# How much beet pulp?



## deb s (Apr 4, 2009)

I purchased shred beet pulp the other day. The store did not have pellets. My only problem is: I don't know how much to mix per horse. What is the ratio of beet pulp to water. What is the reason for feeding it? A friend of mine that has minis recommended it.

The horses all look great so I didn't know if I really needed this.

I have had minis for 15 years and I can't believe how much I have learned over the last 2 weeks in the Miniature horse forum.


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## Joanne (Apr 4, 2009)

We use it here for extra calories in cold weather or if we have a new horse or a mare that we want to put more weight on, after a mare foals instead of a bran mash, and as a means to provide psyllium to the horses to clear sand from their gut.

So I think you need to know why you are feeding it.

We add enough warm water to get it soft. We wait about 10 -15 minutes before feeding. We often add corn oil or cob etc.


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## icspots (Apr 4, 2009)

I start them with one cup dry per horse, then add at least an equal amount of water (I usually put in enough water to cover it then wait until it is all soaked up) I mix mine with their grain twice a day, and adjust the amount per each individual as we go along. I think it helps fill them up and provides fiber so they don't require as much hay, so it is nice for the show horses making less tummy to work off!


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## Leeana (Apr 4, 2009)

Beet pulp is the biggest part of my program. I feed 3x a day (morning-noon-night).

Morning & Night - Strategy...soaked beet pulp shreds...loose minerals/salt

Noon - Dry Strategy & suppliment if they have a suppliment of some sort.

I measure all my beet pulp dry, then mix each horses beet pulp sep in coffee cans (easier that way). Most start out at 1 cup soaked for 5-10 mins (you could soak it longer, i just soak it long enough to wet it and take in some of the water, normally mix up the beet pulp and let it soak while i feed and check mares / outside horses). Most of mine on average get 1.5 cups - 3 cups soaked (measured before soaking, it expands quite a bit).


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## Matt73 (Apr 4, 2009)

Don't feed it at all. It's an ingredient in Gro 'n Win and that's all my guys get. I can't imagine if I fed them anything else (they're at a perfect weight). Royal could probably even do without it as I've had to substantially cut back his hay as he's such an easy keeper (the boys get less than 1/2 lb./per day).


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## chandab (Apr 4, 2009)

I've been feeding soaked beet pulp in winter for the hydration aspect of it. I have 7 B-minis, and 1 A-mini; I measure out 2 one-pound coffee cans of beet pulp pellets (40 oz dry measure total, so it comes out to about 1/3# per mini, a little less for the A), add enough water to cover it and let it soak (soaked it about fills an 8-qt bucket). Mine each get about 4 cups soaked (2 cups for the little guy) daily during winter.


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## Kellie in OR (Apr 4, 2009)

I soak mine in a small hole pasta steamer pot. After it soaks about 2 hours (as I do chores) I just pull the inner pot out and it drains like a colander. I even rinse it with water until it runs clean. You would be be amazed at the amount of silt and dirt is in beet pulp! And with the steamer I don't have to worry about having added too much water and having a soupy mess. After you rinse it you are left with a soft fluffy product that they eat right down. And my boys are spoiled rotten and love it rinsed with warm water.





I soak 4 cups of dry and it fluffs up and gives the two mini's and one big horse a nice meal. My big guys also gets oats, flax, and rice bran.....this mixes well with the soaked beet pulp. The little guys only get the BP and thier vitamins, much too easy of keepers for all thse goodies.


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## qtrrae (Apr 4, 2009)

I can not imagine not having beet pulp for my minis - this info was given to me:

Beet pulp is a regular item in all my horses' diets. I like feeding it for a variety of reasons. As with any other new food, it should be introduced to your horses gradually and slowly. Some horses may like it more than others. It can be fed alone with vitamins (to really fat horses) or in combination with your feed.

Here are some reasons why I feed it:

1) hydration - especially in the winter when they tend to not drink as much. When soaking beet pulp shreds or pellets, make sure to cover the dry product completely with water then wait 15-60 minutes so it soaks up as much water as possible. Some horses will enjoy eating their beet pulp very wet, almost like soup, while some will prefer some of the water drained off. Either way is okay.

2) Calories. Beet pulp contain a good amount of calories. For horses who have a hard time keeping weight on, like older horses or nursing mothers, beet pulp can provide the extra calories without the risks of adding grains which aren't digested as easily. Beet pulp can be fed in amounts that equal up to 40% of the total diet by dry weight -- and that's a lot of beet pulp. Minis should probably be kept to under the 1 lb level (but 1 lb of dry weight beet pulp is a LOT of soaked beet pulp!). Fat horses can benefit from beet pulp, too, when it is fed IN PLACE of grains. Just add vitamins/minerals and some grass hay or grazing, and your horse has a satisfying meal without the addition of grains. Many of my personal maintenance and pet minis are on an all-forage diet like this one.

3) Carbohydrates. Beet pulp contains carbohydrates just like grains, but in a different form (pectins rather than fructans). The carbs from beet pulp provide slow release energy whereas the carbs from grains like oats provide quick bursts of energy. That's one of the reasons race horses eat a lot of oats.

4) Fiber. Horses thrive on high fiber diets. However, in our minis, a lot of hay and grass can sometimes lead to big bellies (via gut fill). Horses need a lot of fiber in their diets to make their guts work properly, so every day they should have at least 1% of their ideal body weight in long stem fiber (hay/grass). Beet pulp can susbtitute for part of that, however, so that's why a lot of show horses are fed beet pulp -- so they can still get the fiber their bodies need, but they don't get the big bellies that a pasture horse might get. Beet pulp is also highly digestible so doesn't sit around in the gut as long as hay. When hay sits around in the gut getting digested, it forms gas and fluid which swells the belly. Beet pulp doesn't do that.

5) Carrier for vitamins. Lots of vitamins and other supplements come in powdery forms which many horses turn their noses up at. Once the beet pulp is wet, the powdery supplements like vitamins, minerals, even medications, will stick to the beet pulp and make it more difficult for the horse to sort out.

As far as when to feed it, beet pulp can be fed year round. Many people will feed more in the winter and less in the summer, especially if they have pasture. Beet pulp contains a good amount of calories so in the winter when the grass is gone, it can keep weight on your horse and in the summer, can be cut back to just enough to carry supplements.


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## Bess Kelly (Apr 5, 2009)

One thing BP does that I like is to help keep larger amounts of concentrates from being "too much" on the horses tummy by adding the fluff factor. Plus, if you need to change feeds, it is a constant in the ration so the bio in their guts isn't as dramatic. Some show horses, or fretting stallys need a larger amount of feed than the pasture pets.

My guys will actually eat the BP before the concentrates. The BP will be gone -- concentrates they are working on



You might think it would be other way -- they apparently really like the BP!! I don't use those with molasses either.

The Blue Seal Vintage Sr has a lot of BP in it. Not being convinced it was a good "complete" feed, I put a scoop into water and waited.....wow, I can see why my old gals love this stuff



It's really hard to get your head around those fat pellets being "enough" -- but, it really is.


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## wantminimore (Apr 5, 2009)

Bess Kelly said:


> The Blue Seal Vintage Sr has a lot of BP in it. Not being convinced it was a good "complete" feed, I put a scoop into water and waited.....wow, I can see why my old gals love this stuff
> 
> 
> 
> It's really hard to get your head around those fat pellets being "enough" -- but, it really is.


How much of the BS Vintage Sr do you feed and do you also feed BP?


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## Katiean (Apr 6, 2009)

I feed my boy 1 cup of beet pulp with 2 cups warm water. My girls each get 1 1/2 cups beet pulp with 3 cups of water. So basicly I use double the water for the measure of beet pulp. I was told a horse could colic if you feed beet pulp dry. However, a friend of mine does feed it dry and hasn't had any problems with colic.


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## ~Amanda~ (Apr 6, 2009)

Kellie in OR said:


> I soak mine in a small hole pasta steamer pot. After it soaks about 2 hours (as I do chores) I just pull the inner pot out and it drains like a colander. I even rinse it with water until it runs clean. You would be be amazed at the amount of silt and dirt is in beet pulp! And with the steamer I don't have to worry about having added too much water and having a soupy mess. After you rinse it you are left with a soft fluffy product that they eat right down. And my boys are spoiled rotten and love it rinsed with warm water.


That is a wonderful idea on soaking and preparing beet pulp. Thank you for sharing it.







qtrrae said:


> I can not imagine not having beet pulp for my minis - this info was given to me:
> Beet pulp is a regular item in all my horses' diets. I like feeding it for a variety of reasons. As with any other new food, it should be introduced to your horses gradually and slowly. Some horses may like it more than others. It can be fed alone with vitamins (to really fat horses) or in combination with your feed.
> 
> Here are some reasons why I feed it:
> ...


Thank you for the very useful information.



I didn't realize beet pulp did all that.


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## Crystalbank (Apr 7, 2009)

I also feed sugar beet and all mine love it, however I've always been told to soak it for a minimum of 24 hours if it's the pelletts - looking at what's on here do you think that's an overkill?


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## pepperhill (Apr 7, 2009)

I really like it for feeding my show horses. It is a big part of my recipe. The supplements stick to it, it doesn't put a "hay belly" on them, they love it (although I had a bit of trouble with one stubborn mare at first), it is easily digested, and the number one reason I like it is that sometimes the horses don't want to drink the water in different regions of the country when I'm at shows. I suppose it smells or tastes different due to mineral content. With the shredded beet pulp as part of every meal, they don't care where the water comes from. It all smells like chow to them! I don't have to worry about dehydration and colic. Same as the people that winter feed it to prevent these things.

It also works great with a horse recovering from injury or illness, or a nursing mare that is getting sucked down a bit. It is so easy for them to digest that it will really help keep the weight on.

I start with a cup and a half twice a day and then tweak it a bit as the individual horse needs. I put it in an ice cream pail and fill it until all the beet pulp is under water. I use hot water in the winter and cold in the summer. It soaks for about 15-30 minutes while I do my other chores and then I pour the other ingredients on top, stir it up, and dinner is served. I pour it from the pail into the horses feeders and away I go. I can assembly line it with a whole row of ice cream pails with each horses name on it. It makes it pretty quick. I have also been known to occasionally put the water on the pulp the night before and then just snap the lid on it. When I know I'm going to have an insane day, it can really help to have it all set up.

When going to shows I can measure out the beet pulp and all the rest of the ingredients into a gallon ziplock baggy. One baggy for each meal for each horse. Then, just pour the whole works into a bucket, add the water and feed it. That way I don't have to carry around all the various bags of feed and supplements to every show, and mess around with measuring etc. It is all right there in a bag labeled with the horse's name.

Around here it is cheap to buy. What's not to like?


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