# The Truth About Beet Pulp



## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

Good article. That should clear up a lot of the "old wives tails" about beet pulp.


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## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

*Beet Pulp safety warning*

Beet Pulp Safety Warning (aka the famous squirrel story) - by Susan Evans Garlinghouse




> However, eventually I knew the true downside to beet pulp would show up, and thought it only fair that I pass it along...
> 
> This afternoon I decided to bring some beet pulp pellets into the house to soak, because I wanted to get an idea of exactly how much they expanded in volume during the soaking process. Academic types are like that, pathetically easy to amuse and desperately in need of professional help. I knew they expanded quite a bit, because the first time I'd innocently added water to a five-pound bucket of beet pulp, I'd come back later to find my feed room practically awash in beet pulp, providing a breakfast that every horse within a five mile radius still remembers with fond nostalgia. So in the interest of scientific curiousity, I trundled in a bucket, about three pounds of beet pulp, added in the water and set it in the living room to do its thing. No problem. Research in action.
> Well, in our ongoing quest to turn this house into Noah's Ark, we have not only four horses, three dogs, four neurotic cats, a sulfur-crested cockatoo, a cockatiel and assorted toads, we also have William. William is a fox squirrel who absent-mindedly fell out of his tree as a blind and hairless baby two years ago and whom the vet promptly handed off to the only person he knew silly enough to traipse around with a baby squirrel and a bottle of Esbilac into her bookbag. Actually, the trick wasn't in keeping such a tiny creature warm, fed and clean---it was keeping a straight face and looking as mystified as everyone else when William woke up hungry and started pipping for his bottled like a very small, slightly muffled alarm clock. Invariably, this usually occurred while I was standing in line at the post office, picking up a pizza for dinner or on one memorable occasion, taking a final exam in biochemistry. Being no dummy, William knew a sucker when he saw one and has happily been an Urban Squirrel ever since.
> ...


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

water and stomach acid are two different things ... as soon a sa horse starts chew the slavia starts the digestion process


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## charliBum (Jan 7, 2009)

A friends dog doed fromeating sugarbeet which expanded inside him

and 2L scoop of the stuff makes like 10+L so i think ill keepp soaking, plus the pellets are hard as rock


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

Pellets are suppose to be soaked... shreds do NOT have to be 

BUT I do soak to be safe


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## Nutty Saddler (May 26, 2009)

I always like to keep an open mind about new research and other peoples opinions / views - so it makes interesting reading.

The only thiing I can say for sure is that my own mare Ingrid is completly impossible - bordering on the dangerous - if fed any kind of beet in any form. In fact I have 8 equines and I feed beet to none of them.

This dosen't mean that I discount it entirely as a form of feed, just that I don't feed it to mine.

As for the soaking thing - I don't know of any horses that have had colic because the beet was soaked - but I do know a couple that have had colic and the main reason was that it was not.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

I actually pour the cup of water even in my pellet/oats mix. It makes nice mash out of it, and both my horses seem to prefer it this way. With beat pulp, frankly I'd just not give it a try to feed dry. Yes, may be it's indeed safe, but... You just never know.


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## Peggysue (Mar 29, 2008)

I feed everything wet as well kitten but it is a WIVES tail about it expanding in the stomach and causing problems... 


teh digestive enezymes(sp) break in down too fast for colic to be an issue.. now I do have one mare that choked on it mildly but she also chokes on alfalfa cubes as welll.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

charliBum said:


> A friends dog doed fromeating sugarbeet which expanded inside him


That's unfortunate about your friend's dog, but dogs and horses have VERY different digestive tracts. Your horse would very likely colic if it ate a sizable amount of dog food. Does that mean your dog food is bad? :wink:


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## Horse Hippie (May 1, 2009)

Thanks for the information! Very informative!


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## eventerdrew (Mar 13, 2009)

wow. I had no idea about all this info! Thanks for sharing. I will be sure to keep that in mind if/when I start feeding beet pulp


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## close2prfct (Mar 9, 2009)

Spyder said:


> Beet Pulp Safety Warning (aka the famous squirrel story) - by Susan Evans Garlinghouse


 

Now that was a good story **** :lol::lol:


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## charliBum (Jan 7, 2009)

luvs2ride1979 said:


> That's unfortunate about your friend's dog, but dogs and horses have VERY different digestive tracts. Your horse would very likely colic if it ate a sizable amount of dog food. Does that mean your dog food is bad? :wink:


no, but im jsut trying to say, the pellets I get, and my friend got expand a huge about, I use it, its the major bulk of charlis feed.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

charliBum said:


> no, but im jsut trying to say, the pellets I get, and my friend got expand a huge about, I use it, its the major bulk of charlis feed.


All beet pulp expands, the pelleted form more than the shredded. If you'd read the articles I posted, you'd see that the equine digestive system processes the food before it has time to expand to full capacity. Plus, beet pulp doesn't absorb stomach acid the way it does water...


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## dakota (Aug 7, 2009)

I have had success using beet pulp to help some horses gain weight. Currently I have an older thoroughbred that came to my barn and was on the thin side. Thinner than what you want for a thoroughbred. We tried everything to get some weight on him finally used beet pulp and he is looking healthy.


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## lovemyponies (Jul 26, 2008)

good info, we have a sickly horse that can't have feed and he was on beet pulp and then stopped eating it for a while. They soak it for 12 hours between feedings and leave it the 95 degree barn. No wonder he stopped eating it!


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

I feed beet pulp in the winter. It gets soaked in the morning, and fed at night. So far, there's never been a problem with it going bad. Winter is usually pretty mild for me, cold, but not ridiculous. I simply don't have the time to wait every evening for the beet pulp to soak before I feed dinner. Maybe it is an old wives tale, but I'm still going to soak it. =]

I LOVED the squirrel story. Absolutely loved it. Thanks for posting that part. =]


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## nldiaz66 (Jul 27, 2008)

The bag of beet pulp I just got, says if you are going to soak it do it for 2 hours,why do ya'll soak it for 12hrs.? I was going to try it soaked and also dry to see what he prefers better.


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## lovemyponies (Jul 26, 2008)

Well the horse we were feeding beet pulp died yesterday so ...... just had to say that, he will be missed.

beet pulp gets soaked for so long because it gets put in the water after the am feeding and fed at the pm feeding and then put in water at pm feeding and fed at am feeding, etc.
But in the summer makes sense you shouldn't do that as it ferments


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## nldiaz66 (Jul 27, 2008)

I'm sorry to hear about your horse, may I ask why he died? and yeah I think I'll only soak it for about 2 hrs. inless he will eat it dry, but I'm just starting him on it so wanted to soak it for the first couple of feedings, to see how he will do.I will also be adding eaither vegoil or rice bran he is underweight and needs more fat.Thanks


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## lovemyponies (Jul 26, 2008)

oh it was a long time coming and the best thing for him, but beet pulp helped him in his last months. I think this thread is good info.


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## Tanigirl69 (Jul 23, 2009)

I have given my horses beet pulp - I tried to soak it and my QH would not touch it - she would eat it dry though.. She has not had any problems.. usually just give it to them in the winter.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

I soaked mine for twelve hours because I didn't have the time to wait for it to soak before feeding it to her every night. She only gets grain at night, and it would take about a half hour to 45 minutes for the amount she gets to expand all the way. I do not have that kind of time. It's never gone bad, and she's never refused it. She also only gets it in the winter when the grass is gone, so it doesn't get a chance to ferment since it doesn't get warm enough outside.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Yup, me too... soaked for 2 - 24 hours depending on my schedule and the weather. 24 hrs when the temp was near freezing was never a problem, though I never let it sit that long in the summer heat. Purely a scheduling issue in regard to the soaking time.

Beet pulp seems to be only easily availabe in large pellets here, so I feel I must soak if I feed it. Right now, thankfully, knock on my wooden head, I have no special dietary needs in my barn <thanking all the horse gods>


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## nldiaz66 (Jul 27, 2008)

I got the shredded beet pulp, soaked it this morning for my horse and then gave it to him dry for his dinner and he was fine with both.I have not seen the large pellets here.So I guess he will get it dry from now on..


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## Appyt (Oct 14, 2007)

I don't recall if I've replied here or not. I feed shredded beet pulp. It is not necessary to soak it for hours. I simply wet it thoroughly and feed. I like it a bit sloppy for my 30 yr old appy so I add more water which allows it so soak up as he eats also. I understand the large pellets would need to soak longer but 12 hours would bother me if there was any chance of spoilage.


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