[haflingerfriends] Re: Salt

Of course opinions will vary on lose or block salt, Himalayan or plain ole white. Heck you could ask 25 different horse people what was the best feed or feed ration and you would get 30 different answers. The bottom line is that horses need salt. You just have to figure out what works best for you and your horses needs. You might discover that a block works best, that your horse likes Himalayan, loose is better or that you have to put it in his/her feed.

Cattle will lick a salt block and get all they need. Horses will generally not do that. That's why loose salt is a better option for them. As for mineral blocks, well they are mostly composed of salt. If you are feeding a balanced ration or supplementing to balance a ration with a loose supplement in the feed you probably won't need free choice loose minerals or a mineral block. I have a loose "salt/mineral bar" located under a overhang area off the barn. They stay nice and dry out of the weather. I clean it out and put out fresh loose salt and minerals every two weeks. Since one of my mares is in foal, I was advised by the equestrian nutritionist I consulted to pull up the loose minerals. This was to prevent a possible over supplementing problem since she was in foal. So loose works best for me, considering my barn set up and my horses.

Since this particular mare stays fat on air and is on LiteBlance feed I needed a consult on adequate nutrition since I couldn't feed her A: a higher fat content feed B: over 3 pounds of feed a day C: the mare is on pasture.

So even though you have had many horses over the years and many different feed requirements, you occasionally have to consult a specialist to verify if you are doing the best thing or to get the latest research on feeds and feeding.

I hope that helps.
Robbin

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