Age-Old Question: Which Salt Blocks Do Horses Prefer?

From Kentucky Equine Research:

Many owners satisfy their horses’ requirement for salt through the provision of salt blocks. Which salt blocks do horses prefer? Researchers at Cornell University decided to find out.

“Sodium is an essential nutrient that maintains cellular osmotic balance while encouraging water consumption to maintain hydration. Horses in hot environments and exercising horses have an increased requirement for sodium and other electrolytes due to loss in sweat,” explained Ashley Fowler, Ph.D., a Kentucky Equine Research nutritionist. “Most forages don’t contain enough sodium to meet even the basal sodium requirement of horses, so supplying additional salt is recommended for all horses.”

What salt blocks do owners offer, and which do horses prefer?

In the Cornell study, researchers surveyed owners about what types of salt blocks they offered their horses.^* In addition, a salt block “taste test” was conducted using healthy adult horses. Four different types of salt blocks were placed in rubber pans inside run-in sheds, and cameras were mounted inside the sheds to record which horse licked which salt block for a minimum of one minute. Salt block preference was recorded for one month. Salt blocks included a standard salt-only block, a salt plus mineral block, a salt plus selenium block, and a Himalayan salt block.

Three hundred forty-two owners responded to the survey. The most common types of salt block offered were a plain (white) salt block by 30% of respondents, a mineral salt block (red) by 29% of respondents, and Himalayan salt as a block, rope, or loose by 27% of respondents.

“Horses readily licked each block and showed no preference except they preferred the plain salt block over the Himalayan salt block,” Fowler said.

In general, some horses don’t use salt blocks at all. In such cases, Fowler recommended providing access to loose salt or adding loose table salt to the feed, ensuring these horses consume sufficient salt.

“For horses that are in exercise programs, adding an electrolyte supplement ensures that elevated electrolyte requirements are met. Restore SR contains a slow-release form of sodium, which allows more sodium to be retained and potentially used by the body,” Fowler advised. In Australia, look for Restore and other electrolytes.

^*Sill, S., L. Zhao, and K. Houpt. 2024. Salt preferences of horses for types of NaCl offered. Research in Veterinary Science 171:105224.