The Skinny On Beet Pulp As An Equine Feed

Fifty years ago, many knowledgeable horsemen would find it difficult to identify beet pulp or its potential value as a feedstuff for horses. Though its usefulness is now cemented among horse owners, beet pulp can still cause some confusion. Dr. Kathleen Crandell, a nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research, answers eight questions about beet pulp and its role in equine nutrition.

In what types of feeds was beet pulp first used?

Sugar beet pulp first found a use in commercial horse feeds in the racehorse products as a low-dust feedstuff because it was mixed with lots of molasses and felt moist. This proved beneficial for the respiratory tract and was thought to be somehow beneficial in preventing bleeding, though this notion was quickly abandoned.

Beet pulp was also integrated into senior feeds because of the need for a high-fiber feedstuff that could be ground and incorporated into a pellet. The new generation of high-fiber, low-starch feeds that emerged in the late 1990s was an obvious end-use for such an excellent fiber source. Now, beet pulp is prevalent in feeds designed for all classes of horses.

What are the differences between beet pulp and cereal grains as energy sources?

Horses derive the majority of the energy (calories) in cereal grains from the enzymatic digestion of starch that is absorbed in the bloodstream in the form of glucose. On the other hand, horses derive the majority of the energy in beet pulp from the microbial fermentation of the fiber content, which is absorbed as volatile fatty acids, also known as short-chain fatty acids.

What are the advantages of feeding beet pulp as part of a diet?

Compared to other fiber sources like hay, beet pulp has much more digestible fiber. For example, the digestible fiber in hay is around 40 percent, while beet pulp has closer to 80 percent digestible fiber. The more digestible the fiber, the more calories that feedstuff provides the horse.

Further, beet pulp mixes well into a textured feed and can be pelleted easily. Plus, soaking beet pulp is a way to get more water into the horse.

How does beet pulp stack up to hay as a source of fiber?

The type of fiber found in beet pulp, considered “rapidly fermentable fiber,” is much more readily fermented by the microbes in the hindgut than the fiber in hay or typical forage sources. Hay consists mostly of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin. While lignin is completely indigestible, cellulose and hemicellulose vary in digestibility depending on the maturity of the plant.

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Beet pulp provides energy, but does it add appreciable amounts of other nutrients?

Beet pulp has higher amounts of calcium than grains, about the level found in typical commercial concentrates. In addition, beet pulp is comparatively high in iron.

Should beet pulp be fed soaked or unsoaked when fed by itself or as part of home-mixed concentrate? 

If feeding beet pulp shreds, they can be fed dry, especially if mixed with other feedstuffs. Free-choice water availability is important if feeding dry beet pulp. Pelleted beet pulp, however, should not be fed dry because it may increase the likelihood of choke. Horses prefer to consume beet pulp shreds soaked rather than dry shreds, probably because it softens their texture. My preference is to feed beet pulp soaked.

Further, one of the advantages of feeding soaked beet pulp is that it is a way to sneak a bit of water into the diet, especially in the winter when water consumption may be down. The Europeans have come up with a method of micronizing and then flaking the pulp so that it soaks quickly, in less than 10 minutes.

Are there any special uses for beet pulp?

Soaked beet pulp is a useful vehicle for holding larger amounts of oil, which is often recommended as a way to get more calories in the horse.

It was thought for a while that soaked beet pulp could help to push sand out of the digestive tract, but research found it ineffective in prevention of sand colic.

Is beet pulp use in the U.S. different than in other areas of the world?

Beet pulp has worked its way into quite a number of commercial feeds in the U.S. Many horse owners feed soaked beet pulp in addition their regular feed.

As the history of beet pulp would suggest, its use is more longstanding in areas such as England, Northern Europe, and Russia, where much sugar beet is cultivated. Because of the climate needed for sugar beet cultivation, South America had very limited sugar beet production, as was the case in Australia and Africa. However, cultivation is expanding to newer areas because of a variety that can be grown in the warmer climates as a winter crop, instead of a summer crop as it is in more temperate climates.  Where beet pulp is not grown, it may be imported and therefore rather expensive.

Are you interested in how beet pulp became a feedstuff for horses? Learn more at Beet Pulp in Horse Feeds: A Brief History.

Could beet pulp be an appropriate feedstuff for your horse? Contact a Kentucky Equine Research nutrition advisor today.

Article reprinted courtesy of Kentucky Equine Research (KER). Visit equinews.com for the latest in equine nutrition and management, and subscribe to The Weekly Feed to receive these articles directly (equinews.com/newsletters).   

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Tempting Tastebuds: How Taste Preference Is Measured Among Horses

How do feed manufacturers know horses will readily eat the products they produce? If the manufacturer works with Kentucky Equine Research, more than 30 years of palatability research is taken into consideration.

In this video, research coordinator Michael Sandwick explains the two-choice preference test and how it relates to product development. In these tests, horses are given two feed options in matching buckets, which are rotated daily. Initially, the horse is allowed to smell but not taste the feeds. The handler then turns the horse away from the buckets before releasing it to consume its preferred choice for three minutes. A scribe notes how many times the horse returns to the bucket, lifts its head, or gets distracted by outside factors. After three minutes, the leftover portions are weighed to measure how much of each feed was consumed.

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Sandwick got her start with the company as a summer intern. She is currently finishing her master's degree at Kansas State University while working at the Kentucky Equine Research Performance Center in Ocala.

Learn more about product development at Kentucky Equine Research.

Read more here.

Reprinted courtesy of Kentucky Equine Research. Visit ker.com for the latest in equine nutrition and management, and subscribe to Equinews to receive these articles directly

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Older Horses At Higher Risk For Colic, Euthanasia

Colic is the No. 1 cause of death in horses and it disproportionately affects older horses. Surgery isn't always the best option for elderly equines because of the high cost and generally less-successful outcomes, so many older horses that colic are euthanized.

Colic, which is a catch-all term for abdominal pain, can be caused by a variety of things, including gas buildup, a blockage or twisting of the gut. Though minor colic can be handled with medical intervention and pain relievers, other episodes require surgery to resolve.

A study out of Germany looked at nearly 1,000 horses that were admitted to a veterinary clinic for symptoms of colic. The average age was 19.9 years old and the majority of the horses were treated medically; these horses had a better survival rate than those horses that underwent surgery.

The most-common type of colic for horses between 21 and 29 years old were strangulating lipomas. This occurs when a fatty tumor develops and becomes so heavy that it weighs down part of the horse's digestive tract, sometimes looping around areas and strangulating either the intestines or the blood flow to them. There is no way to prevent these types tumors.

However, there are some risk factors for colic that can be mitigated by feeding and management changes. A review of colic studies in 2019 reported that horses that crib have a higher risk of colic, specifically epiploic foramen entrapment, where part of the small intestine are strangulated. Horses that spend most of their time in a stall are at higher risk of colic episodes than those that live out or those that spend more time on pasture. Changes in stabling also increase colic risk.

Changes in hay or grain increase the risk of colic, as does feeing higher amounts of grain. The type of hay fed also increases colic risk; horses fed coastal hay and alfalfa are more likely to colic than horse fed other types of hay.

Dental issues, to which older horses are particularly susceptible, increase colic risk. It's imperative that horse owners work closely with an equine dentist and adjust the horse's diet as necessary to mitigate the risk of colic. This might include changing feed or hay options or soaking feed. The addition of a ration balancer or oil may be necessary if an older horse is struggling to maintain weight.

Colic will affect one in 10 horses during their lifetime; older horses tend to have less-favorable outcomes. Adjusting elderly horse management, feeding and care can help decrease colic risk.

Read more at Horse Sport.

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Horses In North Carolina Dying From Mystery Illness

New Hope Stables in North Carolina has had four horses die from a mystery illness that veterinarians cannot isolate or explain. Treasure, an 18-year-old rescue horse used in the stable's lesson program, was the first horse afflicted and was originally suspected to be colicking when barn workers found him down on September 23.

When the veterinarian arrived, however, it was apparent that Treasure was not colicking, but the horse was experiencing gastrointestinal irritation. The gelding was sent to Woodside Equine Clinic in Richmond, VA, where he deteriorated and was euthanized.

On Sept. 28, several other horses at the farm became ill and three died. Three horses remain in the clinic and nearly half of the farm's stable is on intravenous fluids.

Treating veterinarian Dr. Shanna Edwards has asked colleagues all over the United States for opinions; thus far no conclusive diagnosis has been reached, even after a necropsy of one of the horses.

Affected horses have diarrhea, colic and fever, and become bloated and lethargic. Edwards suspects a toxin may be in the horse's hay, grain or water as every horse in the farm is affected, which doesn't typically happen with an infectious disease. The farm has stopped using their well water and has brought in new hay and grain.

A GoFundMePage has raised nearly $30,000 of the $20,000 goal.

Read more at Horse Network.

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