One of the dangers of using a salt-based ice melt is the harm the salt can cause horses and other animals. Salt residue remains in the melted water and runs off into the surrounding ground. It can then be absorbed through the skin or get lodged in horses hooves, causing irritation and injury. Choose a horse-friendly deicer instead, that contains no rock salt, urea or other corrosive ingredients. This will ensure that your horses and pets can remain safe and well during the frosty winter months.
If you are using ice-melt products near horses, it is vital to choose one that doesn’t contain any rock salt, urea or other ingredients that could cause irritation or injury to animals, wildlife or surrounding habitats. Look for ice-melt products that specifically state that they are free from this type of ingredients. Using ice-melt products regularly in animal farms, horse riding schools, and horse training centres also keeps the ground slip-free and safer for horses and pets to move on.
Horse paddocks are often positioned in places with very little shelter. This leaves them open to the elements. During the winter, frozen frost and snow can result in icy patches. These can be dangerous for horses and other animals, which could slip and fall, damaging joints or limbs. The ice can damage the grass underneath too, reducing the amount of available grazing for the horses. Carry out daily inspections of the paddocks at your animal farm, horse training centre or horse riding school. Use EcoGrit deicer to clear frozen snow, frost or icy patches.
If you own an animal farm, horse training centre or horse riding school, icy patches can cause disruption and injury in all kinds of areas, not just in the paddocks. Make sure you inspect the exterior surfaces and ground around barns and pastures, too, as well as stables and livery yards to prevent slips and falls and keep your horses and human visitors and workers injury-free. Use salt-free deicer like EcoGrit that doesn’t contain any urea or toxic ingredients. This will stop any harmful residue from getting onto your horse’s hooves or skin and causing irritation or damage.
Opting for an organic, salt-free deicer for your horse farm, riding school or training centre is by far the safest option for your horses, pets and human visitors. This is because rock salt and other harmful ingredients contained in some deicing products can get attached to skin and hooves and cause irritation and injury. It can also be ingested, for example through drinking from a contaminated puddle, causing internal damage to the kidneys and elsewhere. Sticking to organic, salt-free products offers effective deicing performance and a reassuringly safe application in areas where animals are present.
An especially effective method of ice melting in horse pastures is to apply a thick layer of EcoGrit. This organic, salt-free ice melt product works at temperatures down to minus 20 degrees °C and contains no harmful ingredients that will run off in the melting water. You can apply the product the night before if you expect a frost. Alternatively, it can be applied to icy surfaces and left to work its magic. The water will run off the frozen surface, leaving the pasture ice-free and safe to graze, walk and stand on once again.
Salt can be very bad for horses if they ingest too much. While excess salt is usually excreted through their urine, a dehydrated horse may not be able to get rid of it that way. Additionally, if salt is ingested by drinking melted water treated with rock salt deicer, this can lead to internal damages, especially to the kidneys and digestive system. Salt that gets stuck on hooves and skin can also irritate horses or cause corrosive injuries. To be safe, always use a salt-free deicer to melt ice and frozen snow when horses are nearby.
It is dangerous for horses’ health and wellbeing to use rock salt to melt ice on an animal farm, horse training centre or horse riding school. The good news is that there are safe alternatives to using salt to deice frozen patches. Look for an effective salt-free ice melt that does the same job, but without the toxic salt and urea residues and risks to surrounding horses, pets, people and habitats. You can also lay old blankets down the night before to help keep the ground warm or pour hot water over smaller ice patches to melt the water quickly.
EcoGrit
The Saw Mill
Brooms Barn
Coney Weston
IP31 1HQ
Discover how to stay ahead of winter weather with EcoGrit’s expert guidance on de-icing. Learn about our legal responsibilities and how you can keep your
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Discover how to stay ahead of winter weather with EcoGrit’s expert guidance on de-icing. Learn about our legal responsibilities and how you can keep your surfaces safe. Whether we are
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