Speedi beet for conditioning??

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Flying_Form

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Was just talking to a friend who would be a bit older than me and a lot more traditional in her horsey ways! We were chatting about feeding for weight gain and/or conditioning because one of my geldings is very hard to put weight onto (my TB is actually easier to put weight onto!).

I was naming out the feeds I use and have tried in the past; mashes, cubes, conditioning mixes, performance balancers, extra add ons like linseed and conditioning pellets. She laughed and said every horse she has gets speedi beet (volume varies on what’s needed), a suitable balancer and chaff with ad lib hay and she never has any issues with their weight.

This would definitely be more friendly for my pocket, however I was always under the impression that speedi beet was just a high fibre feed that didn’t have a huge amount of oil/protein that can be fed as she does for most horses, but if condition and weight gain is what you’re after you’re best to opt for a conditioning cube/mash/etc.

Can speedi beet be used for weight gain?
 
Made per the manufacturers instructions it has almost no calories (1-2mcal per pound wet weight, it's mostly water!)
It's a good carrier for things you could add for weight gain though (linseed, oils) and does help keep them warm by encouraging hind gut fermentation. So it's a very good feed for horses that don't need to gain or lose weight, and those that need to lose weight but by itself wouldn't put weight on a horse that needed to gain.
 
Flying_Form said:
She laughed and said every horse she has gets speedi beet (volume varies on what’s needed), a suitable balancer and chaff with ad lib hay and she never has any issues with their weight.
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I think she's never had any issues with their weight despite speedi-beet, not because of it. The ad-lib hay is more likely the reason for her not having any weight issues - it's the ideal thing for horses that don't have special dietary needs.

And despite all the posts here asking about feed, not every horse is either a good doer or bad doer: some are 'just right' :)
 
FieldOrnaments said:
It's a good carrier for things you could add for weight gain though (linseed, oils) and does help keep them warm by encouraging hind gut fermentation.
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Yes that’s what I always had assumed! An old pony of mine was on it in the past along with chaff and oil but wasn’t a pony that needed a huge amount of maintenance
 
Sugar beet is a great source of fibre, and is easy for horses to digest ( approx, 20% easier to digest than hay)
It has a high soluble fibre content which is processed through the hind gut.
Because of this it provides a great slow release energy ( a rate which is comparable to some conditioning feeds)

It is highly palatable and it's high moisture content helps with hydration.
 
I would be more inclined to go for Fibrebeet for conditioning rather than Speedibeet......

I feed Speedibeet to my two lads because:

a) The 20 year old is retired, on fab grazing, doesn't need any extra weight but just needs to maintain what he looks like currently, is prone to ulcers and can be a bit stressy
b) My rising 3 year old has a sensitive stomach, can't tolerate alfalfa or linseed, is also on fab grazing like the 20 year old, doesn't need any excess weight as he's still growing and I believe Speedibeet has pectins in it, which are apparently good for the gut too

I can give them decent sized meals to keep them chewing and keeping their hind guts fermenting, without concern for the excess weight gain x

I think she has no issue with weight as she feeds ad lib hay xx
 
I think the old fashioned molassed sugar beet pellets that you soaked for 24 hours was supposed to be a good weight gain feed. The modern unmolassed is the opposite. I feed it by the bucket load to an old pony who can't chew very well.
 
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