Question on Feeding Beet Pulp

[carlenehorse]

I am going to start my 18 year old mare on some beet pulp but I am not sure how much to give her. She gets fed twice a day should I feed beet pulp once or twice a day?

She is 34 1/2 " tall.

Thanks Carlene

 

[muffntuf]

Can you give us some more information - why are you starting her on beet pulp? What is your intention for using beet pulp? Age? Showing? Build Up? Get weight off?

 

[Becky]

Are you trying to add weight? Or just more fiber? Beet pulp can take the place of up to 40% of your horses' daily fiber intake, so you can feed a pretty fair amount. I would start of with smaller amounts and increase as needed. Here, I use a 8oz measuring cup and feed anywhere from 1/2 to a whole cup dry weight of beet pulp shreds per horse twice a day depending on the horse. I haven't however actually weighed the beet pulp as it likely weighs less than that amount dry. I do feed it dry here.

 

[carlenehorse]

So Sorry I have been out of town all day today and just got home. My mare is starting to have trouble keeping weight and it was suggested that I use beet pulp. A friend gave me some and told me to soak it to see if she likes it.

NOPE won't eat it wet so i tried some dry and she ate it right up. I just want to make sure I give her the correct amount. I didn't know if you should feed it to her slowly and gradually increase the amount as time goes by.

Thanks for your help.

Carlene

 

[Miniv]

We had a saddlebred gelding visiting us for awhile. He belonged to a friend who was moving into the area. The poor guy arrived very underweight. I think he was underweight before he left his old home, and the stress of the trip made him drop even more. He's a nervous personality.

While he was with us we fed him a mixture of Senior Grain (a coffee can full) with approximately 2 cups of beet pulp, twice a day. (We soaked it, but it probably wasn't necessary.) He was also getting Orchard Grass. In just a matter of weeks he was in good weight, but still had a ways to go.

We've also had a miniature stallion that came to us enroute to another home. He was a rack of BONES. We have kept him here to build him up for the rest of the trip. He was in such bad shape he may not have survived the trip. His diet included free choice Orchard Grass, and a six cup scoop that was a mixture of Senior Grain and small Alfalfa Pellets, twice a day. Again, in a matter of weeks he was in good summer weight.....(He's almost Chubby now!) We never fed beet pulp to him, though.

PS: I need to correct myself..........The miniature stallion WAS offered soaked beet pulp when he first arrived but turned it down, so we ended up feeding as I described above.

 

[maestoso]

Beet Pulp is mainly fiber, with some other nutrition value, including protein. It doesn't have the sugars, carbs, and starches that grain has so you would have to feed a real lot to actually harm your horse. It would have a similar affect as feeding "too much" hay.