Summer is here, and that means hot and humid days. Hopefully your horses are avid sweaters! A horse can lose up to four gallons of sweat when exercising in hot and humid environments. Factors such as temperature, humidity, and fitness of a horse will dictate exact sweat losses.

As a horse sweats it loses sodium, potassium, chlorine and other minerals all important in muscle and nerve function. Electrolyte supplements aid in the recovery time after exercise or heavy sweating by replacing the electrolytes lost through sweat.

Many electrolyte supplements contain excess sugar without replenishing the needed salts that you are trying to supplement. The primary ingredient should be sodium chloride (salt). Read the labels carefully. Compare sugar and salt. Sometimes a cheaper alternative to supplementing salt is found in the exact spot you would buy salt for yourself.

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