From: Melanie
Dear Jessica, Last week I purchased a small mineral/salt block for my horse. He ate it within three days. This seems like a lot of salt for him to be consuming all at once. I do not have a holder for the block to be mounted in his stall, so I put it in his feed bucket. I know this is probably part of the problem because he can take bites, rather than simply licking it. Will the salt and/or trace minerals in this amount harm him?
Melanie P.S. Thanks for all the great advice!
Don't worry about your horse; if he's been salt-deprived for some time, he's quite likely to chew through his whole salt block in no time at all. Salt-deprived horses can go through several small blocks in a week. The stall may be a little more wet -- or a lot more wet -- than usual for a while, and you may find yourself refilling his water bucket more often, but that should be the only change, and it will be temporary. The novelty WILL wear off eventually, and your horse will be better for the salt in the long run.
You might find it more satisfactory to put a 50-pound block in his stall or shed, and let him work on that. He'll settle down to a reasonable rate of consumption soon.
Just be very sure that what you buy is a SALT block -- plain (white) or with trace-minerals (those are reddish-brown). Sometimes if you're running through the feed store in a big hurry it's possible to make a mistake and grab a block designed for ruminants (sheep, cattle, etc.) instead of horses. These contain urea, which isn't tolerated well by horses and shouldn't be offered in large quantities. A little urea won't cause big problems, but you ought to be aware of the fact that it isn't meant for horses.
In another week or so, your horse shouldn't be as excited about the salt block, and then you'll find that the new one will last a lot longer. ;-)
Jessica
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