Warm Days, Chilly Nights and a Cold Snap Moving In - Salt is for Winter, Too!

Just another reminder that these conditions in the Southwest can set up your horse to easily become dehydrated which can lead to an impaction.

Your first line of defense? SALT!  An adult horse needs about an ounce of plain white salt a day added to feed for maintenance - about four teaspoons or a small handful. This will ensure an adequate "thirst response" as long as fresh clean water is available.  Most horses can't get enough salt solely from a block, although a plain white block or brick should always be kept available in their feeder and/or turn out area.

Next in our line of defense is monitoring water intake. My horses consistently are drinking ten to twelve gallons each now that the weather has cooled down, and a little more when daytime highs go up into the 80's (I just love living in Arizona!)  I long ago got rid of my automatic waterers and switched to large muck buckets for water, along with a 100 gallon tank in the turn out area. If you use automatic waterers, they need to be checked every day to ensure they are working properly and not freezing up during the night; providing a bucket of water also is good insurance but not always possible if you board. You should also do a hydration check on your horse daily - squeeze a fold of skin between your index finger and thumb, it should snap back flat in less than three seconds, and check that the gums are moist, not dry or sticky.

As horses age they make less saliva when they chew; this can be aggravated if water intake is inadequate. Combined with worn or missing teeth hay can become difficult to chew into digestible lengths which will pass easily through the digestive system leading up to an impaction.

Consider using a leaf mulcher to chop hay into finer lengths and/or wetting the hay down.  Getting the older horse used to accepting concentrates as a mash, with wetter and soupier consistency as it's accepted, is a good way to get more water into these older campaigners.  Hay pellets and beet pulp shreds will hold many times their weight in water and the fineness of the grind makes them a good option.

Caution with beet pulp pellets - unless they're soaked for several hours, beet pulp pellets can retain a hard center which may cause a problem for some horses.  I've been finding much more consistency in the beet pulp shreds I purchase now (cleaner, more consistent chop) than when I first started feeding beet pulp fifeen years ago, plus they soak up water quickly, eliminating the need for a long soak.

Feeding the mash in a large muck bucket will also encourage whoever is doing the feeding to add more water than if the feed is mixed up in a small bucket. I mix the beet pulp shreds, Timothy hay pellets, supplement (AZ Copper Complete), salt and any other add-ins in easy to carry buckets out to the stalls, then dump it into the large muck buckets and soak it all with a hard spray setting with a hose to thoroughly mix, using at least a gallon of water per horse.   The muck buckets are easy to keep clean and don't tip easily - at least not until they're down to licking up every last drop!


Bottom line - plain white salt is likely the most essential supplement you can provide to your horse - along with lots of clean, fresh water and quality forage.

Stay warm and enjoy your horses!

Patti
in warm sunny Vail AZ - until the weekend (Brrrrrr)

Links:
AZ Copper Complete - http://horsetech.com/arizona-copper-complete
Leaf Mulchers - http://www.bestreviews.guide/leaf-mulchers?
Large muck buckets -http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/search/muck%20bucket

Baby It's Cold Outside

The thermometer showed 42°F this morning - chilly for those of us used to the sunny warmth of Southern Arizona but just right for our horses.

Horses thrive in “thermo neutral” temperatures ranging from 40 or 45°F to 65°F.  Above 65, they begin to rely on sweating, with water and salt loss, for cooling.  Under 45 they use energy to maintain their body temperature.  

According to Dr. Robert A. Mowrey, Extension Horse Specialist at North Carolina State University, the standard “critical temperature” is 45°F, with 10 degrees subtracted for wind and another 10 degrees subtracted for rain/wet coats becoming the “actual” temperature. 

On a 45 degree day, if the horse is wet and unprotected from wind the “actual” temperature is 25 degrees - which is cold.  For each degree below the critical temperature the horse requires a 1% increase in calories to maintain a constant temperature.

At 25°F a horse needs 20% more calories than when the temperature is a neutral 45 degrees. That’s 20% more calories, not 20% more forage - how that translates to hay or beet pulp depends on the DE (digestible energy in Mcal per pound) of the forage.  For grass hay with a DE of 0.8 Mcal/lb that would mean an additional 1.2 pounds of hay, with alfalfa hay or beet pulp at about 1.2 Mcal/lb, he would need less than a pound of additional forage.

The calorie increase should come from forage - preferably long stem grass or alfalfa hay, but cubes, pellets or beet pulp also work. This is because the greatest amount of immediate heat maintaining energy is produced by the fermentation of forage in the hind gut.  While additional calories from grain will help retain body weight, grain doesn’t provide the heat-producing fermentation that forage does.

The Cold Weather Feeding Chart and Calculator on my web site can help you determine how much additional forage is needed for your winter temperatures.  The Chart in the pdf file is set for a 1000 lb horse; you can use a percentage of the recommendation if your horse weighs more or less.  Or, if you’re comfortable with spreadsheets, you can download the Excel version (opens with Excel, Numbers or Open Office Calc) and plug in your horse’s weight and the DE of your hay.

These are starting points - your easy keeper may need less and your hard keeper may need the more concentrated calories from alfalfa or beet pulp. And if your horse is a senior or is IR/PPID and prone to laminitis in the winter, don’t forget the boots and leg warmers.  Do use a cooler until your horse is dry after work but think twice about blanketing a horse with a full winter coat - no matter how cold it feels to us your horse can easily become overheated and start sweating under a winter blanket.

Warm regards,

Patti in sunny but chilly Vail, AZ

Links

Cold Weather Feeding Chart (pdf and Excel) http://www.desertequinebalance.com/Files/handy-calculators

Cold Weather Feeding Practices for Horses 

http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/vhc/efac/equine/documents/ColdWeatherFeedingPracticesforhorse-B.Mowrey.pdf

Nutritional content averages for feeds - Dairy One Feed Composition Library

http://www.dairyone.com/Forage/FeedComp/disclaimer.asp

Feeding My Underweight Thoroughbred

In Beet Pulp II - How to Soak and Feed Anonymous wrote:
Hello! I just recently bought a five year old thoroughbred gelding in june. He was in rough, rough shape. Bad case of rainrot, and a bag of bones. I have put about 50lbs on him. His teeth were done in june, he was dewormed in june, and a vet had checked him before, also in june. I just recently slowly started switching his grain over to Legend Equine Senior Feed and Beet Pulp. He gets fed 2x a day. 4 flakes of hay in the morning, and turnout in the evening until the morning at 8 a.m.

I was curious to know around about how much I should be feeding him? I gave him 3 qrts of senior feed, 2 qrts of his previous feed, his supplements, and I gave him about 1/4 of 3 qrt scoop of beet pulp. I mixed it all together, then soaked it. Should I do this 2x daily? Or beet pulp mixed in with feed only in am, and then regular senior feed in pm? He needs to gain weight, like badly. So, please help! :)

 Good for you for seeing the potential in this young horse and for spending the time and effort to find out how to bring out his best.

For safe weight gain, we want to feed to his "ideal" weight - which, for an adult Thoroughbred we expect to be between 1000 and 1200 pounds.   The foundation of his ration should be forage - hay, pasture, beet pulp, hay pellets - at least 1.5 to 2.5% of his ideal body weight, using the upper range for weight gain.  If he should weigh 1100 pounds, then he should be getting a minimum of 22 to 28 lbs of forage.  Because we can only estimate how much he consumes when he is turned out in pasture at night, at least half to two thirds of that  (11 to 18 or more pounds) should be hay, spread out over the day.  If he comes in from pasture seeming really hungry in the morning, he should be getting more hay.

If the hay and pasture are good quality, they will provide most of the protein, energy (calories) and major minerals that he needs.  If a portion of it is alfalfa, which has high protein and calcium levels, he might not even need supplemental "feeds" unless he is working. If this is the case, then all that is needed to be added would be a quality supplement that supplies generous levels of trace minerals and plain salt - 2 to 3 ounces/day.

Fish Scale from Walmart

You should be weighing all his feed - nutrition requirements are based on weight and volume measurements (quarts, cans, etc.) are not accurate.  The weight of a "flake" or "leaf" of hay can vary considerably depending on the size of the bale and how tightly it was packed.  With different varieties of hay in my barn right now, I have some "flakes" weighing as little as 4 pounds and some weighing as much as 9 pounds.  One of the best (and least expensive) investments you can make is a "fish scale", available in sporting goods departments of stores such as Walmart and Target for under $10.00. This can be used to weigh hay - in hay nets or in a muck bucket - and to accurately weigh concentrate feeds and grain.

If at all possible, spreading his hay feedings over more than just the morning meal will also help your horse gain and maintain his weight. Using small mesh hay nets can help smooth out his hay intake and help avoid any lengthy periods when he is without forage in his stomach.  We tend to think of using these to help lose weight but they work as well when your horse needs to gain.

Supplemental concentrates and grain are generally used to take up the slack if forage and pasture don't meet all the horse's requirements for calories and protein.  I tend to be a fan of using "straights" - grain such as oats or barley plus a quality supplement - instead of premixed feed concentrates. This lets you keep the vitamin and mineral supplementation separate from energy and protein supplementation.  Vitamin and mineral requirements tend to remain fairly stable while energy and protein needs can vary more depending on work level and other factors (age, pregnancy, etc.).  But pre-mixed concentrates can contribute quality protein and energy sources.  They tend to target basic calorie, protein and mineral requirements for a specific class of horse (senior, growth, performance, pasture ornament, etc.) and the main differences are in the amount of processing and level and type of carbohydrates.  

Senior horses often can't chew well and produce less saliva so can benefit form more highly processed feeds - this helps make up for their poorer digestion.  Senior feeds are often designated as "complete" feeds and need to be fed at high levels if you're counting on them to supply vitamins and minerals.

Pre-mixed concentrate feeds need to be fed at levels specified by the manufacturer to provide the vitamins and minerals needed by your horse.  If fed at lower amounts, his ration could become deficient in essential nutrients. One way I compare feeds is to see how much needs to be fed to supplement a desirable level of copper - 125 mg per day for your 1100 pound horse.. 

 It would take about 7 pounds of the Legend Senior (pelleted) to provide the daily requirement for copper. Legends Grow & Perform would require about 5 and a half pounds.  You would only need 4.6 pounds of the Mare & Foal pelleted feed to meet the copper requirement.  Concentrates should be spread over two or three meals when possible.

To really optimize his ration, having hay analyzed and supplementing based on the hay test results provides the best, and usually the most cost effective way to form a feeding plan.  This can be done together with using a concentrate feed as most feeds are "balanced to themselves".   When using both a supplement and a fortified feed, you need to watch that the total levels of selenium, vitamin A and vitamin D aren't too high.  This isn't a problem when using "straights" to boost calories and protein.

Finally, although "high fat" has been the latest fad, fermentable fiber (hay, beet pulp) still remains the best way to provide calories for weight gain.  But when you do add fat, make sure it's not just empty calories - make it count nutritionally.  Stabilized rice bran and stabilized or fresh ground flax  can add fat calories plus provide essential fatty acids (Omega 6 and Omega 3) and boost protein.  Rice bran is high in Omega 6, so make sure you provide an equal or larger amount (by weight) of flax, which is high in Omega 3.  

Best regards,

Patti in Vail, AZ


Links:
Southern States Legends feeds http://www.southernstates.com/catalog/g-179-legends-horse-feeds.aspx 
Walmart - Berkley Fish Scale http://www.walmart.com/ip/Berkley-Scale-with-Tape/16637411
Article Small Mesh Hay Nets  http://www.desertequinebalance.com/articles/small-mesh-hay-nets
NutraFlax http://www.horsetech.com/nutra-flax.html
Omega HorseShine http://www.omegafields.com/equine-products/omega-horseshiner.html
Analyzing Hay and Feeds http://www.desertequinebalance.com/articles/analyzing-hay-and-feeds

Can Beet Pulp Replace Psyllium to Avoid Sand Build Up?

Anonymous asked onMar 31, 2012 02:08 PM

I live in Nevada and was told beet pulp will help in getting sand out of my horses bellies. I'm new to this horse thing and would love some help as we love our horses. If you would email the answer to me at ****@yahoo.com thank you

Reports of using Beet Pulp to help avoid a build up of sand in the large intestine of horses are mainly anecdotal.  I don't advocate replacing psyllium with beet pulp, but it does share some similar properties (gel-forming pectin) that might help with sand removal. Beet pulp also encourages development of "good" microbes in the gut,which helps improve fiber fermentation (poor fermentation is one cause of "hay belly"). 


Sand impaction is common in areas with sandy soils.  The sand gradually accumulates in the colon and can cause chronic discomfort or acute colic.  You vet can identify characteristic "grating" sounds of sand in the abdomen and sand can sometimes be found in the manure.  Sand accumulation can be seen with some imaging devices in your veterinarian's clinic (field ultrasound and xray machines are not powerful enough to visualize the abdomen).


Psyllium has traditionally been used to prevent or remove sand accumulation in the horse's gastrointestinal (GI) tract and there are a multitude of products available in tack and feed stores and online catalogs. Psyllium  contains mucilage which when ingested and mixed with the fluids in the GI tract forms a gel. It is thought that this "gel" picks up and helps move the sand.  


Two studies have shown that psyllium had no effect on the removal of sand from the large intestine (within the parameters of the studies' designs).  A later study showed that a [specific product] containing psyllium plus pre- and pro-biotics may be effective prevention treatment.  At an Equine Veterinary Congress in Italy in 2010, in a presentation by an American veterinarian it was proposed "The efficacy of psyllium is highly controversial, but can be used because it is unlikely to cause problems and owners will expect it."


So, in light of these studies and the claims of the makers of the many psyllium products, where does that leave us?  


This is something to discuss with your vet. I live in sandy desert and stopped feeding psyllium about ten years ago when I began feeding beet pulp to all my horses.  (See Beet Pulp I - You want me to eat WHAT???) I feed hay in small mesh hay feeders or scattered over an acre or more to "simulate" grazing.  Several different veterinarians have indicated they hear no sand when checking my horses.


I have had more than one veterinarian tell me the best prevention for sand colic is feeding "free choice hay" (which might be best done in slow feed hay nets to avoid excess weight gain) and others agree with the feeding of beet pulp as a prevention tactic.  Using mats under feeders will help our equine "Hoovers" from rooting around in the sand to find those last tidbits - especially with wet or oily feeds which sand can stick to or hay like alfalfa which drops fine leaves.

Photo from WHISKERS-ON

For a bit of fun, get down to ground level with your horse as he munches some hay or a treat off the ground and watch how he uses his whiskers and sensitive lips to easily pick up only the "good stuff".

References

Failure of Psyllium Mucilloid to Facilitate the Evacuation of Sand from the Equine Large Intestine
Phillip D. Hammock, DVM; David E. Freeman, MVB, PhD; and Gordon J. Baker, BVSc, PhD, MRCVS
http://www.ivis.org/proceedings/AAEP/1998/Hammock.pdf


Fecal Sand Clearance Is Enhanced With a Product Combining Probiotics, Prebiotics, and Psyllium in Clinically Normal Horses
A. D. Landes1, D. M. Hassel2, J. D. Funk3 and A. E. Hill4
1 Equine Medical Service, Fort Collins, CO, USA. 2School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA. 3,4College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
http://www.ivis.org/proceedings/aaep/2007/landes/chapter.asp


Chronic colic: diagnosis and treatment
David Freeman
MVB, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA
http://www.ivis.org/proceedings/sive/2010/english/18.pdf


The Myths and Reality of Beet Pulp
Copyright Susan Garlinghouse, 1999
http://www.shady-acres.com/susan/beetpulp.shtml

From Horse Apples to Poo Soup

To most horse lovers, Parfum de Pommes Cheval is part of the stable lifestyle. But what happens when those fragrant horse apples turn into poo soup?

Diarrhea in our horse is an indication that all is not well in his digestive tract and can have serious consequences. It may quickly lead to dehydration which can be a primary cause of colic. It's important to determine the cause but, while we're figuring this out, there are some steps we should take to avoid more serious problems.

• Monitor your horse's water intake. If you use an automatic waterer, turn it off and provide water in a large container (tub, tank or large, clean trash barrel). Make sure your horse will drink from this source.
• Provide a second bucket of water that has some salt added - a small handful of plain salt in a 3-gallon bucket is about right.
• Provide wet feed such as a beet pulp slurry or add water to his usual concentrate to make a wet mash. A benefit of beet pulp is it will also act as a "pre-biotic".
• Feed hay wet - either spray with water or dunk in a bucket.
• Watch that your horse is actually swallowing his water and mash - not just playing with it. Some illnesses can cause paralysis of the esophagus and prevent swallowing.

Call your vet immediately if:

• Your horse can't swallow.
• He has a temperature above 102F (or 1 degree above his "normal" temperature).
• Your horse seems dehydrated. Do a skin pinch test on the shoulder or neck - the tented skin should immediately snap back with no "wrinkles". Check his gums - they should be a healthy pink; press on the gum until it's blanched (white) - it should become pink again in less than 3 seconds.
• His resting heart rate is higher than normal (in the 30's or low 40's). You should have a record of his normal heart rate from doing "well horse checks" when your horse is healthy.
• Your horse seems depressed - standing with his head in a corner, not responding like he normally does or ignoring his surroundings.
• The diarrhea has a foul odor - not the normal fragrance of manure - or you can see blood or mucous.
• He acts like his tummy hurts - looking at or biting his sides, pacing, anxious look on his face.

If your horse is otherwise bright and healthy appearing and is eating and drinking normally, it may be safe to wait and watch a day or so to see if the diarrhea resolves on its own - like the "nervous squirts" many horses will have when trailering or after being moved to a new place. But if your horse seems off, it doesn't hurt to at least give your veterinarian a heads up - you and your vet may decide that some extra fluids (by IV or tube) might be appropriate to avert an emergency in the middle of the night.

With an acute, or sudden onset of diarrhea, trying to slow down or stop it is not always the best route. Diarrhea is one of the ways the body has to rid itself of pathogens in the GI tract. Some pathogens create toxins that can damage the intestines - if the body is kept from eliminating them the pathogens can multiply and continue to create toxins. "C. diff" (Clostridium difficile) is one example - this can cause painful cramps and serious damage to the intestines and requires antibiotics to resolve - your vet is likely to order stool cultures to determine the best treatment.

Recurring or chronic diarrhea may be caused by bacteria but may also have its root in poor gut function - poor fermentation of the fiber in his forage from a variety of causes, inflammation, poor immune function and fungal infection. If pathogens have been ruled out, there are several things you can look at -

• Evaluate your horse's diet for adequate forage (1.5 to 2% or more of body weight) and concentrates that may provide excess sugar or starch.
• Provide smaller, more frequent concentrate meals to lower the chance of undigested sugars getting past the cecum and small intestine to the hind gut.
• Examine your hay and feed for mold, insects or rodent droppings. If hay is of questionable quality, it can be tested for mycotoxins - see Equi-Analytical's web site.
• Add a pre-biotic or pro-biotic - such as Ration Plus, S. cerevisiae yeast, Forco or other quality product to your horse's ration. Pro-biotics in a feed or supplement may not be included in sufficient quantity to be effective in establishing adequate gut microbes. Beet pulp also acts as a "pre-biotic" - helping set up favorable conditions in the gut to encourage the "good" bugs to grow.
• Many people have reported success using human "over the counter" remedies to sooth and protect the GI tract. These include aloe vera juice, simethicone or antacids containing simethicone and kaolin/pectin (also available as a large animal preparation at some feed stores). As a rule of thumb, an equine dose is about four to six times the human dose - think "weight based" and consult your vet.
• There are also many products now targeted to the equine GI tract. Dr. Eleanor Kellon's Horse Journal Guide to Equine Supplements and Nutraceuticals has a complete section on Digestive Tract Aids.
• Ensure your horse is receiving adequate salt in his ration. Inadequate salt may lead to chronic dehydration at the cellular level which can affect all bodily functions. Horses are unable to get enough salt from a salt or mineral block. One to two ounces (approximately one to two heaping Tablespoons) of regular table salt is about right for an "average" size horse at maintenance.
• Evaluate your horse's deworming program, especially if his exposure risk has changed. "Natural" dewormers have not been shown to be effective and horses with lowered immune system defenses (including from age) are more susceptible to problems from parasites.

Don't give commercial electrolytes to a dehydrated horse - this can worsen any problems he may be having. A second bucket of water containing some salt can be offered and may encourage drinking but only if plain water is also available. Your veterinarian may want to give electrolytes in IV fluid but she will also ensure that adequate plain fluid (normal saline IV or plain water via stomach tube) is also given.

Most diarrhea in horses will resolve fairly quickly, but keep a sharp watch for dehydration or other signs that you need to call your vet.

Beet Pulp II - How to Soak and Feed

Beet Pulp is available

• Plain - no molasses added. The only ingredient listed on the label will be "Beet Pulp". The sugar content of unmolassed Beet Pulp can range from 6% to 12% but is usually less than 10%.
• Molasses added. The label will list "Beet Pulp" and "Molasses". The sugar content of molassed Beet Pulp can run from around 12% to higher than 20%. Small amounts of molasses may be added for dust control without being listed on the ingredient tag.
• Beet Pulp "shreds" usually have no further processing after the sugar is removed, some shreds are chopped before being bagged. Size can vary from a "rough chop" to larger bark-like flat pieces.
• Beet Pulp pellets are shreds that have been finely chopped and formed into pellets.
• SpeediBeet is a brand of micronized (extremely finely chopped) beet pulp which absorbs water very quickly. Popular in the UK, it is slowly becoming available in the US.
  

How Much to Feed

A half pound (dry weight before soaking) of plain Beet Pulp makes a good low-carbohydrate carrier for supplements. This would be in the range of a couple of handfuls of pellets or a little more than half of a 1lb coffee can of shreds. This is the amount often used to replace a higher sugar/starch "prepared" feed.

Feeding a pound or two (dry weight) of Beet Pulp will help maintain weight and 3 to 4 pounds or more will help with weight gain without increasing starch levels as grain does.

Because of its high fiber content, it can be used as 25-40% of the ration for horses who have difficulty chewing.


Soaking Beet Pulp

Beet Pulp shreds can be fed without soaking - this has long been a practice at race tracks. Dry shreds are no more likely to cause choke than any other dry feed however most horses (and their humans) prefer them soaked, or at least moistened. Some shreds will soak up in as little as ten minutes in warm water; twenty to thirty minutes is usually adequate.

Beet Pulp pellets tend to be much harder than other pellets and it is strongly suggested they be fully soaked. They will soften up in an hour or two depending on the brand and temperature and will expand up to 10 times their original volume in 4-8 hours. It's really difficult to describe if you've never seen it.

Caution - I've soaked beet pulp up to 12 hours without any problem but have heard others report it getting "sour" if left too long, especially in warm weather. You can start soaking in the morning for an evening feed (and in the evening for a morning feed), keeping it out of the sun.

I like to drain the soaked beet pulp (I use a mesh colander) and will also rinse if the dry beet pulp was very dusty or if I think it might have a bit of molasses in it. If I notice a horse isn't drinking as well as I'd like, I will sometimes add some water back in and serve his beet pulp as a "soup".

You can then add supplements, salt and other "stuff" (I toss in a handful of Timothy pellets) either top dressed or stirred in.

Some horses will initially turn up their nose at beet pulp and will take some acclimating. It can help to start with just a little added to something they already like, then gradually increase the beet pulp while decreasing the other feed to make the transition. I've personally never encountered this - every horse I've given beet pulp to just dived right in. But if your horse needs a taste tempter, Megan's website page on Natural Flavorings has some good ideas.

I have found that using feed pans rather than wall feeders simplifies clean up - I can take the pans to a hose to rinse them out. (Left over beet pulp will turn rancid or mold if left in a feeder.)

Tips for Boarders

Boarding your horse always makes controlling your horse’s diet harder but many have found ways to work beet pulp into the routine.

• If you can get to the barn daily, soak the beet pulp at home or at work (a small cooler can work well for soaking and transporting). You can do this once a week or so and keep it in baggies in your freezer, ready for a quick grab on your way out the door.

• If the barn has a refrigerator, you can soak/drain/rinse the beet pulp at home and pack in individual baggies to keep in the barn’s fridge. (For more than 3-4 days, it should be kept in the freezer.)

• While “soak/drain/rinse” is ideal to remove surface iron, dust and residual sugar, the draining/rinsing could be skipped if your beet pulp is unmolassed and relatively dust free.

• If the barn owner is willing to help, make it easy for them. Pre-measure the beet pulp and your supplements into baggies, provide a large closed bucket or other container to keep your stuff neat and together. If needed, provide the bucket for soaking, a colander for draining, a metal sweat scraper for stirring. And be willing to offer paying a bit extra for this service.

Beet pulp is not “necessary” but is a low sugar/low starch alternative to bagged feeds and grain or can be used as a substitute for some of the hay ration (especially if you need to replace some high sugar/starch hay) and is well accepted by most horses. It doesn’t take long to get into a routine and the benefits usually outweigh any inconvenience.

Don't forget to check out Beet Pulp I - You want me to eat WHAT???

if you came here to Part II first.

Beet Pulp I - You want me to eat WHAT???

Beet Pulp

• Is the fiber left over after the sugar is removed from sugar beets
• Averages 9.6% protein
• Is low sugar (avg 10.1%) and starch (avg 1.3%)
• Provides energy at 1.2Mcal per pound (similar to alfalfa, slightly less than oats)
• Can replace up to 25% of the hay ration
• Can help “hard keepers” gain/maintain weight without adding excess sugar and starch
• Will hold 3 to 10 times it’s volume in water
• Can be soaked and fed in a consistency from barely "moist” for horses with chewing problems to "soupy” to help get in fluid
  
  

Hmmm...this stuff ain't so bad after all

~ See How to Soak and Feed Beet Pulp

~ Read The Famous Squirrel Story (Susan Evans Garlinghouse, DVM's nutrition pages)

~ Reference DairyOne Feed Composition Library