Speedi Beet opinions????

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StormyGale

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Hi just wondered people's opinions on speedi beet does it work, how does it work (i.e does it seem to be as good as sugabeet or better for your horse) - and is it as good for maintaining condition as suga beet is? I have a young horse and dont want him having anything to fizz him up as he has perfect amount of energy as it is but would like to keep feeding him to maintain his current level of condition would speedi beet work as well as suga beet?
any opinions greatly welcome as never used it before?
 
I use speedibeet and always have done as it is unmollassed and I like to keep sugar levels as low as possible. It isn't expensive, so buy a bag and try it. I think you will find that it should be almost as good at keeping the weight on but it will do it in a way that is healthier. Think of it as like a bowl of cornflakes versus a bowl of frosties, there are less calories in the cornflakes but all you are losing is the junk.
 
I use speedi beet to get vits down my shetties. It's better than sugar beet as its un mollassed. They only have a small amount but they don't seem to get fat on it. I have seen a thread on here about it hotting horses up though. If you do a search you will find it. It really depends on the horse as they are all different.
 
I have been alerted to something I hadn't thought about before re normal beet. If the factory is processing faster than normal less sugar is extracted so it can have variable sugar levels. It is my understanding the speedibeet has a pretty stable low sugar content. Just a thought not a definite.

I have used speedibeet for a few years now and love it. According to the nutrition course beet (in general) is very well digested by the horse so is a good 'safe' source of energy.
 
Sugar beet is a crop harvested from the fields http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_beet.
The by-product is mainly fibre with only 5-8% sugar left in it. It is not very palatable, so in the past it has been formed in to nuts with molasses added, this has to be soaked for 24 hours, but it still contains molasses, not a good thing for horses, more sugar! Molasses is also known a black treacle, it is a by product of sugar extracted from cane sugar or from beet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Molasses#Sugar_beet_molasses
Non molassed sugar beet is marketed as Kwik Beet [a brand name] and as Speedi-Beet [brand name] ie Non molassed sugar beet flakes, it is lower in sugars, contains lots of minerals and vitamins [though not balanced for horses] and it has no added molasses. It is high in fibre, fibre is source of energy. Kwik beet takes 30 mins or less to soak.
I hope this helps, feeding SB nuts with molasses is OK for most ordinary horses and ponies in the UK in winter if they are out at grass as much as possible. If they are stabled, it is better to feed hay and or haylage, plus a small feed twice a day to make sure they are getting enough minerals, vitamins and energy in the form of forage for the work the are asked to do.
Personally I would never feed molassed sb nuts unless the horses were in very poor condition, had poor appetite, and needed an energy boost. Better to make sure they have good dentition and good hay.
 
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amandap said:
I have been alerted to something I hadn't thought about before re normal beet. If the factory is processing faster than normal less sugar is extracted so it can have variable sugar levels. It is my understanding the speedibeet has a pretty stable low sugar content. Just a thought not a definite.

I have used speedibeet for a few years now and love it. According to the nutrition course beet (in general) is very well digested by the horse so is a good 'safe' source of energy.
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The factory will process the beet to extract as much sugar as possible, they don t turn the machine up to run faster as this would reduce the yield of the valuable part of the crop.... the sugar!
 
Thanks everyone for info and thanks Miss L Toe very interesting - as has been said its not expensive so will give it a go - just didn't want to try it if im missing something major - will see what happens he'll eat anything and isn't really hotted up by a lot of things but hes on a high fibre diet at the moment with adlib hay etc and grass and as hes' young ( 3yrs old) just wanted to keep things simple and as someonen said as healthy as possible really - thanks guys will grab a bag!!!
 
Miss L Toe said:
The factory will process the beet to extract as much sugar as possible, they don t turn the machine up to run faster as this would reduce the yield of the valuable part of the crop.... the sugar!
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Fair enough. I expect quantity processed is limited too for the same reason.
Glad that is a non issue then. :)
 
amandap said:
Fair enough. I expect quantity processed is limited too for the same reason.
Glad that is a non issue then. :)
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The quantiy processed is limited annually by the tonnage of crop produced, it is all farmed locally around the Sugar Beet factory.
http://www.britishsugar.co.uk/Files/FactoryPDFs/About-Wissington-Factory-pdf.aspx
As long as it is profitable, farmers will grow enough to supply the factory which operates all winter, this year the yield of the crop has been lowered due to flooding, and also the fact that it is not possible to operate the harvesters if the field is still muddy.
 
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Sugar beet pulp (Speedibeet etc) is an excellent foodstuff for horses. It is very high in fibre, and that fibre is highly digestible and promotes a healthy environment in the large intestine which is what you want to avoid digestive upset. It also has a favourable calcium to phosphorous ratio - better than that of cereal grains and is a good replacement for cereal in the feed.

If you buy the molasses free type then you are obviously feeding much less sugar than if the molasses were included. Yes the sugar would aid weight gain / condition but you'd be better off reducing the sugar and upping the amount of the unmolassed beet you feed. If you then felt your horse was losing condition you could add oil (if you aren't already) or an oil by-product such as micronized linseed which would contain good levels of good quality protein which would be good for your young horse's muscle building, condition, and performance.

All the above info is in this week's Equine Nutrition course which some of us on here have signed up to do, so I haven't just made it up, and I knew very little about it before yesterday :D Anyone else on the course please jump on me if I've got it wrong!
 
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Angelbones said:
Sugar beet pulp (Speedibeet etc) is an excellent foodstuff for horses. It is very high in fibre, and that fibre is highly digestible and promotes a healthy environment in the large intestine which is what you want to avoid digestive upset. It also has a favourable calcium to phosphorous ratio - better than that of cereal grains and is a good replacement for cereal in the feed.

If you buy the molasses free type then you are obviously feeding much less sugar than if the molasses were included. Yes the sugar would aid weight gain / condition but you'd be better off reducing the sugar and upping the amount of the unmolassed beet you feed. If you then felt your horse was losing condition you could add oil (if you aren't already) or an oil by-product such as micronized linseed which would contain good levels of good quality protein which would be good for your young horse's muscle building, condition, and performance.

All the above info is in this week's Equine Nutrition course which some of us on here have signed up to do, so I haven't just made it up, and I knew very little about it before yesterday :D Anyone else on the course please jump on me if I've got it wrong!
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I also add a balanced mineral and vitamin product, not the full amount needed for an adult horse in hard work, but it is balanced. Also depends on the breed and the forage and the growth. With a young horse I like to feed "six months ahead", so if they are going to be broken in three months, they would be fed a little feed to make sure they are well muscled, if they are not, then, I would keep them "slim" so they can cope wih the spring grass.
 
Just to say Speedibeet is very similar in calorie content to molassed beet (12.4 MJDE/kg vs 12.5 MJDE/kg) so has similar weight gain properties despite the lower sugar content.
 
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