Garlic for horses advices 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.
Sodium, chloride, and potassium are the three most important electrolytes for horses. Salt, or sodium chloride (NaCl), is created when the top two electrolytes are combined. Thus, salt is an electrolyte, and one of the most important for horses. Why Do Horses Need Salt and Other Electrolytes? What roles do salt and electrolytes play in the equine body? Are they needed daily? What functions do they serve? Let’s look at both. Horses don’t always know when they’re thirsty. Salt is necessary to trigger the thirst response that tells horses to drink. Without salt, most horses won’t consume enough water on their own, and risk becoming dehydrated. Water is paramount to health, and salt increases horses’ water consumption. Discover even more details on salt lick for horses.
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.
Another boarder’s mare, KC, was experiencing a bout of colic. She’d undergone the usual treatment and was receiving IV fluids because she wouldn’t drink. This had been going on for several hours and caused a lot of stress, especially to the owner, who felt helpless. I tried to be supportive and offered my friend one of my Redmond salt rocks. I told her how my horse loved them, and maybe it would encourage her mare to drink. She accepted my offer, figuring it couldn’t hurt, as she’d already unsuccessfully tried several things to help her horse, including molasses in her water and a wet mash. I brought a Redmond Rock on a Rope and hung it in KC’s stall. Immediately she started licking it. The horse owner was impressed because she said her horse normally doesn’t like salt licks. She was so thrilled she was in tears!
Try giving salt. Rub loose salt over your horse’s tongue. Some suggest this encourages horses to drink soon after. Of course, you should also always offer your horse a salt lick or loose mineral salt to replace electrolytes and trigger drinking. Add flavor to water. Horses prefer tastes that are sweet or salty. Consider adding a natural equine electrolyte drink mix like Redmond Rein Water or a sweetener like apple juice to your horse’s home water several days prior to a trip. Once you’ve arrived at your new destination, use the same electrolyte or flavor to mask the taste of unfamiliar water and give your horse a taste of home. See extra info at minerals for horses.