Is it the Speedi Beet or the linseed?

[EmzT]

My horse had been fed Fast Fibre for quite a while now. He loves it but as his workload has increased recently I found it wasn't enough to keep the weight on him.
About a week ago I changed his food to 1/2 scoop (dry) Speedi Beet with approx. 3/4 mugful of micronized linseed at night with 1 scoop Pro- Balance, and another 1/4 scoop (dry) Speedibeet in the morning.
Since before the weekend he has become a bit unsettled in his stable and very spooky and forward going when lunged or ridden. This is very unlike him.
I was wondering if anyone has any experience of either Speedi Beet or micronised linseed fizzing their horse up, as both of these are supposed to be non-heating? Also I believe unmollased beet is mainly what Fast Fibre is and he was an angel on that.

 

[kirstykate]

You are soaking the speedi b arent you??

 

[EmzT]

Yes Knew someone would ask that the way I had written it!

 

[lachlanandmarcus]

The only way to be sure would be to cut one of them out I guess.

 

[Purple18]

My horse went loopy on speedibeet. It could be the speedibeet, never needed to use micronized linseed so i wouldn't know about that one

 

[criso]

Mine was affected by Easibeet (another brand of unmolassed sugarbeet) at one yard I was at but has been fine with it since.

Knowing a bit more now about minerals I wonder now if the land there was high in calcium, sugarbeet is also high in calcium and which I think may left him short of magnesium.

 

[kirstykate]

Yes Knew someone would ask that the way I had written it!

Phew, I felt stupid asking but you never know

Did you do a gradual change or did you just swap?

 

[amandap]

The only way to know is drop one and see. However fast fibre has beet as second on the list of ingredients. Is grass coming through?

 

[EmzT]

The only way to know is drop one and see. However fast fibre has beet as second on the list of ingredients. Is grass coming through?

He has been stable bound for the last few weeks because of mud fever and the state of our fields so definately not grass.
I shall cut them out in turn and see what happens!

 

[Pinkvboots]

Maybe its because his been stabled for a few weeks rather than the feed having an effect, if mine where kept in without any feed they would become very hyper.

 

[Elsbells]

My girl turns into the Antichrist if I give her speedibeet!

The linseed has no effect.

 

[fidleyspromise]

Mine was loopy on speedi beet.
She's on fast fibre and much calmer. She's also on linseed and no change there either.

 

[EmzT]

So I cut out the Speedi-Beet and he is back to his normal, easy-going self.
Won't be putting him back on that in a hurry. Hard to understand when sugar content is so low.

 

[touchstone]

Mine goes loopy on speedibeet, but is fine on molassed old fashioned pellets

I can only think that the way it is processed makes the energy more readily availble somehow - might be talking complete rubbish of course.

 

[amandap]

Glad you got an answer. Like anything it doesn't seem to suit all horses.

ps. I hope one of the others can eat it... shame to have a bag of waste.