For all competition horses · Recovery and everyday management
The season-long electrolyte campaign
The golden rule: electrolytes always come after water, never before. A horse that has not drunk should not be given an electrolyte paste or strong electrolyte feed. Get water in first, every time.
Why salt matters all season, not just on the big day
When your horse works hard and sweats, it loses far more salt than most people realise — and horse sweat is saltier than human sweat. Over a competition season, those losses add up. Managing electrolytes is not a single competition-day job; it is a steady, season-long campaign of replacing what your horse loses, day in and day out.
The most important electrolyte is plain salt (sodium chloride). Most of the others — potassium, calcium, magnesium — come largely from good forage, which is one more reason hay and chaff matter so much. Your EVN vet sets your horse's exact daily salt and any extra supplements based on its workload, sweat losses, and forage analysis.
The three levels of salt provision
Think of your horse's salt needs in three steps that rise with the work:
- Every day (baseline): a measured amount of plain salt in the feed, plus a free-choice salt block. This is the foundation and never stops, even on rest days.
- Around heavy work: in the day or two before and after a hard session or competition, increase the salt as instructed to rebuild reserves.
- Competition days: the full competition-day protocol, alongside 'Feeding around maximal effort', with electrolytes after water.
| Situation | Plain salt guide (per your EVN plan) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Quiet / rest days | Baseline daily salt (often 50–80 g) | Plus a free-choice salt block. Always with water available. |
| Normal training week | Baseline daily salt | Good forage usually covers potassium; your vet checks this from your hay analysis. |
| Hard session / peak campaign week | Increased salt (often up to 100–150 g) | Rising with sweat losses. Split across feeds, not one large dose. |
| Day before a hard competition | About 30–50% above baseline | Pre-loads salt reserves before the heavy sweating day. |
| Competition day | Full competition protocol | Electrolytes only after the horse has drunk. |
Note: example figures
The amounts in this table are examples, to give a sense of the order of magnitude. Your horse's actual salt provision is set in your EVN plan and depends on workload, sweat losses and forage analysis. Responsibility for the actual dosing rests with the owner, in consultation with the vet.
Always after water — and why it is a safety rule, not just a tip
Strong electrolyte pastes pull fluid into the stomach. Given to a horse that has not drunk, they can leave the stomach more acidic and irritated — and competition horses are already very prone to gastric ulcers. So the rule is firm: get water in first. If your horse will not drink at an event, wait and rehydrate it — do not 'make up' for it with a paste.
The 'thumps' — know the sign
After very hard or prolonged work, some horses develop a rhythmic thump or twitch in the flank, beating in time with the heartbeat. This is called the 'thumps' (synchronous diaphragmatic flutter) and is linked to low calcium and other salts after heavy sweating. It is more common in endurance horses but does occur in event and marathon-driving horses on the harder days.
If you see the thumps
Stop exercise immediately, give no supplements, and call the veterinarian. A horse with thumps that is also weak, wobbly, or still flickering at rest needs urgent veterinary treatment. This is an emergency and is beyond what feeding can fix.
Your simplest daily hydration check: urine colour
You do not need laboratory tests to keep an eye on hydration day to day. Check your horse's urine:
- Pale straw yellow — well hydrated. Good.
- Dark yellow or orange — your horse needs more water; review salt and water access.
- No urine within about 4 hours of hard work — speak to your veterinarian.
This is general information. It does not replace the individual feeding plan your EVN vet prepares for your horse after assessing it.