Welcome to my second blog post! I hope you’ve been having a fabulous Spring so far. My horse and I have been making the most of the lighter evenings to go for little walks. To our surprise, we even managed to sunbathe last weekend! ☀️ After a request by a lovely follower of my Facebook page, this blog post will give a broad overview of electrolytes. I hope you’ll enjoy reading it! Please feel free to leave a comment or to send me a message or email if you have any questions!

What are electrolytes?

Electrolytes can be quite hard to define! A rough translation of ‘electrolytes’ is ‘the release of electrical energy’, presumably because electrolytes contain charged particles called ‘ions’. When electrolytes come into direct contact with water or some other biological liquids, like blood, they dissolve. This, in turn, causes them to break down into ions. These ions are incredibly important in both humans and horses, with them aiding in supporting our physiological health. Electrolytes are responsible for maintaining the body’s hydration status, supporting the functioning of the nervous system, regulating muscular contraction, and much more! Therefore, it is VERY important to ensure that your horse has sufficient access to electrolytes as part of his daily diet.

What are some examples of electrolytes that horses need?

1. Sodium
2. Chloride
3. Potassium
4. Sulphur
5. Bicarbonates

How can I provide electrolytes to my horse?

This can be done in several ways, depending on your horse’s needs and what you feel comfortable including as part of your horse’s nutritional routine.

1. Provide your horse with access to a salt lick, especially when stabled
2. Supplement an appropriate equine-safe electrolyte powder/solution to your horse’s daily feeds
3. Include an equine feed that contains added electrolytes as part of your horse’s daily bucket feed, like a balancer or mash-type feed

It is highly unlikely that you will be required to combine all three of the methods listed above unless you are specifically advised to do so by a veterinarian. Most leisure horses in the UK will benefit from daily salt lick provision, with the inclusion of additional electrolytes during periods of warm weather, such as by offering a soaked mash feed that contains added electrolytes. There are many such feeds on the market, so you will be spoilt for choice!

What complications can arise when horses do not have access to electrolytes in their daily diets?

1. Dehydration
2. Fatigue
3. Reduced performance when exercising
4. Lower sweat production, resulting in over-heating

The list above is just a condensed version of some of the commonly seen symptoms associated with electrolyte deficiencies in horses. Another way that some horses choose to show us that they require electrolyte supplementation involves them licking their stable walls and any metal objects they come across throughout their day. However, this behaviour could also be an indication of the presence of gastric ulcers, and I would thus advise contacting your horse’s veterinarian if you witness your horse expressing this behaviour. The same principle applies to the above list- when in doubt, ALWAYS contact a professional, registered veterinarian for help and advice!

Should I worry about my horse being deficient in electrolytes?

If you provide your horse with a salt lick (and know that he makes use of it!), the likelihood of your horse becoming deficient in electrolytes will be reduced. Additionally, many equine feeds that are on the market in the UK contain balanced quantities of electrolytes, and thus can further aid in preventing an electrolyte deficiency. However, if your horse is exercised throughout the week, or when the weather becomes warmer, it is possible that your horse will require electrolyte supplementation to his daily bucket feeds. If you are curious about your horse’s current electrolyte intake, please do not hesitate to contact me for a full review!

However, I would like to stress that if you are very worried or have noticed any of the electrolyte deficiency-related symptoms listed above, you should first contact your horse’s veterinarian, as specialist treatment may be required.

What if my horse consumes too many electrolytes?

Unfortunately, it is possible to over-supply a horse with electrolytes. Some symptoms that have been recorded of excessive electrolyte intake include:

1. Lethargy
2. Possible malfunction of the central nervous system
3. Gastro-intestinal malfunction, like the development of gastric ulcers

It has been shown that if a horse is provided with a high quantity of electrolytes alongside having access to a large volume of water, any excesses can be removed by the horse’s urinary system. Therefore, I recommend ALWAYS making sure that your horse has access to clean, fresh water (this is a rule of thumb for ANY horse, regardless of whether you are supplementing electrolytes), especially when electrolytes are being offered!

Additionally, if you make sure to provide any feeds that contain electrolytes or electrolyte supplements at the dosage/rate stated by the manufacturer, your horse is unlikely to be consuming an excessive quantity of electrolytes. If you are unsure what quantity of a specific supplement or feed your horse needs, I recommend reaching out to the manufacturer of the product for further information. Additionally, be sure to read the manufacturer’s instructions carefully, as typically, electrolyte supplements and electrolyte-based feeds MUST be fed alongside an unlimited or specified quantity of water.

What are the main points to take away from this blog post?

1. Electrolytes are crucial in maintaining your horse’s physiological health

2. An easy, low-cost solution to offering electrolytes is placing a salt lick in your horse’s stable or field if they are turned out all day and night

3. You absolutely MUST provide your horse with fresh, ad libitum (unlimited) water every day, especially when offering or feeding a source of electrolytes

4. If you are unsure about whether your horse is deficient in electrolytes, contact your veterinarian for advice

5. If you believe that your horse is consuming an excessive quantity of electrolytes, contact your veterinarian for advice

I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post! Feel free to contact me or to leave a comment below if you have any questions, or to ask for further advice! 🐎

Please keep in mind that this post is for educational purposes ONLY, and should NOT replace advice given by a qualified veterinarian. All of the information in this post is based on scientific, peer-reviewed data published up until 7 April 2023. This text has been checked for plagiarism, and thus, to the author’s knowledge, has not copied any other free-to-access text available to the public.