Horse diarrhea guides and high quality online stores? Start with a quality feed program and add a natural horse mineral supplement like Redmond Daily Red. Fortified Mineral Formula. Includes a boosted horse minerals package—including zinc, manganese, copper, iodine, selenium, and cobalt—to enhance antioxidant function, improve immunity, digestion, energy, muscle, tissues, and joints. (See our fortified mineral analysis here.) Vitamins for Vitality. Added vitamins A, D and E support vision, reproduction, strong bones and joints, healthy nerve and muscle function, and a robust immune system. Excellent Hydration Aid. Contains essential electrolytes for horses that trigger thirst and encourage drinking. Mined in America: 100% of our mineral salt is mined in central Utah from an ancient Jurassic Era sea deposit.
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. Find additional details at salt for horses.
On the topic of safety, riding with friends is always a smart decision. Group riding is safer and often more fun. Your horse will also appreciate the company of a few extra friends on the trail. And speaking of trails… Keeping to marked, well-used paths is especially important. Avoid riding off-trail in wintertime, in secluded areas, or through heavy snow where hazards like limbs, rocks, or debris may be hidden. And remember, plodding through deep snow is strenuous for your horse. You want to avoid working her too hard or getting her too sweaty before heading back to the barn. Which leads us to cooling down.
Other benefits of Redmond Rock: Contains natural electrolytes that encourage horses to drink. Packed with 63 trace minerals to nourish horses. (See this table for a complete mineral analysis.) Our minerals are created by nature and come in the right balance horses need. Holds up better in wet weather than pressed blocks. In taste tests, horses prefer Redmond Rock to manmade blocks. We believe Redmond Rock is simply the best natural mineral lick available for horses. Over the last 20 years we’ve heard many horse owners express how our rock improves mineral balance, provides horses a natural trigger to drink, and combats dehydration and colic. Here is Becky Imbornoni’s story of using Redmond Rock to help a colicing horse.
Temperature: Some like it hot, and some not. Horses like their water tepid–not too hot or cold. This article in The Horse noted research indicates horses prefer lukewarm (68°F) water, especially during cold weather. Acidity. Water acidity affects palatability. According to Kentucky Equine Research, a University of Guelph study found horses are more likely to drink water with a pH of 7.5 (slightly alkaline) than water with acidic levels. Dirty. Unclean or stagnant water can be a floating Petri dish of bacteria and algae. Horses sense when a potential intestinal problem is lurking in murky water and will avoid it. See additional details at Dehydrated horse.