Monty Roberts Equus Online University | Monty's Horse Training Post: The wonder of salt

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Monty Roberts is a renowned horse trainer known as the man who listens to horses and the original horse whisperer. Monty's horse training instructions are accepted worldwide.
Monty has helped thousands of people globally through his Monty Roberts Online Videos to learn how to Join-Up with horses, training young horses, spooky horses, horses that bite. His mustang , Shy Boy , is his most famous horse.
Join-Up methods help horse and trainer to establish a bond of communication and trust. “You must somehow understand that we as horsemen can do very little to teach the horse. What we can do is to create an environment in which he can learn.” ~ Monty
Monty says, “We hear that ‘actions speak louder than words,’ but generally we do not live by it too successfully.” Now Monty has taught thousands of people worldwide how to build trust in animals through our actions and body language.
Monty’s principles really amount to common sense and immense patience. He believes that children and horses have the same behavioral patterns. They are both naturally “flight” animals. "If you frighten them and resort to confrontation, you’ll lose their trust." ~ Monty
"Simple one-on-one reassurances and praise reap long term dividends that can all be undone with the quick slamming of a book on a desk or shouting back." ~ Monty Roberts
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Horse Care and Comfort

The wonder of salt

By:

vicci - UK (North Wales)

Date:

2017-Feb-12 at 11:45AM

I wanted to share this learning with you all - I'm sure many of you already knew this but you never know - I didn't!

My miniature Shetland was losing weight (unheard of!!) - he needed daily high calorie food, was laminitic, I could not put him anywhere near frost, and his walking at times was awful. Vet noticed some liver anomalies and with expensive medication he improved a bit and came off meds. I was not convinced though. He is only 9 and yet he was like an old horse and I even wondered about early Cushing's. And then a comment on here prompted me to read up more about salt,

I was intrigued by the potassium levels in poor grass and the ideas that salt makes them drink more, excrete more potassium through the urine....as an ex-nurse this made a lot of sense! So I bough an anodised salt lick at £1.89 and my three ponies fell over themselves to get at it! Within 2 weeks the little one was massively improved. Their salt consumption has now slowed down and they self regulate - if they don't need it they don't touch it. My Shetland is out in the frost, snow etc., fit as a fiddle, feet are great and weight is stable with no extra feed. All for a cheap bit of anodised salt!! (And no, I am not wasting money on 'posh' "8 times the price" Himalayan Rock Salt just because it's fashionable at the moment!)

Part of me is irritated with the vet for not considering this but hey ho all has worked out well and I have a very happy pony!

Kicki -- Sweden 2017-Feb-12 at 12:22PM

I know salt is important but I have never heard of this kind of result - either for lack of or adding it.
Congrats to having found the solution for your flock of Shetlands!!!
And thanks for sharing the knowledge. I will absolutely keep this in mind.

bahila73 2017-Feb-12 at 04:37PM

Hi Vicci and Kicki; I am so-oo thankful that I learned this so many years ago from my mentor [about the importance of salt balance with horses]. There doesn`t seem to be enough information regarding this VERY IMPORTANT aspect of how we feed our horses.
Great post; it`s important to get this information out there.
I try and buy the packages of granulated minerals for our horses.
Thanks for the post.

Bud