Cool Hills Ranch

04/25/2026

If your are interested in reserving a spot please DM or Call 530-308-2450

03/31/2026

𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐭 - 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞?🐴 👅

There’s a widespread belief that horses should be fed loose salt instead of block salt, based on the idea that they can consume loose salt more easily. This belief stems from the fact that salt blocks were originally designed for cattle, who have rougher tongues and can more effectively lick salt from a block.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡?

At the 2025 Equine Science Society Symposium in June, my friend and colleague, Dr. Devan Catalano of Colorado State University, presented new findings that aimed to answer this very question.

🧪 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐬

Sixteen mature horses were individually housed and assigned to one of two treatments:

🔹 Loose salt

🔹 Block salt

Each horse remained on one treatment for seven days before switching to the other in a crossover design. The entire study was repeated so that each horse received both treatments twice. Salt consumption was measured by weighing the salt before and after each seven-day period.

📊 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬

The form of salt (loose vs. block) did not significantly impact overall intake. However, individual variability played a major role in which some horses consumed more salt than others, regardless of the form offered. This highlights the wide range of intrinsic motivation among horses to seek out and consume salt.

💡 Interestingly, only 7 of the 16 horses met the recommended daily salt intake of 30 grams per day, suggesting that many horses may not self-regulate adequately when left with free-choice salt alone.

💭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

These findings suggest that free-choice salt access, whether loose or in a block, may not be sufficient to meet the daily salt needs of many horses. If you’re concerned about intake, top-dressing salt onto feed can help ensure your horse gets enough, but keep in mind this can sometimes reduce palatability of the meal.

📣 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞-𝐇𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞

Free choice access to loose salt isn’t necessarily better than a block, but neither may be enough on its own. Monitor your horse’s intake and consider top-dressing if needed to meet their daily requirements.

Cheers,

Dr. DeBoer

Murphy BA, Catalano D. Effect of form on equine salt intake. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 2025 May 1;148:105502.

01/04/2026

12/11/2025

12/11/2025

11/26/2025

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11/26/2025

This is great advice

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10/21/2025

10/19/2025

It is that time of year again!!

We would like to invite you to attend our open practices/try outs for the 2026 Drill Season. Starting with a demo for the NATRC ride hosted at Cool Hills Ranch this weekend going through the month of November, we will be meeting every Sunday evening 4-6. Come to 1 or come to them all, we just love seeing new faces 🤠 any questions feel free to reach out!!

And please share with all your horse loving friends.