Equine Electrolyte Supplements: Three Tips

The sweat that froths and drips from your horse is laced with electrolytes. Profound electrolyte losses occur in exercising horses, often necessitating an electrolyte supplement for optimal athletic performance. Which supplement should you choose, and how much should you offer to ensure electrolytes are being adequately replaced?

“Electrolyte supplements help replace ions lost in sweat during exercise, predominantly sodium, chloride, potassium, and magnesium. Those ions play important roles in an extensive array of metabolic processes, including those involved in nerve and muscle function, and the flow of nutrients into and waste products out of cells,” explained Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., a Kentucky Equine Research nutritionist.

Consider these three tips when looking for your next electrolyte supplement:

What do I look for in an electrolyte? Many horses have access to a daily salt supplement, usually in the form of sodium chloride top-dressed onto feed or a free-choice salt block. This, however, should not be considered an electrolyte supplement per se but rather part of a daily ration to meet basic nutritional needs.

“Electrolyte supplements are commercial products; the powders are mixed into feed or water, and the pastes are given orally. Homemade pastes can be created by mixing a powdered supplement with a carrier, such as applesauce or yogurt. Alternatively, some powders can be added to water for the horse to drink as it likes,” described Crandell.

The most important aspect of any quality electrolyte supplement is that the first ingredients be sodium chloride and potassium chloride. Sugar should not be a primary ingredient.

How much electrolyte should I offer? “Various guidelines exist to help owners determine a horse’s electrolyte needs, including sweat scores,” relayed Crandell.

She added, “Horses lose approximately 10 grams of electrolytes per liter of sweat. Under ambient circumstances (not excessively hot, humid, or cold), an average 1,100-lb (500-kg) horse can lose 5-7 liters of sweat, including 50-70 grams of electrolytes per hour of steady trotting and cantering. As heat and humidity increase, horses can lose up to 10-12 liters per hour of sweat. If enough electrolytes are lost, performance will begin to suffer.”

In general, the idea is not to replace all of the electrolytes lost in sweat; about 50% will be adequate, as the rest can be derived from the diet. The more the horse sweats, the more electrolytes can be offered.

As a general rule of thumb, offer 1 oz of electrolytes after an hour of steady sweating.

When do I give electrolyte supplements? Ideally, horses would begin receiving an electrolyte supplement before exercise. This ensures that horses are well hydrated and have adequate, balanced electrolytes for optimal bodily function.

When offering after exercise, consider that not all horses will readily consume electrolyte-laden water. Paste products would therefore be advantageous in these situations to ensure the product is delivered, but be sure to offer free-choice water with them.

“Don’t forget that horses work and sweat in the winter as well. Electrolytes are not just a summer staple,” Crandell added.

Kentucky Equine Research has formulated several electrolyte supplements to conquer ion depletion caused by sweating.

For horses receiving furosemide, Kentucky Equine Research’s electrolyte Race Recovery is ideal.