Karen’s Musings & Endurance Ride Stuff

Below is an excerpt and link to an article about beet pulp and covers just about everything you need to know on the topic.  It’s by a really good equine nutritionist - be sure to check out a few of the other links and info on Dr. G’s site while you are there.

I don’t feed a lot of beet pulp but I do use it on occasion, especially at endurance rides.  In the past I’ve used it to help keep weight on a high mileage horse (NOT Chief - he’s on a perpetual diet, poor baby!).

I usually add salt to some soaked beet pulp and feed it a couple of times a day for a day or two ahead of hauling a long distance.  I think that helps the horses get plumped up so they arrive at the ride in better shape hydration wise than they would have had I not done that.

During endurance rides I’ll also add their Omolene or complete feed into some soaked beet pulp and make a big mash out of everything.

I’ve heard from a few friends this year that the cost of beet pulp has skyrocketed - it’s gone up here by probably 40% over a year ago and in other areas it has doubled.  Hopefully feed prices overall will drop so we can all get some relief.  Feeding these working horses can really add up!

I usually prefer to get my beet pulp in pellets if there is a choice.  I can easily put 100 pounds of pellets into one of my feed containers in the horse trailer whereas only 50 pounds of shreds will fit in the same container.  I always soak it ahead of time so it’s not a big deal and I like having the larger quantity on hand for the longer trips.

This last year I’ve been using these wire mesh baskets (see photos) to soak the beet pulp in and drain out the excess water and sugars.  Chief does much better when I limit how much sugar or molasses he gets prior to a ride.  I’m all for safe and sane ride starts!!

The Myths and Reality of Beet Pulp

By Dr. Susan Garlinghouse

Beet pulp is not only one of the most gratifying, but also one of the most frustrating feeds for an equine nutritionist. Few feeds have as many myths and evil predictions associated with it. “It’ll swell up and rupture the horse’s stomach”, “It’ll make them choke”, “It has too much sugar”, and “It has no nutritional value whatsoever” are just a few of the diabolical warnings floating around, none of which are in fact accurate. As with any other type of feed, understanding a little more about beet pulp’s nutritional content and effects on the body will help a horse owner understand where this useful feed can most profitably be incorporated into an equine ration.

Beet pulp is the by-product resulting from the extraction of simple sugars in the manufacture of table sugar. Extraction processes being as efficient as they are, the remaining pulp has little or no sucrose (table sugar) left in it and in fact, many feed manufacturers will add varying amounts of molasses to increase the palatability and reduce pulp dust. Although many horse owners are concerned about feeding “too much sugar” in the form of molasses, 5% in ten pounds of beet pulp is equivalent to only 86 grams of simple sugars-about the same as that contained in a few apples.

Feeds are most commonly categorized as either a forage, an energy feed or a protein supplement. Feeds with fiber content higher than 18% crude fiber are considered a forage and include feeds such as all types of hay (including dairy-quality alfalfa or meal made from alfalfa), soybean hulls, almond hulls and ground corn cobs. Feeds that contain less than 18% crude fiber and less than 20% crude protein are categorized as an energy feed and include all cereal grains, wheat and rice bran, fats and molasses. Feeds which contain less than 18% crude fiber and more that 20% crude protein are categorized as a protein supplement and include feeds such as meals derived from soybean, linseed or cottonseed, brewers yeast, fish meal, sunflower seeds and dehydrated milk.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

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