Help a novice with some feed advice please!

[pottamus]

I am a novice when it comes to feeds for horses as my boy lives off grass and hay with a supplement in chaff! He is a native so does not need anymore...anyway to the point....
last year I started doing low level endurance rides and I am hoping to up the miles this year. I had big problems getting him to take on water during and after a ride and need to get him into the habit of this before the season starts. I tried apples in the water, apple juice, his own water in his own bucket...everything!
It has been suggested to use megga watered down sugarbeet so it is a slop that I can gradually dilute more as he gets used to drinking.

Now my question...is Speedibeet the same as sugar beet and would I be able to do this with Speedibeet?
If so, does it only come in massive bags as I don't want to buy it if it does not work because I would not want to have to feed it to him as he really does not need it?

 

[JessPickle]

If you wanted to try that phone up speedibeat ask for a sample they are bound to send you one. Or add salt to his feed that will make him want to drink (thats what my YO did when one of the ponies refused to drink, they drunk after that)

The salt can be put into soaking sugarbeet so they dont tatste it as much

 

[claireross]

You can feed it very wet if you like. How able a salt lick, does that make them thirsty????

 

[fizzer]

i would think it wouldnt matter which beet it was as long as it encourouges him to drink, you could also try chopping apples and carrots in my friend who does endurance does that with hers and it helps, she puts various buckets down so he can choose

 

[Bex7]

Ha Ha Bert is on exactly the same diet as yours

Bert get spedibeet in the summer really watered down with electorlites in and he loves it. Does anyone you know use it and would let you borrow a bit?

 

[spaniel]

Speedibeet is basically the same stuff but has little or no added molasses. You can buy (more cheaply) completely unmollased sugarbeet threads (they look like anaemic worms). Unless you have a major issue with the mollased stuff I would think it might be a better than the unmollased if you are going to be endurancing anyway.

If you keep SB in its plastic sack in a dustbin it should last for ages and at around £6 a sack its not a big expense to the benefit you will get. Just soak a handful overnight and use the water it produces.