Does anyone feed "full fat" sugar beet anymore??

[Benlot]

I do! Have always used it on all my horses from TB's to natives think it is a much understated feed nowadays.

 

[TequilaMist]

Usually use the molassed beet.
For the freezing issue we use a cool box.We started using this last year and sugar beet only froze a couple of time and that was just usually the top layer.Lids handy too as keeps things out!!
Oh and live in NE Scotland so was pretty cold.

 

[rascal]

I used to use the original sugar beet, but one of ours has cushings so vet told us to use speedi beet. Its easier to feed them the all on the same thing.

 

[Molasses]

I do....but then with a name like mine......

 

[superted1989]

I personally don't, but the people that do on the yard all club together so there's always a bucket in soak.

 

[tallyho!]

would do normally but have a fatty who has had lami so don't really have much choice now...

 

[moana]

I use it every winter, so much cheaper than the quick soak versions, and there is no hardship in making it up every twenty four hours, make -feed-make.

 

[paddy555]

I do and my horses are barefooters too. I have no problems with it, there really is hardly any sugar in it, I've tasted it! It is a by-product of sugar production so they are hardly going to leave much in the residue if they can help it, are they?

I wasn't refering to the sugar still left in the beet I was refering to the added molasses.
Try rinsing a bucket of molassed sugar beet several times and look at the level of molasses that comes out of it. I wouldn't want to feed that to my horses. Barefoot , putting weight on nor making the horse excitable doesn't come into it. I just don't want then eating that amount of rubbish.
The clean beet however is very nice fibre.

 

[pastel]

we feed it to our 47 retired horses, no problem at all just portion control for the fatties, I understand that there is more sugar in a haynet of haylage than ilb normal sugar beet, don't know why everyone is fixated about the sugar free expensive version..............I also feed it whilst competing endurance , its brilliant stuff!

 

[asbo]

big diva boy,yes. fatty bumbum sec a,nope.

 

[Theocat]

I feed it. It's cheap, and neddy loves it and doesn't go loopy on it. win-win!

 

[amandap]

I'm probably being a numpty here (or pedantic. lol) but I see some of you call it full fat. Does beet have fat in it then? I was under the impression that it was sugars and carbs that put the weight on. I thought feeds like speedibeet have had sugars reduced not fats.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I am using it only until its finished then i am switching over.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I feed molassed sugar beet the pellets, great feed, Oldman thrives on it and Mare loves it as a topping and I can add as much as I want to a bucket as its basically pure fibre.

My guys turned their noses up at speedibeet and alfabeet was nearly £5 more espensive for less.

My guys arent laminitic (poor doers) so I dont think the 'full fat' version will do them any harm

 

[luckilotti]

i feed the old fashioned stuff - although over the years i have noticed none of my liveries feed it anymore - its all speedibeet. When i have nattered to them about it, they all say its because speedibeet is 'easier and quicker' - To me - its actually harder and wastes time!

Having to hang around for 10 minutes or whatever for it to soak.....
my feeds get put in the bucket, sugarbeet added, mixed - done.
I normally make enough sugarbeet for a couple of days at a time, it doesnt take long to put it in soak and its ready when i come to do my feeds the next day....

IF i had to get the water, put speedibeet in soak, then make my feeds, would prob have to wait a few more minutes, add newly soaked speedibeet, rinse bucket off from speedibeat and put ready for the next day (otherwise any left over bits would dry and be hard to remove before making some up the next day...), and TBH, it would take longer! a former livery did give me 1/2 a sack of speedibeet when she sold her mare, so used it up and found that it really did take me longer!

If you leave sugarbeet wrapped up inside etc in winter, it doesnt really freeze etc so i dont have any of those issues.

 

[cptrayes]

I do and my horses are barefooters too. I have no problems with it, there really is hardly any sugar in it, I've tasted it! It is a by-product of sugar production so they are hardly going to leave much in the residue if they can help it, are they?

I wasn't refering to the sugar still left in the beet I was refering to the added molasses.
Try rinsing a bucket of molassed sugar beet several times and look at the level of molasses that comes out of it. I wouldn't want to feed that to my horses. Barefoot , putting weight on nor making the horse excitable doesn't come into it. I just don't want then eating that amount of rubbish.
The clean beet however is very nice fibre.

I found this on google:

Molasses

A thick, dark, heavy syrup which is a by-product of sugar refining. It is far less sweet than syrup or honey and the darker the molasses, the less sugar it contains

Just because its black does not make it dangerous to feed. Have you tasted that water? If that's got much sugar in it I'll eat my Christmas Cracker hat

I see over 12 barefoot horses on a regular basis including my own and they are all fed standard sugar beet because it is cheap and they like it. It's often barefoot people who dislike feeding it most, and some of them genuinely have horses that are sensitive to it. Most horses, though, have no problem with it at all.


Now if you want to start kicking up a fuss about feeding molassed muesli feeds that can be 10% sugar for "laminitic safe" ones and even more for others, then I'm right with you!

 

[FairyLights]

Yes I feed it its great stuff.

 

[CarolineJ]

I used to, but switched to speedibeet as an experiment and horse stopped itching almost overnight, so we're staying off the molasses now.

 

[PingPongPony]

We feed all of ours the 'full fat' old fashined version. They all love it and don't go loopy. We use it because its much cheaper and you get more for your money, plus, i really really don't trust speedi beet. I did an experiment once on a handful of spedi beet, i made it up using the instructions, when it soaked up all the water i kept adding more and more and more, it just kept soaking it all up, i've added a lot more than recommended before it stopped soaking it up. I just really don't trust speedi beet.

 

[cumbriamax]

I have fed it for over 10 years & have never had any problems, however, we have recently gone over to equibeet which is unmollassed by trident feeds but I just get the cheapest (village shop doing it cheaper than feed merchants own brand), but mollassed products do seem to have fallen out of favour at the moment.