SALT FOR HORSES.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2006, 13 March 1914, Page 10

SALT FOR HORSES.

THE NEUTRALISING AGENT,

Ono'would liko to know tho reason v/hy salt is a nieccssary part of a horse's diet, says , a. writer in an English farm paper. It is rather difficult for one who is not a scientist to explain the full meaning of Nature's demand in , this direction, but wo can say this, that salt, unlike other articles of a horse's food (and this applies to other animals as well), does nothing towards , the rebuilding of the tissues wasted bv the animal's energy; it is not a flesh-former, but it does seem to regulato and supervise, so to speak, the action of those other articles. Wo do not think that in its wild stato the horse actually gets more salt than that contained in the herbage he consumes, but there is just the difference • between the wild animal's conditions, of life and the conditions under which the stable horse lives. Our domesticated beast lives an artificial existence. His housing is not natural, neither is his feeding nor his exercise. Ho is fed on articles man considers will fatten him, but this feeding is entirely unnatural, and all tho different articles would quarrel were it not for some umpire. :

Salt is the umpire, the neutralising agent of the effects of this artificial feeding. Besides wo must not overlook the fact that even 'in his wild state- the horse, eats salts, those of the grasses, but these deteriorate in value by tho time they find their way into the stable, and therefore salt must bo administered artificially and.in larger quantities to neutralise the unnatural fcediug. It is a fact that salt is very desirable for mares in foal, as it doubles tho power of nourishing the foetus, and adds to tho quantity and* quality of tbo marc's, milk, thus having the very desirable effect of making tlio foal stronger. Moreover, salt gives a horse a better coat. The samo applies to bullocks and cows. It is a common practice in India to hang up a largo lump .of rock salt in tho stable for the liorse to lick at pleasure, an attention. they prize exceedingly. As regards other animals, it. is said that tho flesh of those which have been given salt as part of their diet is sweeter and more 'digestible than that of animals kept, without it, auxl also that the administering of salt adds to the quality of sheep'a wool. The conclusion wo must come to is tliat salt, has the samo effect on animals, and is given .to them for tho same reasons that we ; ourselves consume it.