It is not advisable to topdress commercial rations. Most commercial grain mixes and/or sweet feeds will already have salt (sodium and chlorine) added to the feed at a level of 0.5 to 1.0 percent of the mix. Along these same lines, inorganic (mineral) sources of calcium and phosphorus have also been added to most commercial horse feeds. In fact, the minerals zinc, copper, iron, cobalt, manganese, iodine, and selenium are routinely added to commercially prepared horse feeds. By “top dressing” with salt and/or other mineral, you are often doing two things. One is creating an excess intake of a particular mineral or minerals and two, creating an imbalance among minerals. For example, a high level of dietary phosphorus relative to dietary calcium decreases calcium absorption. On the other hand, high levels of calcium may reduce the availability of other minerals such as phosphorus, magnesium, and manganese. Therefore, intakes of calcium greatly exceeding requirements should be avoided. There is little danger of excess salt creating a problem unless water is not available. However, salt is often used to limit the amount animals will consume in free choice supplements. Excess salt, like a deficiency of salt, may depress appetite.

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