What are the benefits of beet pulp???

[ElliesMom]

Help please! What does beet pulp do? why is it needed, or is it needed? Where do you buy it?

 

[thegrandzapper]

the only thing i can tell you about beet pulp is that it helps to pack on the weight if a horse needs weight. i buy mine at my local feed store. velma

 

[kaykay]

there are alot of diff ways to use beet pulp. maybe robin will come explain. you can use it to add weight or you can use it to maintian weight. Many show horses eat beet pulp as it adds "bloom" to a horse. If you dont want your horse to gain weight then you replace hay with beet pulp. most that complain it makes horses too fat are because they are feeding it along with a regular ration of hay. If you dont want the weight gain you cut down the ration of hay. It also keeps their intestines cleaned out to avoid colic.

 

[Marty]

They don't need it in my opinion or atleast mine don't need it. It's a good source of fiber if you think your horses maybe lacking in the fiber departement. My horses are plenty fat without it. But I do feed it for the purpose of helping to keep them hydrated and avoid colic because I make it slopping wet. I only feed a little bit too. I over fed it a couple of years ago and mine blew up like blimps. During this stupid cold front, I am feeding it warm. During the summer heat, I feed it with regular tap water cool. I love to have fun with it and I like to mash up carrots in it too. Robin C is our resident nutrition expert so if she shows up, she can explain it to you.

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]Beet pulp adds fiber and good carbs with less calories than sweet feed. My horses all get it dry about a cup each in the am and pm with their sweet feed and forrage because I dont feed hay. I have also foundd that it puts wt on where you want it along the back bone and hips and not a hay belly.[/SIZE]

I feed it warm and wet in the winter when the buckets freeze before the horses ddrink enough and it encourages them to eat it and get better hydrated that way.

Lyn

 

[Robin_C]

BEET PULP:

What is it good for? used for?

It's a great fiber source and can replace some of the hay or grain in your horses' diet. That's one reason a lot of trainers use it. Horses require long-stemmed fiber in their diet – a minimum of 1% of their body weight to maintain proper gut health, but not the hay bellies that can go along with a lot of hay. Beet pulp can REPLACE up to 40% of the hay ration by dry weight. In other words, if your 200 lb mini requires 2 lbs of hay per day minimum, you could replace part of that ration (40%) with 0.8 lbs of dry weight beet pulp (which would make a LOT of wet beet pulp or a very satisfying, long-lasting meal), and still ensure proper gut motility. When fed wet, beet pulp can be a valuable source of hydration for your horse, especially important in the colder months when they don’t want to drink as much and tend to colic. It is also a good calorie source for energy, providing carbohydrates in the form of pectins rather than the type found in grains – much safer and is a slow-release energy vs. the fast burst type of energy supplied by grains. It is also a good source of calcium, and one must keep this in mind when providing it in large amounts, ensuring that the horse maintains the proper ratio of calcium to phosphorus in the diet. A simple mixture of 50:50 dry weight beet pulp to oats will provide a fairly balanced meal in terms of calciumhosphorus ratio, protein and other nutrients to the adult horse.

Can beet pulp be fed dry?

Yes and no. If you get the very finely crumbled or “shredded†beet pulp (looks like grape nuts cereal), then yes, you can feed it dry mixed in with their feed. Caution should be used, however, if the horse tends to bolt feed or has teeth problems (such as an older horse) that would not allow it to chew its food slowly and properly. One of the beauties of beet pulp, however, is the fact that it can provide a lot of water to the horse in its soaked form. I soak the shreds for as little as 5 minutes to a maximum of an hour. The long stringy beet pulp can more easily cause choke, especially if fed dry. I would NOT feed this type or the pelleted form without soaking for several hours. If you use hot water, however, even the pelleted form will be ready much more quickly.

How much?

It depends on the horse. Show horses might have beet pulp ADDED to their regular ration in order to maintain weight during their rigorous exercise programs. This could vary from as little as a handful to over 3 cups. Beet pulp is safe to feed in almost any amount as it does not require the safety precautions of grain in terms of overfeeding. The only rule of thumb is no more than 1 lb of dry weight per day to a mini (and that’s a LOT of wet beet pulp) because that would probably be more bulk than a mini’s digestive system could handle in a day. Remember, however, when feeding a large volume of beet pulp (in the range of 4 cups wet or more per day), a phosphorus source needs to be provided in the proper ratio to counterbalance the large amount of calcium being provided by the beet pulp. This can be done by adding .5 oz of non-calcium added rice bran for every 4 oz of dry weight beet pulp, Straight grains, wheat bran or a phosphorus supplement in proper amounts are alternatives – but you’ll have to do some math to figure out the proper ratio. When beet pulp is fed in small amounts, balancing the calciumhosphorus ratio is not as much of an issue. Additionally adult horses can tolerate a wider range of calciumhosphorus ratio imbalance than can young, growing horses which should be maintained as close to 1:1 to 1.5:1 as possible.

Maintenance adult horses could have some or all of the grain ration replaced with beet pulp. Beet pulp provides about as many calories per dry ounce as oats and also about the same amount of protein – perfectly adequate for the adult maintenance horse with no health issues. Add a vitamin-mineral supplement and good quality hay or grazing and you have a simple meal plan which will meet the needs of most maintenance horses and would probably greatly benefit “air ferns†or “easy keepers†as the carbohydrate and sugar level of beet pulp is much less than that of grains or most commercial feeds.

Does it HAVE to be wet?

I think this provides the most benefit as it introduces more water to the gut. If they find it distasteful to start with, mix anything they like in with it - feed, carrots, apples. At first try offering it at night – soon you'll probably find empty feed buckets in the morning. Also, different horses will enjoy their beet pulp prepared in different ways. Some will like it soupy wet while others will prefer it more well-drained. If your minis tend to be on the heavy side, you may get more results from the beet pulp diet by rising OFF the molasses before you feed it. You can do this by pre-rinsing in a colander, then soaking, pouring the rinse water off (it will be tea or coffee-colored from the molasses), rinsing again, then adding some fresh water. Sounds like a lot of work, but it’s not all that bad and your fatties will benefit from the removal of the sugar/molasses.

As you can tell, I am a real beet pulp fanatic. Living in Fla, I want my horses to have as much fiber as possible, given our sand situation. After I started feeding it, colic problems and diarrhea problems went away and haven't returned. That's proof enough for me! Good luck.

For more niformation on the nutritive value of beet pulp, visit

The Myths and Realities of Beet Pulp

Robin C

 

[ElliesMom]

Thankyou for everyones help - I dont think my little "Fat Belly Ellie" needs to come anywhere near this.....she's just a pet anyway, I dont show her. Sounds like she might end up wider than she is tall (if she's not already lol) ! I have started adding mineral oil and water to her grain since she coliced recently to keep her guts slicked up. I hope this will help to prevent any more colic!

Thanks again everyone!

 

[Magic]

As you can tell, I am a real beet pulp fanatic.  Living in Fla, I want my horses to have as much fiber as possible, given our sand situation.  After I started feeding it, colic problems and diarrhea problems went away and haven't returned.  That's proof enough for me!  Good luck.

490843[/snapback]

​

This is the main reason I like beet pulp so much, myself. I like the fact that it adds so much liquid to the horses, which is great in the hot summers and in the colder weather when they may not be drinking as much as they should. Also for traveling. I also like that it helps keep weight on the topline instead of doing the "hay belly" thing. Call me a beet-pulp convert!

Thanks so much, Robin, for sharing your knowledge in nutrition with us. I always read your posts very carefully, and I know my horses benefit!

 

[Shasta]

I normally fed Beet Pulp to my large halter horses but now finding it is great for my mini's also. I feed a handful of beet pulp 2x's a day with her oats. Been feeding it dry but going to switch to wet because of the winter and like someone else said about hydration. Wondering if I should not feed my mini any hay at all now. Been watching her weight and she is still very tubby. She is a yearling so might just be that stage she is at. I wormed her regular. I'm only feeding her a large handful of grass hay. Was having a hard time getting the tub off when I was feeding alfalfa. Probably to much with the beet pulp being added.

humm..good advise..thanks

 

[JeanS]

I have been using Beet Pulp for about a year, My horses look better than they ever have. Mine do not like it wet so it is fed dry. I use PLAIN beet pulp with no molasses as it is better for them. Weight has not been a problem with them on it, each horse gets the proper ammount for their size.

Jean

 

[ChrystalPaths]

When winter creeps up on us I go get my Purina Complete Advantage. It is a beet pulp based complete feed. I think it helps to get them to drink more and is great calories for making heat. It's been in the 30s all weekand I just got my first bag. Each horse gets 1/2c with their regular feed. I've done it for 3 winters so far and have been very happy with it. The wet stuff is too heavy for me to work with and I find this a pleasant alternative and they love it!

Robin? What do you think, we can always count on you!

 

[mountain_waif]

....

 

[chandab]

BEET PULP:
A simple mixture of 50:50 dry weight beet pulp to oats will provide a fairly balanced meal in terms of calciumhosphorus ratio, protein and other nutrients to the adult horse.

Remember, however, when feeding a large volume of beet pulp (in the range of 4 cups wet or more per day), a phosphorus source needs to be provided in the proper ratio to counterbalance the large amount of calcium being provided by the beet pulp.  This can be done by adding .5 oz of non-calcium added rice bran for every 4 oz of dry weight beet pulp, Straight grains, wheat bran or a phosphorus supplement in proper amounts are alternatives – but you’ll have to do some math to figure out the proper ratio.  When beet pulp is fed in small amounts, balancing the calciumhosphorus ratio is not as much of an issue. 

Robin C

490843[/snapback]

​

Any suggestions on a phosphorus supplement and where to find it? I would rather not add rice bran and one of my horses really doesn't need oats. [i have very limited horse feeds available locally, so phosphorus supplement would have to be ordered].

Thank you.

 

[chandab]

BEET PULP:[A simple mixture of 50:50 dry weight beet pulp to oats will provide a fairly balanced meal in terms of calciumhosphorus ratio, protein and other nutrients to the adult horse.

a phosphorus source needs to be provided in the proper ratio to counterbalance the large amount of calcium being provided by the beet pulp.  This can be done by adding .5 oz of non-calcium added rice bran for every 4 oz of dry weight beet pulp, Straight grains, wheat bran or a phosphorus supplement in proper amounts are alternatives – but you’ll have to do some math to figure out the proper ratio.  The Myths and Realities of Beet Pulp

Robin C

490843[/snapback]

​

Can someone tell me where to get a phosphorus supplement? Name? Supplier?

I would rather not add rice bran and one horse doesn't need any oats added.

I tried to post this question last night and the computer ate my message.

 

[chandab]

Stupid computer and double posting.

Last night it wouldn't post, now I get two.

 

[Nosuthastomasp1]

I don't know why we started feeding it except some people just told us to. And in the almost three years with the horses, being up to 12 here at some points (Which I know isn't a lot by some standards, but for us it was a ton!) we've only had one get sick, so maybe the beet pulp helped with that. I know that over the last few days when it was cold we made the beet pulp with really hot water, and they loved it! It kept them warm, and got fluid in them when they weren't drinking because it was wet and cold.

Jessie