Horse: Re: [AskAVet] adding beet pulp to horse feed for winter??

Beet pulp has digestible fiber which is good for horses but it doesn't have huge amounts of calories...and calories are what makes weight (just like for people). Fats have 2 1/2 times the calories per gram than carbohydrates or proteins so are far more effective at maintaining or gaining weight. Research has suggested that horses in general can tolerate up to 20% of their caloric intake being in the form of fats. You can use any number of fats to achieve this....things like stabalized rice bran, cool calories, other fat supplemented feeds (mostly expensive)...or you can add fat to what he is already eating. Things like black oil sunflower seed, different oils (corn, canola, vegie, flaxseed and others) can be added to the usual feed. My personal favorite thing with winter weather is to beef up the amount of hay (digestion of hay is what provides body heat so more to digest not only gives more calories but increases the amount of heat produced,
keeping a horse warmer) by about 10-25% depending on the weather. I add oil, starting with 1/4 cup of whatever is on sale in bulk at costco twice a day for those that are really hard keepers. I will increase this slowly (1/4 cup a week) up to a max of 1 cup twice a day (some horses get loose manure on less than this...if that happens just back off on the amount of oil a bit until the manure becomes normal again). I also like to add Calf Manna (there is a form for horses and one for cattle..either works) as itis high protein as well as fairly high in fat. And I blanket if one is having a very hard time maintaining....protection from wind and some insulation so calories used for heat can be stored as fat and maintain body weight that way. If possible a wind break or barn during the worst of weather and turn out in warm spells.

Dorothy
Colored Cowhorse Ranch
Lovelock, NV
www.coloredcowhorseranch.com
Docs Producer Leo, AQHA foundation bred perlino
Colonels Diamond Chex, APHA buckskin tobiano
Ima Streakin Doc, APHA bay tobi Doc Bar grandson
Muchacho Pintero, APHA sorrel tobi Doc Quixote grandson

--- On Thu, 8/27/09, Stacey <stacey46750@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Stacey <stacey46750@yahoo.com>
Subject: [AskAVet] adding beet pulp to horse feed for winter??
To: askavet@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thursday, August 27, 2009, 6:26 AM

HI, everyone!
I have been doing research on switching my horse from Safe Choice to another feed. After much thought and reading, I am going to leave him and the pony on it and maybe even start feeding it to my show goats. The other feeds I was looking at either had not much fat or I would have to feed up to twice as much to keep weight on him. Anyway, I am thinking he lost weight last winter because we didn't bump his feed up soon enough.
My question is, will adding soaked beet pulp to the pellets do him any help this winter? Why exactly do some people add this? The only shredded beet pulp we have has molasses added to it. We did feed it to the pigs this year right before fair, we just added it dry to their feed...didn' t know why, just did what I was told...doesn' t happen often!! ; ) Jus wanted to know what it does exactly and whether to start him on it to maintain weight as it gets colder. Thanks!

Stacey
NE Indiana

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/askavet/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/askavet/join
(Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:askavet-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:askavet-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
askavet-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/