To soak or not Beet Pulp.

[Daisychain]

I have just been on an interesting site regarding sugar beet pulp, a girl was asking wether or not she should soak BP pellets, i obviously typed back yes for 24hrs etc, and was then flooded by people who said it really isnt necessary! Apparently it is a myth that BP causes choke, as it is the way the horse chews the food which causes problems, and as for swelling in the stomache the acid just breaks it down! Loads of americans dont soak and i was amazed!! are we behind the times? Just found it very interesting, it has also been scientifically proven to be fed safe dry too!! What do you think??

 

[the watcher]

I think this is an experiment I don't want to try!

But the positive for me is that beet is a wet food, I never feed anything dry to prevent any chance of choke

 

[pocket]

Sounds scary to me, I have kept/worked with horses for 30 years and have always soaked sugar beet and you are instructed to soak it over night ect, it is treated as a succulent.

It worries me when people put posts on sites like this as some people have limited knowledge on horsemanship and believe they are experts in horse ownership when they have limited experience in keeping horses.

My advice is to continue soaking and following the instructions stated on the bags......I'm sure that manufactures do not put this advice on for no reason? I also agree with soaking all feeds, especially in the older horse.

 

[Tia]

They are right I'm afraid; you don't have to soak SB, providing it is fed with other feedstuffs, otherwise it certainly is possible for them to choke on the coating around the pellets....and another myth is that if it isn't soaked then it will cause the stomach to bloat and burst; absolute rubbish I'm afraid.

Having said all of that, I never ever feed any feedstuffs dry as I have experienced horses choking and don't wish to experience it again. I don't however soak SB for anything like the length of time that people in the UK tend to; mine gets soaked for a maximum of overnight and fed the next morning.

I don't ever remember any instructions being placed on any bags of SB that I bought in the UK? And there aren't any here either.

 

[Thistle]

It is commonly fed unsoaked in europe too. The shreds though not the cubes.

 

[KatB]

Depends how it has been prepared. More and more companies are using different cooking methods which mean it can be fed dry. However I still wouldnt risk it personally, horses arent designed to eat truly "dry" food IMO.

 

[boneo]

It worries me when people put posts on sites like this as some people have limited knowledge on horsemanship and believe they are experts in horse ownership when they have limited experience in keeping horses.
, .

[/ QUOTE ]
Hear, hear! Opinions, yes; but statements of fact, only with care!

 

[gothdolly]

Eh?? But dont we all know stories of ponies who got into the feed shed at night and ate sugar beet cubes (unsoaked) and ended up with colic?? I would never chance it, I thought it was a terrible crime to feed unsoaked beet?

Cassandra

 

[alicep]

i wouldnt dare feed SB dry! although i have discovered the fabulous speedi beet -ha ha ready in 10!

 

[spaniel]

Horses are designed to eat grass. Grass is 80/90% water. Anyhting that goes into the bucket feed needs to be wet.

Horses dont eat their food....they drink it.

 

[MagicMelon]

Ive heard of Americans feeding it dry, seems to be the norm. But I think they dont feed too much of it at once so they allow for the swelling?

Personally I wouldnt dream of feeding it dry just to be on the safe side. And plus the only reason I feed it is to wetten the rest of the feed.

 

[Daisychain]

Actually these people were very knowledgable people, with a very through understanding, but like everyone it is quite tough getting your head around it!

 

[Magicmillbrook]

I like the fact that sugar beet once soaked goes lovely and bulky and moist - eating it dry would be like having cream crackers for tea - no thanks

 

[Tia]

Have a read - this is fairly common knowledge over here, but seems slightly confusing to Brits. In the rest of Europe and generally always over here on the North American continent, it is very often fed dry.

Nutritionist - On Beet Pulp

 

[spaniel]

Thank you Tia....also proof (Ive said it till Im blue in the face) that SB doesnt turn horses into leaping nutters!!

 

[MagicMelon]

Who said it turned horses into nutters? Ive never had a problem feeding SB to my lot!

 

[spaniel]

MM Ive heard it so often from people you wouldnt believe it! I accept that there will be a tiny, weeny, percentage of horses who have a possible reaction against any of the feeds we try and give them but SB gets the blame so often.

Interesting though, when I have sat and thought about these 'mad' horses, many of them have been quiet, subdued and slightly underweight blood types whose owners have started to 'feed them up'. The horse then reverts to type and becomes too much for the owner. Nothing to do with the 'sugar' at all....just feeling well and 'normal'!

You cant say anything though.

 

[Capriole]

Interesting stuff, darent try it though, with my luck it'd go badly!

 

[MurphysMinder]

Wouldn't like to feed it dry, you've only got to see how much it swells when soaked. My daughter has just read this post and apparently they have been told in a nutrition lecture at vet uni that sugar beet should always be soaked for horses.

 

[Angua2]

well it is nice to know that if they snaffle a few flakes it isn't the total end of the world, although I will continue to feed it soaked as one of my horses likes his "casarole" (sp?)

 

[ISHmad]

Years ago to get to my pony's field I used to walk through a farm who had a herd of lovely welsh ponies. They bought one in for breaking - a beautiful mare called Arabella, I still remember her now. They were feeding her unsoaked sugarbeet pellets which they gave to the cattle. My friend and I kept telling them they needed to soak the sugarbeet but we got laughed at. (We were only about 11 at the time).

My mum still remembers the day she came to the field with me, and as I went round a corner where Arabella was stabled I practically fell over her dead body. She had died during the night - and the vet said it was because of unsoaked sugarbeet expanding in her stomach, giving her colic which killed her... Needless to say I was hysterical about seeing her that way, but even more so for the needless death of such a beautiful pony.

I don't care what the research says I would never ever not soak sugarbeet after that.

 

[hussar]

As sugar beet pellets can absorb five times their volume in water, if fed dry they take that moisture out of the gut - quickest way to dehydrate your horse...