How Your Horse's Redmond Rock Salt Lick Was Made

April 1, 2022

At Redmond Equine, we have a proud 13-year history of bringing you natural mineral rocks and quality horse supplements. But our company's history—and the formation of your horse's salt lick—goes back much farther than that.

We thought you'd like to know exactly where Redmond Rock comes from—and the incredible forces of nature that created it. Let’s peel back the layers of time and sediment and expose what's underground in our Redmond salt mine and mineral deposit. Let’s explore some Redmond Rock history!

History of Our Mineral Deposit

Geologists estimate 200 million years of incredible natural forces created the rich mineral deposit that exists in Redmond, Utah—a delta that's literally as old as the dinosaurs. Curious how it happened? Let's dig into the details.

Long ago the area of central Utah was under water. About 60 million years ago a massive volcano erupted in the region and ash settled into the bottom of the ancient inland Sundance Sea. Eventually, the seawater receded and dried up. What remained on the land was a pristine and colorful, crystalized mineral deposit protected by a thick layer of volcanic ash, or sodium bentonite clay. 

Through the ages humans and animals utilized this rich deposit for both health and practical purposes. Livestock and wildlife grazed the minerals and nutritious vegetation growing above it. Native Americans mined and traded the salt with other traveling tribes.  And many years later two local brothers farming the area broke into the salt and clay business when a drought hit the land and their crops failed. Those brothers took up pick and axe and began a hard-rock mining venture that’s still going strong.

The Redmond Rock Salt Mine Today

The Bosshardt brothers started the Redmond salt mine as an open-pit mine in 1958. For the past 32 years, however, miners have tunneled underground, drilling rock salt from the earth and hauling out nearly 4,000 tons a day.

Want to explore the Redmond mine a little deeper? There are 14 miles of tunnels to navigate, so let’s climb in one of our 70-ton haul trucks and begin a descent down.

Inside the mine it stays a moderate 45-60 ℉ year-round. The wide 80 x 30-foot tunnels are open and airy, but without the glow of headlights, it’s as black as ink. The stacked tunnels zigzag down into the mine and descend four levels, or 480 feet, underground. As you explore the area with a headlamp, walls of reddish-hued mineral salt extend ceiling to floor for miles. This is where we harvest Redmond Rock salt, then crush and haul it to the surface to sort, package, and ship to you.

Founding Redmond Equine

Since the Redmond mine opened over six decades ago, humans, livestock and wildlife have all benefited from this natural, delicious mineral salt. Our horses loved the taste too, and the plethora of trace minerals helped them look great, stay hydrated, and feel well. We wanted to share these health benefits with all horses, so in 2009 Redmond Rock was formed. We began shipping salt rock licks to big barns and little stalls across the country, and horses loved them!

That's because like the best nutrient-dense grasses your horse forages from the land, each Redmond Rock your horse licks is mined straight from nature. It's not heat-pressed or dyed like many horse blocks. We deliver Redmond Rock in the same natural and unrefined state it exists underground—just in solid rocks or Crushed granules. And the same 60+ trace minerals and electrolytes naturally found in the salt rock are still intact in every product.

In 2016, Redmond Rock expanded and rebranded to Redmond Equine to bring you even more natural horse supplements—like our fan-favorite Daily Gold Stress Relief. It's made from pure montmorillonite (bentonite) clay mined from the rich deposit located directly above the Redmond salt mine. The clay layer is dozens of feet deep and produces rich veins of pure blue- and grayish-hued bentonite with incredible internal and external healing properties. Once the clay is harvested from the deposit, it's crushed into a fine powder and used in Daily Gold, Red Edge Poultice, and First Aid wound healing cream—products that bring bentonite's health benefits directly to your horse. 

Natural Redmond Horse Mineral Supplements

At Redmond Equine, we’re proud of our deep history, organic origins, and mined-in-America rocks. Mostly we’re proud to provide you with quality equine products. We love horses, and we understand when your horse feels good, you feel good. Our natural, effective supplements improve your life by helping you focus on what you love about your horse without worrying about their health.

Now that you know where your Redmond Rock salt licks come from, check out our other quality horse supplements! You'll love the simple, natural ingredients and gentle benefits. And if you don't love a product or see results, we'll refund your money, guaranteed. The risk is on us. So click below to shop Redmond products now and make a difference in your horse's health and future.

Learn More

• Redmond Rock is the best salt lick you can offer your horse. Learn why and compare Rock to other mineral blocks.
• Worried your horse block isn't delivering enough minerals or keeping your horse hydrated? Learn what to do about it in this blog. 

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