# Epsom Salts - warning



## the watcher (27 April 2009)

for those who think these might be a good long term calming solution see the update I have just put in Tnavas post - since some of you might have replied and won't look again

the original post


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## Flint12 (27 April 2009)

Thankyou


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## Irishcobs (27 April 2009)

Very good point MH. I hadn't read the previous post but will just add that some feed balancers, such as Baliey's Lo Cal, contain magnesium, so if you are feeding a magnesium basic calmer as well then you won't need to feed quite so much. My boy is supposed to get 35ml of calmer a day but is only getting 20ml as his feed balancer contains some.


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## only_me (27 April 2009)

also worth bearing in mind that magnesium sulphate (espom salts) are fei illegal... Or so I'm told


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## CrazyMare (27 April 2009)

And your mucking out will be fairly gross with all the new grass, plus epsom salts.....


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## piebaldsparkle (27 April 2009)

My friends vet actually suggested adding 1/2 teaspoon on Epsom salts to her mares feed as a calmer.


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## mik (27 April 2009)

magnesium oxide is absorbed better than epsom salts in the gut and magnesium acetate is supposed to be the best way of feeding a calmer. Not enough facts are often given in some of our posts, and a bit more research warranted.
This is a pretty good article I think? What do you guys think?
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/health/magnesium-121.shtml


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## DunRoamin (27 April 2009)

I put this in the other post to, but aren't Epsom Salts what you put in the bath for aches and pains???


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## the watcher (27 April 2009)

[ QUOTE ]
My friends vet actually suggested adding 1/2 teaspoon on Epsom salts to her mares feed as a calmer. 

[/ QUOTE ]

1/2 a teaspoon would be harmless and might act as a mild calmer - my problem would be with anybody who took the previous advice and fed larger amounts, and without balancing with broad spectrum vits and mins. I have fed Epsom Salts myself as a calmer, it can be done - as long as you are completely aware of the implications


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## Tnavas (28 April 2009)

Mother_hen - I have replied to your post but will also add here that you are going very over the top in your warning.

Epsom salts has been fed for decades to help with the problem of grass high spirits. 2 tablespoons a day is not excessive in any way at all. If it is the difference between dealing with a horse that is trying to kill itself and you at the same time its well worth it. You only need to feed it while the grass is growing fast.

I've used it for over 40 years on all the riding school horses and ponies who's average age is around 20yrs at any one time. I feed my own the same. 

How do you think we cared for our horses in the days when all the feed supplements didn't exist. If you want to pay a fortune for commercial calmers then go for it - but at this time of year if your horse is grazing spring grass you may need to double the dose.

I laugh when I see reports from vets about the latest research such as one I saw recently about horses needing to be fed little and often - it's what we were taught years ago by the real horsemasters.


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## Tnavas (28 April 2009)

Just wanting to add that Epsom Salts are not on the banned substances list and that the above treatment is fully approved by my very experienced equine vet.


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## embonaught (28 April 2009)

Perhaps it'd be helpful if you gave us the name of your experienced equine vet...


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## the watcher (28 April 2009)

Tnavas

What you need to remember here is that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Yes I agree Epsom Salts can be used in moderation, they were fine when nothing else was available and will still work, just as I am sure many of us fed a lot of bran in the past because equally it appeared to do the job.

However a wide variety of people read this forum, from the very experienced like yourself, to the novice single horse owner who is on a budget. Imagine if you will if this owner, seeing a significant saving, took your advice. With no clear idea of dosing, or how Epsom Salts can work, there is a real danger of overdosing and inducing a medical condition in a horse or pony that could become dangerous.

Would you want that on your conscience? I know I wouldn't.

The simple fact remains that now there are items on the market designed for the purpose, with clear dose measuring instructions, and these are safer to use.

From chestnuttymare's post on the other thread "well i feed 'magnitude' from equine america and it is 99% magnesium sulphate, but the dose is only 5mg, it is a tiny wee scoop. " this is a good deal less that 2 tablespoons, in fact it is about a teaspoon daily.


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## only_me (28 April 2009)

http://www.fei.org/Rules/Veterinary/Pages/Default.aspx 

annex 2, equine prohibited list

then bottom of page 2, magnesium sulfate.


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## melaniemarks (28 April 2009)

My farrier told me to bathe my cobs  foot in epsom salts when he had bruising to the sole. Brings out the bruising quicker apparantley. Didn't know it was used as a calmer.


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## Tnavas (28 April 2009)

Mother_hen - while I understand where you are coming from I did however make the instructions very clear - 1 Tablespoon Epsom salts twice daily while grass is growing fast. That is no different to an instruction given on a pretty, expensive pack with a commercial name on it. 
I do think you are rather insulting the intellegence of the people posting on this site, while some may be novice owners - you don't learn anything if you remain protected from information. I certainly would not have posted suspect information but have posted this to help the number of people upset about their unruly horses. 

Many things that are now being fed to horses are causing metabolic problems - insulin resistance being one of them - we never had this problem before compound feeds, one big culprit is the additional protein in the form of Soy. Soy is a major cause of problems affecting hormone balance. I don't have problems with my horses because I still feed traditional feeds. Wheat is not a good feed for horses yet the majority of processed feeds will have wheat products in them. The comercial companies don't always get it right either - I had one horse nearly die when I started feeding a lamanitic horse product. When I contacted the manufacturers - a very famous veterinary product company - they admitted that they had actually had horses die while on the product. I was lucky - I reponded fast and my vet responded faster! I'm lucky to have such great equine vets locally. And no I have never fed bran as part of a regular feed program - the phosphorous levels are far too high and the phytates don't allow calcium absorption. This has been known for a century or more.

Many things our ancestors used are now being scientifically proved - they didn't need that, just a good eye and a good instructor and thousands of years of history! I was very lucky and learnt from the best in the UK, Pat Smallwood, Robert Hall, Jennie Lorriston-Clarke, Sylvia Bunney and Maureen Newell. 

My vet is Angela Hawker from Cambridge Equine Hospital, Unless you live in New Zealand you wouldn't know her. She is one of eight equine specialists that look after the multi million dollar racing industry. Cambridge is home of thousands of racehorses, stallions at stud, stud farms, broodmares as well as general riding horses. 

only_me - that is very interesting - I had never noticed that before. Makes you wonder about all these special feeds that are around. I wonder if quantity is the key for that one as the action of the quantity I've stated would not work as a laxative.
My horses have free access to mineral blocks which contain Magnesiuim. Have you looked at the UK rules as each country has its own rules loosely based around the FEI rules. Some of the NZ rules are different to UK and to USA.


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## angiebaby (28 April 2009)

I posted on another forum that I fed my ponies epsom salts ( available from our local feed shop, and fairly cheap)

They get about a teaspoon twice a day; I can't remember where I read it as it is going back 6  years, but I was told to feed to a laminitic prone pony, which my shetland is.
He hasn't had it for over 6 years , whether that has something to do with the epsom salts I don't know ( he is managed very carefully too)

Any way, On this forum  I was told that I shouldn't feed it, but I've not had any problems in all that time so I shall continue!


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## spaniel (28 April 2009)

And just to add that magnesium is also thought to lessen the threat of laminitis and is included in many anti lammy products.


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## the watcher (28 April 2009)

_I do think you are rather insulting the intelligence of the people posting on this site, while some may be novice owners - you don't learn anything if you remain protected from information. _ 

Not at all, knowledge is power, and it is important to understand the risks (which you didn't mention initially) as well as the benefits of any product you are going to use with or feed to your horse. It is worth remembering though that people reading this site could be as young as 11 or 12 and they might only have tiny fine ponies - so dosing is critical in those cases.


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