissolved in water, produce ions with an electrical charge. “These ions have either a positive or negative electrical charge, which is why we refer to these compounds as electro-lytes. In the world of nutrition, we use the word “electrolyte” more specifically to refer to minerals dissolved in the body’s fluids, creating electrically charged ions.” See extra details on https://blog.redmondequine.com/garlic-for-horses-which-form-is-best.
Generally, a bare hoof is safer in winter than a shod one. Going barefoot gives your horse more traction in snow and ice. If your horse is shoeless, keep hooves trimmed to reduce the amount of snowpack into soles and decrease the chance of slipping. If you decide to keep your horse shod, that’s all right. Just make sure shoes are fitted property, and consider adding studs to the bottom. This increases grip and helps keep your horse surefooted and safe.
All horses need salt and minerals in their diet. They’re necessary to regulate fluids, combat dehydration, and maintain nerve health and muscle contraction. Salt is also essential to triggering your horse to drink. For these reasons and more, horses should always have access to a quality mineral salt lick. Which Mineral Salt Lick is Best for my Horse? There are a lot of horse licks out there. So which is best? Should you choose a mineralized pressed block or a natural mineral rock? And since we’re talking mineral rocks, is Himalayan rock or Redmond Rock better? Is there really a difference? Let’s talk about horse blocks and salt rocks, and why we believe Redmond Rock is the absolute best source of salt, minerals, and electrolytes available for horses.
Temperature: Some like it hot, and some not. Horses like their water tepid–not too hot or cold. This article in The Horse noted research indicates horses prefer lukewarm (68°F) water, especially during cold weather. Acidity. Water acidity affects palatability. According to Kentucky Equine Research, a University of Guelph study found horses are more likely to drink water with a pH of 7.5 (slightly alkaline) than water with acidic levels. Dirty. Unclean or stagnant water can be a floating Petri dish of bacteria and algae. Horses sense when a potential intestinal problem is lurking in murky water and will avoid it. Read more info on horse diarrhea.
