Facts About the Super-Fibre Sugar Beet Pulp

WHAT IS BEET PULP?

Beet pulp is a by-product of the sugar industry. After the sugar has been extracted from sugar beets, the fibrous portion of the sugar beet is dehydrated. Dried beet pulp shreds have a very low bulk density so are often processed into pellets or cubes for transport. Both shreds and pelleted/cubed beet pulp is used in horse feed.

WHY IS BEET PULP GOOD FOR HORSES?

Beet pulp is very high in fermentable fibre and is easy for horses to digest. Beet pulp is considered a “super fibre” because its energy content is much higher than typical forages and only slightly less than those found in cereal grains such as oats and barley. Beet pulp is significantly more digestible than common forages – for example grass hay is 40-60% digestible, depending on its quality, whereas beet pulp is 80% digestible.

BENEFITS OF FEEDING BEET PULP TO HORSES;

• To increase fibre intake: Some horses will not or cannot eat large enough quantities of hay to fulfil fibre requirements. Dental problems, for example, may keep aged horses from consuming sufficient hay or pasture. Horses on diets composed largely of grains may be unwilling to eat large amounts of hay. In these instances, fibre can be introduced into their ration as beet pulp.
• Weight gain: Due to its high energy content, beet pulp is ideal for horses that have difficulty maintaining weight.
• Sustained energy release: Performance horses benefit from beet pulp, especially those asked to perform at moderate speeds for long distances such as endurance horses.
• Cool energy source: The energy from digesting beet pulp is generated slowly and does not cause a rapid rise in blood glucose, like cereal grains do, so it is an ideal energy source for horses that can get “hot” when fed grain.
• Maintain gut health: In addition to being a slow release energy source for horses, beet pulp can help maintain intestinal health.
• Hydration: Consumption of fibre can increase water intake, creating a holding tank of water and electrolytes in the hindgut. This reservoir may prevent dehydration and electrolyte depletion during an exercise bout.
• Energy source for horses with metabolic health problems: Horses that do not tolerate diets high in starch benefit from a diet containing beet pulp. Horses afflicted with tying-up (recurrent exertional rhabdomyolysis – RER, or polysaccharide storage myopathy – PSSM) often find relief when fed diets low in starch. Horses that are prone to laminitis and other crippling metabolic conditions also benefit from a high fibre diet .
• Benefits to all classes of horses including young growing horses, performance horses, racing, yearling preparation and horses with health issues.

HOW COMMON IS FEEDING BEET PULP TO HORSES?

When beet pulp is purchased as a stand-alone product, it is most commonly in pelleted, flaked or cubed form, which owners soak in water for several hours before feeding. Soaking causes the pellets to swell and break up into shreds.

In the horse world there is a belief that unsoaked beet pulp could swell in a horses throat or stomach and cause choke or colic.  However, this belief is unfounded as unsoaked beet can be safely fed and is a widely accepted and popular feed and feed ingredient for horses globally.

Beet pulp is used as an ingredient in commercial feeds as well as fed as a stand-alone product throughout Europe, USA, Central and South America, Asia, New Zealand, and the Middle East.

I THOUGHT I HAD TO SOAK BEET PULP BEFORE FEEDING?

One of the most popular myths regarding beet pulp is the need to soak it prior to feeding. While there is no harm in soaking beet pulp before it is fed, it is not necessary. Some horse owners believe that, due to its absorptive capacity, beet pulp will swell once it encounters liquids in the stomach, causing the stomach to rupture. This is unfounded and easily negated. The holding capacity of the stomach is under hormonal direction. As the stomach walls expand, the hormone motilin stimulates the emptying of the stomach into the small intestine, so there is little chance of the stomach perforating. Therefore, no, you do not need to soak beet pulp, or feeds containing beet pulp before you feed them to your horse.

DOESN’T BEET PULP CAUSE HORSES TO CHOKE?

Despite what some people may say, beet pulp doesn’t make horses choke. When water is added to beet pulp it can appear to expand. Because of this, someone surmised that it could be a hazard if fed without soaking as it may absorb saliva and swell up blocking the oesophagus. Although beet pulp does absorb liquid, it will not absorb saliva fast enough during chewing to expand in the oesophagus. If choke is associated with feeding beet or other fibrous feeds, it is usually related to the size of the particles/pellets and the rate of intake. Choking in horses is more related to the feeding behaviour rather than the type of feed – horses that bolt their feed without sufficient chewing are more likely to choke, than horses that eat more slowly.

ISN’T BEET PULP FULL OF SUGAR?

Despite being called sugar beet pulp, beet pulp contributes very little sugar to the diet. Beet pulp is a by-product of the sugar beet industry – it is what is left after all the sugar is extracted! Modern mechanisms used to extract the sucrose from sugar beets are extremely efficient, leaving the beet pulp almost sugarless. Five kilograms of beet pulp supplies approximately the same amount of sugar as a few apples, so the notion that beet pulp is superabundant in sugar is simply not true.

HOW DO WE PUT BEET PULP IN OUR FEEDS?

The beet pulp Barastoc imports into Australia is in a pelleted form.

For our muesli feed, Cool Command, the beet pellets are ground down into small flakes. The flakes are then evenly mixed through the feed during the manufacturing process.

For all new Barastoc Competitor, the beet is added to the mixer along with the other ingredients before being conditioned and pelletised.

MAKE HORSE FEED CHANGES GRADUALLY.

Any change to the type or amount of feed should be done gradually over a period of several days. Start by mixing a small portion of new feed into the old ration, gradually increasing the new feed and decreasing the old until the change is complete. This practice allows the horse’s sensitive gut to adapt to the new feed, minimising the chance of colic or other digestive problems. As much as possible, feed on the same schedule every day.