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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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Equine Grazing Behavior Offers Clues For Forage Needs As Pastures Decline

As the growing season winds down or as drought sets in, horse owners must provide horses with an appropriate alternative forage to fulfill fiber requirements. In most cases, this involves the use of hay, though other products such as haylage or hay cubes are appropriate and sometimes fed.

The question that looms large for most owners is when to offer alternative forage. The pasture reveals a couple of important clues, namely growth rate and plant health.

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Owners will know when pasture growth slows as there will be less need for routine mowing and maintenance. Depending on stocking rate—that is, the number of horses on any given acreage—pasture might withstand a slowdown in growth rate and continued grazing, so long as more land is allotted per horse. A large, seven-acre paddock that comfortably sustained five horses in peak growing season might support three as pasture growth declines.

“Observation of grazing behavior might be a tipoff, too. If horses spend more time grazing, they are likely finding less to eat. In periods of lush growth, you might catch horses resting more often, as it is easier for them to satisfy their appetites and their need to graze,” said Dr. Kathleen Crandell, a nutritionist with Kentucky Equine Research (KER).

Plant health is a more obvious indicator. As autumn segues into winter or as rainfall decreases, pasture grasses often turn brown and unpalatable, at which time growth is almost assuredly arrested. Horses will snack on these remnants, but more nutritious forage should be offered.

“Owners ought to offer hay as soon as they feel horses are not consuming sufficient pasture to meet daily forage requirement, which is about 1.5-2 percent of body weight daily,” advised Crandell.

For a 15.2-hand, 1,100-pound horse, that would be 16.5-22 pounds of hay each day. Keep in mind, though, that this amount will likely satisfy the horse's complete forage requirement.

“If the horse is still nibbling away at pasture much of the day, it might need only a portion of this. If the horse leaves hay in favor of pasture, then too much hay is probably being fed at the time. Gauge requirement through consumption,” recommended Crandell.

To maintain weight, many horses, in combination with their forage, will be consuming a well-fortified concentrate feed that supplies all of the protein, vitamins, and minerals required for their well-being. Those that do not should be fed a vitamin and mineral supplement, such as Micro-Max, developed by Kentucky Equine Research and available in the U.S. and other regions. Micro-Max supplies minerals that have been chelated or proteinated, which increases their digestibility and allows horses to derive maximum benefit from them.

One vitamin that is particularly deficient in diets composed of preserved forages such as hay is vitamin E, an important antioxidant in the horse's immune arsenal. The most effective source of supplemental vitamin E is d-alpha-tocopherol or natural vitamin E. Nano-E is a natural-source vitamin E supplement that possesses a unique delivery action, nanodispersion, which allows the vitamin to hit target tissues more quickly than other vitamin E supplements. Nano-E is available worldwide.

Don't know where to begin with supplementation? Complete a simple questionnaire and start the consultation process.

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Horses Often Adept At Hiding Dental Pain

Though most horse owners and caretakers will investigate a horse's mouth for pain if he's refusing to eat his feed entirely, equines often offer other clues that their mouths may hurt, reports EQUUS magazine.

Scientists from the University of Helsinki surveyed the owners of 47 horses that had cheek teeth surgically removed because of root infections. Tooth root infections can be caused by several things, but most of these removals were the result of dental fractures.

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The survey asked 23 questions of these owners regarding horse behavior. Respondents noted that the behaviors that were eliminated after the surgical tooth extraction included dropping hay, eating slowly and adjusting hay in the mouth while chewing.

Before surgery, horses with dental pain often avoided the bit, raising their heads or getting “behind” the bit to avoid contact. Painful horses also behaved more antisocially toward people and horses. All of these behaviors dissipated when the painful tooth was removed.

Dr. Jaana Pehkonen, lead researcher, said that avoiding the bit was the most common indicator that something was amiss. She notes that this may be because this behavior is easiest to notice.

In half the study horses, tooth infections were not discovered until a routine dental exam took place, indicating that many owners miss behaviors that can be linked to dental pain. Only six of the 47 horses had obvious signs of tooth issues like external swellings or sinus drainage. Nearly all the owners said that their horses were more comfortable after the teeth were removed.

Pehkonen concluded that some equine behaviors, like self-mutilation, aggressive behavior or withdrawnness aren't regarded as pain behaviors by horse owners. However, once the pain is removed and the horse returns to acting “normal,” it's easier to see that the behaviors indicated discomfort. Pehkonen recommends horses have annual dental exams so that any problems can be identified.

Seeing Reduced Performance In Your Racehorse? Study Suggests Switching Steamed Hay Or Haylage Could Help

Pinpointing the cause of poor performance in athletic horse is often a challenge. If it turns out there could be a respiratory cause, then mild equine asthma (EA) could be to blame. Luckily, the common saying that “prior preparation prevents poor performance” can be taken to heart in such situations. While hay steamers have been marketed to horse owners for several years, new research demonstrates that steamed hay and haylage can make measurable differences in a horse's

Mild EA, the preferred term that replaces inflammatory disease, describes horses with a chronic low-grade cough (defined as having gone on for longer than three weeks), decreased/poor performance, and the presence of tracheal mucous when the horse is scoped. Many underlying conditions can be confused with EA. Those include infectious causes (viral or bacterial), upper airway obstruction (dorsal displacement of the soft palate, for example), and exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. Some veterinarians have even speculated that those conditions may even predispose horses to mild EA.

“The most important factor contributing to mild EA in Thoroughbreds is the small dust particles horses breathe in primarily as a consequence of feeding dry hay,” explained Dr. Laurent Couëtil, section head of Large Animal Internal Medicine at Purdue University, in West Lafayette, Ind.

Dry hay contains fungi, molds, mite debris, inorganic particles, endotoxins, and other inflammatory molecules. This microscopic particulate matter contaminates the horse's breathing zone, causing inflammation in the lower airways.

“Particulate matter measuring less than 4 microns in diameter results in a sharp and significant increase in the number of neutrophils in mucus collected from the lungs,” said Couëtil.

Particles this small cannot be seen to the naked eye but can be measured with specific, wearable equipment fastened to a horse's halter.

Mucus — a hallmark of EA — can easily be collected from horse's lungs via bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and microscopically analyzed. The presence of neutrophils in this BAL fluid indicates inflammation. Other inflammatory cells may also be appreciated, such as mast cells and eosinophils.

The amount of tracheal mucous, which can be scored on a scale ranging from 0 (no excess mucous) to 5 (defined as a profuse amount pooling throughout the trachea) can also be used to gauge the severity of mild EA.

According to Couëtil, studies in both Standardbred and Thoroughbred racehorses have demonstrated an association between severity of mucus score and poor performance. As mucous scores increase, speed of the horse decreases.

“A 2006 study performed by Sue Holcomb showed that horses with tracheal mucous scores of 2 or greater were significantly behind in finishing place than horses with a score of 0 or 1,” Couëtil relayed.

Because forage is the most important source of dust that triggers EA, various tactics designed to minimize dust have been explored. Recently, Couëtil and colleagues conducted a study at an Indiana Thoroughbred racetrack. They demonstrated that racehorses actively involved in training and competition that were fed steamed hay or haylage had reduced exposure to dust by approximately 30% when compared to horses fed dry hay.

In that study, Couëtil's team recruited 69 Thoroughbreds and divided them into three groups based on type of forage fed: haylage, steamed hay, and dry hay. All horses were fed this diet for a total of 6 weeks. On weeks 0 (baseline), 3 and 6 of the study, endoscopy was performed after coming back from the track to assess respiratory function and to grade mucous. In addition, all horses were equipped with sensors to measure respirable particles (less than 4 microns in diameter) for 3 hours after returning from training and being fed.

Haylage is grass that is cut and baled at a higher moisture content (about 30%) than regular hay (about 15%) and is package in sealed plastic films similar to shavings bales. This packing prevents molding of the moist forage and allows preservation of the nutritional value of fresh grass similarly to what is achieved with silage for cows. This moist forage results in a marked decrease in dust exposure when horses eat haylage. For the purposes of this study, trainers were each given a hay steamer provided by Haygain.

Key findings of the study were:

Respirable dust particles (less than 4 microns in diameter) were significantly higher in the breathing zones of horses fed hay. Both the steamed hay and haylage generated the same, significantly lower level of dust particles;
By the end of the study, mucous scores were significantly higher in the hay group. Both the steamed hay and haylage groups had the same, significantly lower mucous scores;
BALF analysis showed that the number of neutrophils, an indicator of airway inflammation, increased significantly as the respirable dust concentration in the horse's breathing zone increased; and
Over time, the number of neutrophils in BALF decreased in horses fed steamed hay and haylage but only reached statistical significance for horses fed haylage.

“In sum, our results clearly demonstrated the benefits of feeding low-dust forages on airway health in just 6 weeks,” Couëtil concluded.

Another conclusion that Couëtil highlighted was that BAL can be performed safely in Thoroughbred racehorses without interruption in racing or training.

“For some veterinarians, owners, or trainers, the idea of a BAL can be off-putting,” Couëtil said. “Many veterinarians are not familiar with the procedure, and others think that a BAL will require resting their horses for an extended period of time after infusing fluid in the lungs.”

The reality is that even if only 50 percent of the sterile saline solution administered is recovered, the rest is rapidly absorbed. Couëtil's study proved that a BAL can be performed without interfering with the training and racing schedules.

“Owners and trainers shouldn't hesitate to perform a BAL in any case of chronic cough, poor performance or when excess mucus is seen by endoscopy after the race,” Couëtil said. “This test can be highly beneficial especially when used in conjunction with the mucous score. The BAL rules in mild EA while endoscopy can help rule out other causes of cough and poor performance.”

One caveat worth noting is that medications are sometimes used for sedating the horse and to decrease coughing during BAL, and it is important to respect drug elimination times prior to racing.

In sum, identifying realistic ways of decreasing airway inflammation, such as a small change in hay preparation, is important because an estimated 80% of Thoroughbred racehorses have mild EA and are not living up to their potential.

Dr. Stacey Oke is a seasoned freelance writer, veterinarian, and life-long horse lover. When not researching ways for horses to live longer, healthier lives as athletes and human companions, she practices small animal medicine in New York. A busy mom of three, Stacey also finds time for running, hiking, tap dancing, and dog agility training.

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