Salt

Why do horses lick people? Most often, it’s the salt on your skin — horses crave sodium and other minerals that hay and standard feed don’t fully provide. Beyond that, licking can be a social or affectionate gesture, a stress response when a dry mouth is refilling with saliva, simple curiosity, or a sign of …

Recently my grandson was cleaning a stall and asked me why his horse licked so much salt. Instead of answering, I decided to quiz him and asked, do horses need salt, and can they get enough from a mineral block? Horses need salt in their body for the proper function of their muscles and nerves. …