Speedibeet alternatives?

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anuvb

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My horse is notoriously fizzy and needs all the support he can get to keep his condition on. However,he's also a very fussy eater and it's taken ages to work out a feeding regime which seems to suit him and he's currently on conditioning cubes, outshine (or equivalent depending on availability and how picky he's feeling), and alpha-a.

But with the poor grass this summer he's started to drop weight again and although he's not looking awful I don't want him to go into the winter without having something up my sleeve to keep the condition on.

I've tried him on speedibeet a couple of times over the past year and both times it put condition on nicely, but 'fizzed' him up to the point where he was a real handful to manage (I know he is the wierdest horse to feed on the planet! :) ). The first time I assumed I wasn't working him enough, the second he was definitely getting enough work but became too hot to handle on the ground. I don't particularly understand it as the outshine has sugarbeet in it and this seems to have no ill-effect on him... but there you go I think he's just a tricky one to feed.

Can anyone suggest a good alternative to speedibeet which is highly palatable for a very fussy eater, good for additional conditioning but is not in any shape or form speedibeet? Ta
 
I'm suprised speedi beet has wound him up! You could try alfabeet and add fenugreek to it it's conditioning and full of fibre, but some horses find it bitter so the fenugreek makes it appetising.

you could try the allen & page fast fibre too
 
Well...Speedibeat is unmolassed beet pulp (i.e. what's left on the sugar beet pulp once the sugar has been extracted) it's also approved by the Laminitis Trust and therefore is very very low in sugars and starches, so why it should have this effect on your horse is a bit weird....

Anyway, maybe try an alfalfa product with oil? Alfalfa is high in calories and qualitie proteins but low in sugars and starches and oil is very calorie dense, and again low in sugars and starches. Saracen Equi Jewel is another very good low s/s product as is Winergy Equilibrium Condition.
 
Are you sure it was the beet? I know many say it makes them fizzy but I've never found it.

The only ones I know if that I've used is.
Eurobeet.
Kiwikbeet.
Sugarbeet.
Speediebeet.
 
... (hides out of embarassment) yup am pretty certain its the speedibeet. Am always very careful to manage any change in my horse's feed and only change one thing at a time and keep him on it for a month before making a judgement call (except where it got dangerous this time on the beet!). :)

If it hadn't happened twice I'd swear it was just unfortunate timing and he was going through his teenage strop phase, but the reason I tried it again was the fact that I thought it couldn't possibly be the beet which heated him up and I would give it a go... two weeks later stroppy bolshy pony. Take him off it, and he's back to his lovely soft cuddly gentlemanly ways again within a week.

I know it's odd but I can only go by what reaction I get from him! :)
 
Bless.

Maybe give something else ago then, I know the Kiwkbeet is sugar fee, I use this for all mine through winter (including my lami prone), I've just gave it to one of mine for 3 weeks because he dropped to much weight as there is no grass and hes already gained a good bit of weight so now hes off it until winter.
 
How about Coolstance, made out of coconut. He will either love or loath it, full of oil and calories but high in fibre. I feed it to my old TB and it does not fizz him up at all just makes him fat and glossy.
 
I vouch for Coolstance (copra meal) too - like you say, horses either love it or hate it (i have one of each) but it's fairly economical, calorie dense and puts a great shine on them too :)
 
Another vote for Coolstance Copra

i feed it to my thoroughbreddy ISH through winter or if he drops slightly and it picks hm right back up. he will only eat it if mixed in with his usual feed but he is INCREDIBLY fussy to the point of after 7.5months of eating garlic in his feed he flatly refused to and still wont lol

but its totally non heating and a sack lasts for ages!
 
I'm another one with a weird TB who fizzed up on unmolassed sugarbeet (easibeet in our case). It was combined with box rest but it definitely had an effect as I added and removed it 3 times to confirm.

I'd also recommend Coolstance Copra, I feed that and he's back to his lazy self.
 
Id go with the copra too, I have a native that goes hyper on speedibeet, goodness knows why as there shouldn't be any sugar or nasties in it.
 
Thanks everyone :) I'll look up copra and the ready mash. I'd wondered about fibrebeet too - but thought may be it would have the same effect as speedibeet... My friend's got some I can probably try first. I know he likes it as he is always putting his head over the door of her stable to try and nick some out of the bucket of it if she puts there for her horse.

And I'll stop hiding out of embarassment now I know it's not just my horse that gets hot on speedibeet! I was beginning to wonder if I had the only horse who was like it! :) :D!
 
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