Have you ever heard the saying “you can lead a horse to water?” Water is the main component of the body. In fact, an average 1000 pound horse is roughly 660 pounds (80 gallons) of water. To function normally, the body must keep the amount of water in these areas in balance and relatively constant. This delicate balance relies heavily on electrolytes like sodium, chloride, and potassium.
Any disruption of this order can result in severe body dysfunction, including heart and gastrointestinal problems, muscle cramps and impaired brain and nerve function.
When horses work hard, especially in Texas heat, the stakes get higher. Under these conditions, horses can lose as much as four gallons of sweat per hour. This sweat carries vital electrolytes away from the body. Unlike humans, horse sweat is hypertonic. The concentration of electrolytes in the sweat is higher than the concentration in the blood. This means a dehydrated horse often won’t feel thirsty, making the situation worse.
To keep your horse healthy and hydrated, follow these guidelines:
- Boost Salt Intake: Horses being ridden regularly and sweating moderately on a daily basis cannot eat enough salt from a salt block to meet their needs. Add 2–4 tablespoons of loose salt to their feed daily.
- Use Lite Salt for Heavy Sweat: For horses that are sweating profusely, a mixture of ⅔ sodium chloride and ⅓ potassium chloride (Lite salt), would provide adequate sodium, chloride and potassium.
- Timing Matters: The current recommendation for electrolyte supplementation is to provide additional electrolytes the day before, the day of and the day after a horse is going to work very hard.
Visit your local Steinhauser’s for all your equine needs!
By Karen E. Davison, Ph.D., Manager – Technical Services, Purina Mills, LLC
Tags: equine health, horse, horse health, horses and water