Why feed horses Epsom salts? (2023)

Why feed horses Epsom salts?

EPSOM SALTS is a feed material for horses containing 100% Pure Magnesium Sulphate Heptahydrate. It should be added to the feed of horses to provide a supplemental source of Magnesium where required, to maintain normal muscle, nerve and gut motility functions.

Commercial poultices with Epsom salt as the main ingredient are beneficial for equine use in several ways. The salt naturally draws infection from hoof abscesses and soothes bruised hoofs. An Epsom salt poultice also soothes muscles, leg and joint soreness and reduces swelling in these areas.

Add a generous amount of Epsom salt until it stops dissolving in the water. Stand the horse in the solution for 10-20 minutes, then remove the foot from the Epsom salt bath, dry it off, pack the hoof with a drawing poultice, and wrap it.

Magnesium plays an important role in nerve and muscle function. Horses deficient in this vital mineral often show signs of nervousness, wariness, excitability, jumpiness, tight sore backs (not related to saddle fit), muscle tremors, and hypersensitive skin – our products can help.

Description. Battles Magnesium Sulphate (also known as Epsom Salts) has a wide range of uses in the equine industry including to prevent obesity, laminitis, poor general condition, over-excitedness, nervousness and muscle tremors.

From our experience, horses on high magnesium diets can be overly spooky, excitable/anxious, not cope in new situations or when under pressure and at times be explosive.

Too much magnesium in the blood (hypermagnesemia) is rare, but horses receiving excessive doses of magnesium sulfate for constipation may show signs of sweating, muscle weakness, and rapid heartbeat and breathing rate. Cardiac arrest can occur with very high blood magnesium levels.

Horses usually begin showing signs of impaction colic by decreased appetite, decreased manure production, and/or dry/harder manure. After those vague symptoms, an untreated horse with impaction colic may show the classic signs: pawing, staring at his flanks, or rolling.

Two herbs commonly found in calming products are valerian root and chamomile, both reported to soothe edginess and function as a sleep aid, although valerian is the stronger of the two and is considered a banned substance by some equine associations.

When salt is added to their diet, they drink more and this assists with the excretion of excess potassium. Under the right conditions even the shortest green grass will cause these horses and ponies to get sore feet and develop laminitis.

Is there magnesium in hay?

Consider this example: Your hay contains 0.25% magnesium and 0.60% calcium. Twenty pounds provides 22.7 grams of magnesium (20 lb X 454 g/lb X . 0025) and 54.5 grams of calcium (20 lbs X 454 g/lb X . 0060).

Magnesium has an important role in muscle and nerve function. Horses that are deficient in magnesium may be unusually spooky and excitable, and they may have muscle tremors or cramping. However, this deficiency is rare because grass and hay normally contain sufficient magnesium to meet the horse's requirements.

Some nervous or over exitable horses can benefit by Epsom Salt. One tablespoon (± 10gr.) in the morning and 1 in the evening can be useful.

Rarely are antibiotics necessary. Soaking the hoof up to three times daily for 30 minutes in a very warm Epsom salt solution works well to encourage drainage. Keep the water as warm as possible without making it scalding. Use 2 cups of Epsom salts per gallon of warm water, squirt betadine solution.

Feed grass hay, possibly a little alfalfa hay, or rinsed sugar beet, BUT stay away from corn, oats, barley, and especially stay away from sugar as molasses. Feed extra fat in the form of oil or rice bran if you need to get energy into the horse.

Magnesium helps nerve cells transmit signals to each other and to muscles by regulating ion balance across cell membranes. It is thought to have a calming effect on horses, helping to ease muscle tremors and nervousness.

HYGAIN® SAFEGUARD EQ® is a pelleted broad-spectrum mycotoxin binder formulated for all equines, which may assist in the quick and effective absorption of mycotoxins, minimizing associated negative health and performance problems.

Spooking is usually the result of a horse being genuinely scared of something as opposed to bad behaviour. The likes of a new, unfamiliar object, a sudden noise or movement can all be grounds for a horse to spook.

Well-managed horses should live about five to seven years or more past diagnosis. In severely affected horses, however, laminitis and recurrent infections are time-consuming and expensive to manage and can shorten the horse's anticipated life expectancy dramatically.

How much magnesium can a horse have in a day?

Recommended Daily Intake

According to NRC, an intake of 20mg of Magnesium per kilogram of bodyweight per day is necessary to maintain normal blood serum levels. Thus, for a 500kg horse in light to moderate exercise, an intake of 10g per day is necessary to maintain blood levels at the minimum value reported.

According to horse nutritionist Dr. Juliet Getty, regardless of the weather, horses require a daily supply of salt. During cold weather, salt helps promote enough water consumption to prevent dehydration. In warm seasons, salt replaces what is lost from perspiration.

“As a rule of thumb, it takes 24 hours for food to pass completely through the horse's digestive system.

The average horse passes manure anywhere from 4 to 12+ times a day. Stallions and foals often defecate more frequently than mares and geldings; stallions often “scent mark” their territory, and foals need to pass more waste because of their liquid diet.

Ensuring that fiber in the form of hay or grass pasture is part of your horse's everyday diet is the best way to ensure that it is able to pass bowel movements regularly.

Magnesium is the most acclaimed calming ingredient, and this is not by accident. Our nerves and muscles are controlled by receptors, these include NMDA receptors, which are managed by magnesium. Take the magnesium away and these receptors become more active. This is why magnesium is known to support against stress.

How To Calm An Anxious Horse - YouTube

Simple bending can be effective, as can a long, brisk trot to settle both his mind and his muscles. “If I'm trail riding and on decent ground, I usually go for a long trot to let the horse burn off some of his nervous energy.”

1. Hay – The Core Feed For A Laminitis Diet. The basis of any diet for a horse or pony prone to laminitis or suffering acute laminitis is hay. The best choice of forage is one that is low in sugar, starch, and fructans (non-structural carbohydrates or NSC).

It has become evident in recent years that although the over consumption of grass or feed high in starch or sugar is still commonly associated with horses developing laminitis, up to 90% of cases have an underlying hormonal cause.

What can you not feed a horse with laminitis?

Avoid feeds which provide high levels of starch per meal as these horses tend to be sensitive to increases in blood sugar and insulin. Supplements: Horses with laminitis may benefit from supplemental magnesium and chromium, both of which assist in sensitivity to insulin.

It is found naturally in the horse's body, and is obtained through diet. Grass is a good source of magnesium, however not always a reliable one, so ensuring your horse is getting enough magnesium through their daily feed is important for their overall health and wellbeing.

Horses with colic that results in endotoxin release or laminitis are known to often have low blood magnesium levels, and there is hope that treatment with magnesium during these critical times may decrease the amount of damage that occurs.

Recommended amounts of cinnamon will vary depending on the size of your horse, but between 2 grams for each 100 kilograms of body weight per day is recommended to support healthy digestion.

With transdermal forms, it spears to work instantly due to the quick absorption through the skin, which bypasses the digestive system. Magnesium can clear and excrete through your body fairly quickly, usually within 24 hours, which is why deficiency is common.

Horses rarely consume too much salt. However, salt toxicosis may occur when water is limited or unavailable. Horses who eat too much salt may exhibit signs of colic, diarrhea, frequent urination, weakness, and recumbency. In advanced cases, horses may eventually die.

Plain table salt is fine; kosher salt, with its coarser texture, is even better. (If your horse is getting any commercial feed or a vitamin/mineral supplement, skip the iodized salt–he's already getting enough iodine.)

Epsom salt is used to relax muscles and relieve pain in the shoulders, neck, back and skull. For example, by relaxing the muscles surrounding your skull, the magnesium in Epsom salt may help release a headache or migraine. This benefit can also aid sore muscles in the recovery period after a workout.

What effect does magnesium have on horses?

Magnesium helps nerve cells transmit signals to each other and to muscles by regulating ion balance across cell membranes. It is thought to have a calming effect on horses, helping to ease muscle tremors and nervousness.

Rarely are antibiotics necessary. Soaking the hoof up to three times daily for 30 minutes in a very warm Epsom salt solution works well to encourage drainage. Keep the water as warm as possible without making it scalding. Use 2 cups of Epsom salts per gallon of warm water, squirt betadine solution.

If your horse has a hoof abscess, your veterinarian is likely to recommend using a poultice to draw out infection. A poultice is a soft, moist mass that is applied to the hoof under a bandage, which can be purchased or homemade, using a variety of medicated, or natural ingredients.