High-quality forage and salt blocks offer horses at maintenance (those that do little or no work) sufficient electrolytes, but hardworking horses require oral electrolyte supplementation for optimal performance. If your horse is sweating profusely on a daily basis, he should receive an electrolyte preparation designed especially for performance horses.

Many electrolyte preparations are available, but there are considerable differences among them. For the equine athlete, an appropriate electrolyte should contain sodium, chloride, and potassium, for these are the electrolytes lost in greatest quantity in sweat. An electrolyte that also contains calcium and magnesium is recommended to prevent metabolic disturbances. Read the label carefully to be sure useful amounts of critical electrolytes will be supplied. A word of caution: electrolytes should be administered only when your horse has water available to him, as both electrolytes and water are necessary to maintain optimal fluid balance.