Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

First of all, it matters a whole lot whether you're talking about 
shredded or pelleted beet pulp.  But both forms soak up a heck of a lot 
of water!  I'm thinking that beet pulp might be more popular in the dry 
west than in other, relatively wet parts of the country.  Out here, 
there often is no water (or grass) along the trail so it can be a long 
time in between water sources (i.e., vet checks).  That makes beet pulp 
very appealing as a water bearer.  My guess is that beet pulp soaks up 
and holds more water than soaked hay but I've never tried soaking hay so 
I'm just guessing.  Beet pulp is also compact and relatively light which 
are also plusses when "lunch" is away from camp & whatever you want for 
your horse has to be carried in your crewbag.  I agree, Truman, that 
whatever the horse eats at a particular vet check isn't going to affect 
its gut sounds immediately.  But my assumption about beet pulp (or any 
other food) is that having something to work on will keep the gut 
working til the next vet check.
Laney

Truman Prevatt wrote:
> How much water will a quart (dry) of beet pulp hold before it becomes 
> saturated?  Has anyone calculated the numbers? How does this compare to 
> soaked hay? Would it be more than a few gulps at the trough? Horses suck 
> up large amounts of water at one time. Hay will also keep the gut moving 
> as will the bagged hay products on the market - but according to this 
> study hays have a 20 to 50 times greater impact on the glucose levels. 
> Would hay not be a better choice than beet pulp?
>
> Most the time at least in the SE the horse sees the vet after he passes 
> pulse which is as soon as he gets in and before he eats so the gut 
> sounds are more related to the trail he has just traversed rather than 
> what he ate at the check.
>
> When I get in the first thing my horse does is drink (and normally drink 
> and drink). Next we pulse down, and get through the check. He next eats 
> from the grain (XTN and carrots), alfalfa  and hay set in front of him 
> or grass if there is some around. There is a bucket of water there so he 
> can take a suck if he gets the urge. He normally eats the grain and if 
> there is grass around goes and grazes. If there is no grass, he'll eat 
> some hay, some alfalfa, some hay, etc. The best of all possible 
> conditions is the check is in a field of nice green grass. In those 
> conditions he sometimes doesn't eat all his grain before he goes to eat 
> the grass - which is fine by me. In a hold I don't see anything there I 
> would rather him replace with beet pulp. What this study seems to 
> indicate  - as a food the nutrient balance in beet pulp is poor when 
> glucose is considered. As a fiber it is no better than grass or hay in 
> fact it probably isn't as good since it is not long fiber.
>
> Beet pulp has it's place in a balanced feed, XTN for example to balance 
> the starches with fiber and fat to deliver a energy without spiking 
> glucose levels. Given the horse is only going to eat so much at a check 
> why do I want him to replace anything in his diet listed above with beet 
> pulp?
>
> I guess there are really more questions than answers.
>
> Truman
>
> Sisu West Ranch wrote:
> > I don't think those advocating the use of beet pulp on rides have been 
> > worrying about providing sugar during a ride.  To my way of thinking 
> > it seems like a palatable way to get water and fiber into the horse so 
> > his gut sounds stay high.  A horse with a noisy gut produces a happy 
> > vet and you get to go on.
> >
> > Ed
> > Ed & Wendy Hauser
> > 2994 Mittower Road
> > Victor, MT 59875
> >
> > (406) 642-9640
> >
> > ranch(at)sisuwest(dot)us


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=