Beet pulp is a common food that’s found in barns all over the USA, but what is beet pulp and is it good for a horse's diet? If you’ve never used beet pulp, these hard pellets might seem like a bit of a mystery. But fear not, we’ll reveal the truth in this horse owners guide and tell you everything you need to know about beet pulp for horses.
What’s Beet Pulp?
Beet pulp is a byproduct of the sugar beet industry. It’s made from the leftovers from sugar beets once all of the sugar has been removed. And although equine beet pulp is sold in sacks, it isn’t a grain, it’s a type of forage. And forage should make up most of a horse's diet.
Beet pulp is dehydrated when it's made into horse feeds, and this makes it hard and crunchy like a grain. So this is why it’s advisable to soak beet pulp in water for several hours before it's fed to horses.
Nutrition Facts About Beet Pulp
When it comes to equine nutrition, beet pellets are a fantastic source of fiber that will help your horses digestive system to function properly.
Soaked beet pellets are a highly digestible source of fermentable fiber which is high in calories and low in starch and low sugar. It has around 8 to 10 percent of crude protein content, which is a little bit less than the standard protein content of grass hay.
Compared to other horse feeds, beet pulp is pretty low when it comes to vitamins and minerals but it’s a great source of beneficial fiber. And because of the amount of water in it, beet pulp will help to keep your horse hydrated.
And contrary to its name, beet pulp is very low in sugar. The sugar beet industry removes almost all of the sugar to use for themselves. So the sugar content of dried beet pellets is very low.
Is it Safe to Feed Horses Beet Pulp?
Beet pulp is a very safe, low sugar food for horses. The nutrition content of beet pulp is mostly fiber so it won't upset your horse's digestive system. As well as this, when it’s soaked, it’s soft and mushy so it doesn’t pose much of a choking hazard when it's fed to horses.
Sugar beet contains very little sugar which means that it’s safe to feed to horses with metabolic issues such as laminitis or insulin resistance. However, some beet pulp has added molasses to make it more palatable.
Plain Beet Pulp
If you are worried about feeding your horse beet pulp because of the added molasses, due to health reasons, use plain beet pulp that hasn't been treated with molasses.
And if you can't find plain pulp, simply rinse the beet pulp off before you feed it to your horse. This will wash away most of the molasses and sugar content.
Is Beet Pulp Good For Horse?
Overall, beet pulp is pretty good for a horse's health, because research shows that it has a very balancing effect on the equine digestive system. Beet pulp contains lots of beneficial, pre-biotic enzymes that promote healthy equine gut bacteria and fermentation in the hindgut.
Beet pulp also helps gastric liquids to solidify and stay in the horse's stomach longer to be digested properly. So sometimes it can help horses with diarrhea.
Beet Pulp and Stomach Ulcers
As well as this, beet pulp may help to prevent stomach ulcers in horses. This is because it’s low in starch and high in soluble fiber. So it stays in your horse's stomach for longer and helps to keep the acidity levels right. According to research, excessive acid and an empty stomach is one of the main causes of ulcers in horses.
What are the Benefits of Beet Pulp for Horses?
There’s a reason why beet pulp is found in barns all over the USA and this is because research shows that it’s can bring many benefits to a horses diet. And below, we’ll take a look at the benefits of beet pulp.
As a Forage
Beet pulp makes a great forage substitute in the winter when the grass is poor or if there’s a shortage of hay. You can feed a horse as much as 50 percent of its hay rations in beet pulp. And to do this, you should replace the hay, pound for pound, with beet pulp, in its dried weight.
As well as this, beet pulp generally contains less potassium than grass hay. So this means that it can make a good substitute for horses who are suffering from HYPP.
For Older Horse
Older horses or horses with dental problems will sometimes struggle to chew grass and forage. So feeding the mushy beet pulp is a great way for them to get some fiber, calories and protein in their diet. Not only will they find beet pulp easy to eat, but it will also supplement their diet and help to improve their health and condition.
Warmth and Energy
Beet pulp is more easily digested than hay and it goes through a special fermentation in the hindgut. So this means that your horse produces the energy from the pulp fermentation pretty quickly.
This is why beet pulp is a great source of fast energy for horses. And it will also help to keep your horse warm in the winter months. This is why some equine owners like to supplement their horses diet with beet pulp feeds in the winter.
Can Beet Pulp Be Bad For a Horses Health?
Even though research shows that beet pulp is pretty safe for horses, if you’re feeding it as a forage then you’ll usually have to supplement your horse's diet with vitamins and minerals. This is because beet pulp contains fewer nutrients than grass hay and if horses don’t have a good balance of nutrients, they can become malnourished.
Young Horses
As well as this, it’s worth noting that the calcium to phosphorus ratio is quite high. In normal equine forage, the phosphorous/calcium content ratio would be 1:2. But in beet pulp, the ratio is 10:1.
So long term, this can interfere with a horses growth and development. Especially in young horses, calcium and phosphorous are vital for their development. So you should make sure that their diet is well balanced with a supplement if you feed them beet pulp.
How to Feed Beet Pulp to a Horse and How Much
Equine beet pulp usually comes shredded or in hard pellets which need soaking before you feed them to your horse. Soaking beet pellets not only makes them more palatable for an equine but it also removes any dust. The best ratio for soaking beet pulp is one part beet pulp to two parts water.
How Long Does Pulp Take to Soak?
When it comes to feeding horses beet pulp, you’ll need to soak shredded beet pulp for an hour or two to make it soft. And the large pellets can take several hours of soaking before they're ready to eat.
You can use warm water to speed up the process, just make sure it’s not boiling because this will destroy the nutrition content of the pulp. You’ll know the soaked beet pulp is ready when it’s all soft and disintegrated with no hard lumps remaining.
How Long Does Soaked Beet Pulp Last?
Once it’s been soaked, beet pulp will usually last for up to 24 hours in cold climates. But in hot climates, it can go off within a few hours. You’ll know when it’s past it’s best because it will smell rancid or acidic.
How Much to Feed for the Perfect Nutrition
Research suggests that horses can safely eat large amounts, up to 50 percent of their total diet, of pulp. So if a 12000 pound horse usually eats 2 percent of its body weight in forage a day, you can feed it up to 12lb of beet per day for optimum equine nutrition.
Of course, the amount of pulp you feed your horse will depend on other factors too. Such as your horse's body condition, its level of exercise, the time of year and how much food you're already feeding it.
When it comes to feeding beet pulp, you should always weigh it so you know exactly how much your horse is getting. Additionally, just like with all new food and grain, you should introduce it slowly into your horse's diet.
Easy Keepers
If you feed beet pulp to an easy keeper, remember that beet pulp has more calories than standard forage such as hay. So to prevent your horse from becoming overweight, it’s a good idea to reduce other food rations to accommodate beet pulp. See the typical horse weights to monitor this.
Myths About Beet Pulp
There’s an urban legend among horse owners. Everyone´s heard the story of the horse whose stomach exploded because he ate a bucket of dry beet pulp! This is why you’ll often find it behind lock and key in most barns.
The truth is, this is just a myth and horses don’t explode if they eat it dry. Their stomachs are full of acid, not water. So sugar beat will dissolve in their stomachs rather than swell up and make them explode.
Another myth about beet pulp is that in its dry form, it poses a major choke risk because it can swell up in your horse's throat. However, the risk of choke is the same with dried beet pulp as it is with any other grain.
Equine Beet Pulp - Frequently Asked Questions
Does beet pulp put weight on horses?
Beet pulp can help horses with weight gain. This is because as well as being a great source of digestible fiber it’s also high in calories and has a reasonable amount of protein. So this makes it a good food for hard keepers who need to maintain or gain weight.
Can beet pulp cause diarrhea in horses?
On the contrary, research shows that beet pulp can help to soothe an upset stomach in a horse. This is because it contains lots of soluble fiber and prebiotic enzymes. And these will help to keep your horses gut balanced.
Can you feed dry beet pulp to horses?
One of the biggest myths of the horse world is that dry pulp will kill a horse. But this isn’t true. The reason that we soak beet pulp for horses is to make it more palatable. Not because it will cause choke or colic.
Does beet pulp make horses hot?
Although pulp does give horses energy, it won't make them hot. Beet pulp is a good source of cool energy for horses. However, sometimes it contains molasses which gives horses energy. But the molasses content is so low that it won't give your horse hot energy.
How long do you soak beet pulp?
This depends on the type of pulp that you want to soak. You should soak shredded sugar beet for at least an hour. And you need to soak pellets for several hours.
Can horses eat raw sugar beet?
You shouldn't feed your horse raw sugar beet because this can be very bad for it's health. Raw sugar beets haven't been processed. So this means that they're still full of sugar. And excessive sugar is bad for horses.
Conclusion
Overall, beet pulp is healthy food for horses when it’s fed as a source of roughage. It’s full of fiber so it's good food for hard keepers who need some extra calories in their diet. However, beet pulp is pretty low in vitamins and minerals so a horse cant survive on it alone.
And when it comes to choosing beet pulp for horses with metabolic issues, you should always look for plain beet pulp that hasn’t been treated with molasses.
