# Rice Bran or Beat Pulp Help!?!



## steph81285 (Oct 25, 2007)

Ok folks my mare is kinda hard to keep weight on and was considering either rice bran or beat pulp with her grain. What I am mainly trying to do is just keep her at a healthy weight without having to up her grain intake. Just in case people ask she is on grass hay and orchard blue grass and does fine on that with grain but want to try to cut back if I can. :?


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## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

beet pulp. ive not long switched from bran to the pulp and the pulp is sooo much better. i have 2 tb's and one is a particularly hard doer but she has come up really nice on the pulp


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

which "grain" is she on??? Many times a grain based feed will stop a horse from being able to gain weight because it is causing stomach issues...

if you are just needing added calories I would go with Beet Pulp ....


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## brittany (Nov 9, 2008)

*Beet Pulp!!*

Beet Pulp is really good for making horses gain weight!!!! My 15 year old gelding is now a big beaster lol so is my 1 yr old!!! My other 1 yr old is starting to pick up quite a bit of weight too. I know somebody that uses it for her Grand Prix Dressage horses and they are extremely healthy and fat at the same time!!! We got the pelleted kind with molasses b/c it seems like a lot of places around here are always running out of shredded beet pulp...It's also supposed to be really good in helping their digestive system work better and to get their hind gut workin'


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## kickshaw (May 7, 2008)

Beet Pulp if you have the time to soak it (some people swear that it doesn't have to be soaked, but I'd rather take the safe road)

and rice bran if you aren't able to soak it. 

Rice bran is fed in smaller quantities and has a higher fat content. 

Beet Pulp is more of a forage type, and is known for providing "cool calories"

good luck!


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## steph81285 (Oct 25, 2007)

Thank you guys! Looks like it will be beet pulp. Also, do I need to soak it before I feed it??

She is on sweet feed with Northwest Horse Supplement for vitamins.


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## kickshaw (May 7, 2008)

yes, please soak it. 

some people don't soak it, but it's much safer (IMO) to feed if it has been soaked ;-)


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## steph81285 (Oct 25, 2007)

kickshaw said:


> Beet Pulp if you have the time to soak it (some people swear that it doesn't have to be soaked, but I'd rather take the safe road)
> 
> and rice bran if you aren't able to soak it.
> 
> ...



Great thanks!


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

I personally soak it as well... the way I do it is I bring the serving for evening in in morning soak it then bring morning feeding in at night and soak it 

it does not need ot soak for long thing 1/2 hour or more ... so when I get up in morning I add water have my tea and ciggy then go down to feed.... in the evening I put the water in when I leave to pick up my son from school and feed a couple hours later ... I have soaked as short as ten minutes and as long as 5 hours ... dont' think I have ever soaked 12 hours like some people say too ...


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## brittany (Nov 9, 2008)

*Soak It*

If you don't soak the beet pulp, there's a higher chance that your horse will choke on the hard pieces...so just as long as you soak it that's probably the safer thing to do


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## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

kickshaw said:


> Beet Pulp if you have the time to soak it (some people swear that it doesn't have to be soaked, but I'd rather take the safe road)
> 
> and rice bran if you aren't able to soak it.
> 
> ...


thats the problem, you gotta soak it lol i use one called 'speedi-beet'. its done in less than 10 minutes. the way that stuff 'fluffs' up theres no way i would feed it to my horses without soaking it. 

just a little 'beet' story - i got a tb off the track about 10 years ago and had huge huge issues with his weight after coming off of such a high protein high calorie diet. it took me 12 months to get him back in good shape. when i get my new mare a few weeks ago she had also been getting a racehorse diet with no exercise and was as a consequence all round and fat and hot :roll: her new dinner consisted of lucerne chaffe, millrun (both of these she was already getting) pellets, and the beet. for a few days she seemed to lose a little but then came back up again and is maintaining a nice weight. 

to me if there is a feed out there that gets the same results as oats and other such high calorie foods without the heat then im a fan :wink:


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## arastangrider (Jan 5, 2008)

brittany said:


> If you don't soak the beet pulp, there's a higher chance that your horse will choke on the hard pieces...so just as long as you soak it that's probably the safer thing to do


The reason y you soak beet pulp is because a horses stomic can only be full so much or the somic acid rises and can make them colic when you give them beet pulp without soaking it it can easily kill them because it expands in thier stomic also good to keep it up high away from dogs and goats:shock:


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## arastangrider (Jan 5, 2008)

arastangrider said:


> The reason y you soak beet pulp is because a horses stomic can only be full so much or the somic acid rises and can make them colic when you give them beet pulp without soaking it it can easily kill them because it expands in thier stomic also good to keep it up high away from dogs and goats:shock:


I just read an artical saying thats a myth so hehe dont listen to me thats just what my trainer told me


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

*Seven Feeding Myths Shattered*
*MYTH #5: *Sugar beet pulp is high in sugar. And if it's not properly soaked in water, it will expand inside your horse's gut and cause a horrible gastric rupture. 
*FACT:* Let's explode the myths instead of the horse. Beet pulp is the fibrous substance that's left over after the sugar has been extracted from sugar beets. It contains almost no sugar (unless the manufacturer has added a little dry molasses to improve the taste). Beet pulp is naturally quite high in moisture and thus prone to mold, so it's dehydrated and made into pellets or "shreds" before it's packaged. 
Beet pulp is an excellent source of digestible fiber. It's relatively low in protein (about 8 percent) and high in calcium, which makes it an appropriate feed for almost all adult horses. If you are feeding supplements, top-dressing corn oil, or giving your horse medications, beet pulp can be an excellent place to hide the yucky ingredients. It's a great addition to the diet if your hay is of poor quality, or if your horse has dental problems and can't chew long-stemmed forage, or for horses recovering from an injury or illness. Plus, it's usually quite inexpensive. 
The best way to feed beet pulp is to soak it in water a few hours before meal-time; use twice as much water as beet pulp, and leave it to swell and absorb the moisture. (Because it has a tendency to ferment in warm weather, you'll only want to make up one day's worth at a time.) The resulting brown, fluffy stuff can be mixed in with your horse's grain or served on its own. But don't worry if you've added a little too much liquid, or too little. You can't actually explode a horse with unsoaked beet pulp. In a study referred to in Lon Lewis' "Feeding and Care of the Horse, 2nd ed.", ponies were fed dehydrated beet pulp, up to a level of 45 percent of their total diet, with no ill effects whatsoever. Not only did they not explode, but they also suffered no signs of colic, nor did the water content in their manure change. However, most people prefer to soak beet pulp—it's more palatable that way and less likely to cause choke.


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

another good information site on Beet Pulp 
Beet pulp for horses. It's high in digestible fiber. It has a low non-structural carbohydrate level. It has a low glycemic index. Beet pulp!


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## steph81285 (Oct 25, 2007)

WOW everybody was such a big help! Thank you so much for all your time!


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## amandaandeggo (May 21, 2008)

my gelding is on rice bran for weight gain


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## missy06 (Apr 5, 2008)

amandaandeggo said:


> my gelding is on rice bran for weight gain


Mine too now. Day #2-fingers crossed!


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## Skyhuntress (Sep 9, 2008)

First of all, rice bran or beat pulp aren't really ideal for true weight gain. They are fillers. It's a great way to give a horse fiber, but the calory value of beat pulp is extremely low. Which makes them ideal for maintaining weight of a horse, and it will EVENTUALLY cause some weight gain-but it'll be extremely slow if just fed by itself.
But if you truly want your horse to gain weight (as in more then about 50lbs or so), choose a product that has a high protein level, add some oil and then beat pulp (or rice bran, although I like beat pulp better) in addition to that.


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

Skyhuntress said:


> First of all, rice bran or beat pulp aren't really ideal for true weight gain. They are fillers. It's a great way to give a horse fiber, but the calory value of beat pulp is extremely low. Which makes them ideal for maintaining weight of a horse, and it will EVENTUALLY cause some weight gain-but it'll be extremely slow if just fed by itself.
> But if you truly want your horse to gain weight (as in more then about 50lbs or so), choose a product that has a high protein level, add some oil and then beat pulp (or rice bran, although I like beat pulp better) in addition to that.


Most rice bran supplements are at least 20% fat so how are they just a filler

Beet pulp is 1300Kcal per pound and great for a horse that needs weight or more fiber 

I posted some really good TRUE fact links above that are very educational about the myths and realities of beet pulp ...


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## Skyhuntress (Sep 9, 2008)

Peggysue said:


> Most rice bran supplements are at least 20% fat so how are they just a filler
> 
> Beet pulp is 1300Kcal per pound and great for a horse that needs weight or more fiber
> 
> I posted some really good TRUE fact links above that are very educational about the myths and realities of beet pulp ...


oops, i made a mistake there. i didn't mean to include rice bran as a filler. beet pulp, however, is.

per lb. (dry) beet pulp has about 1000 calories-sometimes much less. I know mine at home has 1020 per lb. It also has absolutely no value for vitamins, with the exception of fiber (where its quite good actually, at about 20%) In addition to that, it has a relatively low protein level (between 7-8%) if you want weight gain, you are much better looking for something that is in the 1500-2000cal intake and something in the (12-14%)
http://www.animalhealthfoundation.com/Documents/ObesityandLaminitisWhatCanBeDone.pdf
(scroll down to almost the last page for a comparison of calories)

The problem with rice bran is that it has a high degree of phosophorus per lb. From a nutritional standpoint, its much healthier than beat pulp, in terms of fat content as well as vitamins, however the extremely high phosphorous levels makes calcium absorbtion harder. (and for that reason, you might want to consider rice bran oil, as it generally has a lower phospherous level) 


the point is that beet pulp or rice bran should not JUST be used. if you want to use it in addition to something, then that's the way to go. If you are using it completely by itself, the horse


also, if you have the opportunity to, see if you can split his meals into 2-3 servings instead of feeding all at once. then he will be able to digest more and use the calories and fiber more beneficially.


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

*BEET PULP, Dry **Accumulated crop years: 05/01/2000 through 04/30/2008 **Item Samples Average Normal Range St. Dev*
% Dry Matter 692 91.780 90.289 93.271 1.491
% Crude Protein 612 9.460 7.950 10.969 1.509
Soluble Protein, % of CP 376 19.727 6.635 32.820 13.092
Degradable Protein, % of CP 26 49.241 36.667 61.815 12.574
% ADICP 186 1.131 0.424 1.837 0.707
% NDICP 181 5.278 4.095 6.460 1.183
% Lignin 201 3.680 1.223 6.138 2.458
% Acid Detergent Fiber 597 25.838 22.166 29.511 3.672
% Neutral Detergent Fiber 581 41.822 36.593 47.051 5.229
% Crude Fiber 44 17.673 15.018 20.328 2.655
% WSC (Water Sol. Carbs.) 291 10.308 3.023 17.594 7.286
% ESC (Simple Sugars) 69 9.216  4.629 13.802 4.587
% Starch 253 1.263 0.000 2.879 1.616
% Non Structural Carbo. (NSC) 192 11.808 3.940 19.675 7.867
% Non Fiber Carbo. (NFC) 501 45.017 39.476 50.557 5.540
% Crude Fat 302 1.404 0.054 2.755 1.351
% Ash 296 6.744 4.561 8.928 2.184
% TDN 574 65.889 62.159 69.620 3.731
NEL, Mcal/Lb. 574 0.684 0.641 0.727 0.043
NEM, Mcal/Lb. 574 0.658 0.600 0.716 0.058
NEG, Mcal/Lb. 574 0.391 0.340 0.443 0.052
Relative Feed Value (RFV) 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Relative Forage Quality (RFQ) 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Hay Crop Milk/Ton 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Corn Sil. Milk/Ton 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Proc. Corn Sil. Milk/Ton 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
% IVTD 6 hr 4 67.111 67.111 67.111 0.000
NDFD 6hr, % of NDF 4 18.984 18.984 18.984 0.000
% IVTD 24 hr 13 90.489 87.000 93.977 3.488
NDFD 24hr, % of NDF 13 76.261 66.905 85.617 9.356
% IVTD 30 hr 24 91.916 88.593 95.238 3.322
NDFD 30hr, % of NDF 24 81.178 74.368 87.988 6.810
% IVTD 48 hr 7 92.004 88.885 95.123 3.119
NDFD 48hr, % of NDF 7 80.388 75.327 85.448 5.060
% Calcium 499 0.949 0.644 1.254 0.305
% Phosphorus 498 0.084 0.056 0.113 0.029
% Magnesium 495 0.225 0.178 0.271 0.047
% Potassium 499 0.781 0.157 1.405 0.624
% Sodium 497 0.293 0.000 0.748 0.455
PPM Iron 503 543.766 255.250 832.282 288.516
PPM Zinc 494 23.199 0.000 80.838 57.639
PPM Copper 494 8.714 2.143 15.284 6.570
PPM Manganese 494 56.803 33.690 79.915 23.113
PPM Molybdenum 494 0.274 0.000 0.698 0.424
PPM Cobalt 2 0.830 0.830 0.830 0.000
% Sulfur 396 0.283 0.150 0.416 0.133
% Chloride 214 0.239 0.000 0.633 0.394
% Nitrate 26 0.012 0.004 0.020 0.008
% Nitrates 63 0.033 0.002 0.065 0.031
PPM Nitrate-Nitrogen 63 75.484 5.199 145.769 70.285
% Ammonia (CPE) 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Amm-N, % of Total N 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
pH 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
% Lactic Acid 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
% Acetic Acid 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
Lactic/Acetic Ratio 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
% Propionic Acid 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
% Butyric Acid 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
% Iso Butyric Acid 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
% Total Acids 0 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
PPB Aflatoxin 29 3.249 0.000 6.891 3.643
PPM Vomitoxin 12 0.057 0.000 0.143 0.087
PPM Zearalenone 16 0.059 0.000 0.130 0.070
PPM T2 14 0.018 0.000 0.047 0.029
PPM Ochratoxin 14 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000
PPM Fumonisin 14 0.055 0.000 0.139 0.084
Horse DE, Mcal/Lb. 595 1.204 1.112 1.296 0.092
Horse TDN, % 595 60.208 55.611 64.805 4.597

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## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

i have to agree with peggysue here. beet is hardly a filler and it certainly doesnt take long to put the weight on. i noticed marked improvements in all my horses in a very short time frame. i know someone who only feeds beet, chaffe and hay and they are all in superb condition. 

it may not be nutritionally COMPLETE but what horse feed is? thats where supplements come into play. my guys get chaffe, beet, millrun, pellets and a complete supplement. as with any feed yes, it doesnt contain all they need but i dont think that was the question. it was rather which one is better. i used bran for 12 months with little success. not none but not a lot either. my horses have now been on it for 2 months and i couldnt be happier with their condition especially my hard keeping, older tb mare.


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

alot of it has to do with it being so easy to digest FIBER... so the they don't use more calories digesting it


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## kickshaw (May 7, 2008)

it has TONS of fiber...18% actually.

2% more and it would be classified as a forage! :shock:


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## RoostersMom (Nov 19, 2008)

*Weight Issues*

My older horse Rooster (pictured here) was starting to lose a bit of weight. I started him on beet pulp and rice bran oil in addition to his feed and his weight is just fine now.


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## county (Nov 29, 2008)

I started using beet pulp about 3 weeks ago for my old stallion hes been on a complete feed for over a year now and has done great with it but wanted to give him a little extra boost going into our cold winters. I've been giving him 1.5 lbs a day I soak it for about two hours first and was amazed at how much it rehydrates. Now I'm thinking of trying some rice bran also but my feed dealer only has rice hulls which I'm not sure would do him any good.

Thoughts on rice hulls?

BTW kickshaw I know your a moderator and all and I mean no offense but that is one ugly *** turkey if thats what it is.


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## missy06 (Apr 5, 2008)

Just wanted to throw my $0.02 in here. I will have had Blaze on rice bran (increased over time to reach 1.5 lbs) for two weeks this coming Friday, and I'm really happy with the results. I'll be sure to post updated pictures this weekend, but his ribs really aren't visible at all anymore and he's rounding out nicely. And he's DEFINITELY not hot from the feed; I had to make him work this past weekend and he didn't want to


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## prbygenny (Aug 2, 2008)

I have had Sandman on Rice Bran for a month and he hasn't gained any weight, ugh. It is really cold and I have blanketed him, but still no weight. Should I keep waiting? Or should I switch him to Beet pulp? He gets free choice hay and is on Progressive to the max. amount allowed and getting 2lbs. of rice bran. and of course water at will.
My only reason for not getting beet pulp at first was the soaking. I don't know if my B/O will soak it for me.


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

it really doesn't NEED soaked unless you have a KNOWN choker... I like to feed mine wet but I just add water to it when I feed it.. like dump in beet pulp into the feeder then add water soak it......

How much HAY does Sandman get ?? If he doesn't have hay in front of him all the time I would INCREASE his hay first


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## Farm mom (Nov 30, 2008)

Another way to put weight on a hard keeper is corn oil. It's not only high in calories but has been proven to help prevent ulcers. You can feed up to a total of 2 cups a day.


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## prbygenny (Aug 2, 2008)

Sandman does have hay (grass roundbales). But all this food is just keeping him at a summer weight.I don't know if I should add something else or just switch to beetpulp, or just keep waiting?


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

doont' switch to anything add soem beet pulp or alfalfa pellets ... I don't really like to have mine gain weight for winter but I don't want them losing it either


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## starlinestables (Nov 24, 2008)

Rice bran or Beet pulp can both be beneficial to your horse. Figure out what your horse's diet requires and which one is a better addition to your horse's regimen. Flax seed has a higher energy density per lb than both.. Vegetable Oil has 4 times the energy density per lb then those options and the highest percentage of Lysine (better digestion). Sounds like your horse has enough fiber in its diet.. maybe an oil is the way to go?



jazzyrider said:


> it may not be nutritionally COMPLETE but what horse feed is? thats where supplements come into play. .


Actually most feeds are loaded with vitamins and minerals because feed company's don't want to get sued. The only supplements that would be beneficial to your horse is a fat supplement, MAYBE a joint supplement (although not adequately tested or proven) or MAYBE a vitamin supplement if your horse has a severe deficiency. Supplements are also not regulated so you don't even know what you're really getting.. vitamins also deteriorate over a rather short amount of time.


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## jazzyrider (Sep 16, 2007)

im afraid i have to disagree here. most if not all feeds are not complete with everything a horse needs in his diet. ive noticed the difference between my horses being fed without a supplement and with and as my nana used to say 'the proof is in the pudding'


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## ILuv2ride (Apr 29, 2008)

I prefer rice bran it works and its quick and easy w/ no mess! Beet pulp works to but u need to soak it and it can make a mess!


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