- Beet pulp provides a highly digestible, easily chewed and very palatable form of sugars and fatty acids to the horse when added to the diet. Unlike comparable concentrates, like corn, beet pulp does not affect the glycemic index and cause the unfortunate side effect of hyperactivity or the dangerous side effects of colic and founder. It has become the feed supplement of choice for people who have endurance horses or horses who are aging and having trouble maintaining a healthy weight. Horses readily consume it, and it digests slowly, like other forage, providing a long-term benefit, unlike some grain concentrates, which are processed by the body very quickly.
- Up to 50 percent of the horse's average daily forage ration has been replaced with beet pulp with no adverse effects. In most cases, 5lbs of hay should be fed per 100lbs of the horse's body weight per day, so a typical 1000lb horse should consume about 20lbs of hay a day. Replacing 50 percent of this with beet pulp would mean you could feed up to 10lbs (pre-soaked) of beet pulp a day. The key to this is to avoid making the change all at once. As with any change in a horse's diet, the addition of the beet pulp should be gradual. Take up to a week to work your way to this amount of beet pulp being added to the horse's diet.
- Soaking your beet pulp in water before you feed it is standard procedure but is not absolutely necessary. In hot climates wet beet pulp sours quickly and can do so before the horse eats all of it. In cold climates, wet beet pulp can freeze, making it unpalatable. Replacing up to 45 percent of the forage with dry beet pulp has shown no adverse effects. Pelleted beet pulp does have a higher rate of choke, so soaking this type of beet pulp is probably wise. But keep in mind that feeding dry beet pulp, as long as you do so gradually, should have no adverse effects on your horse whatsoever.
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