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RE: [RC] Beet Pulp - heidi

In an earlier post, Bruce mentioned the huge amount of forage that the horse packs around in his hindgut.  What Bruce is forgetting here is that by stimulating gut motility, the beet pulp is enabling the horse to utilize the energy from that fiber that the hindgut produces as volatile fatty acids.  I think it was Susan that threw out a number somewhere in the ballpark of endurance horses getting 70% of their energy from VFAs.  So while the beet pulp the horse eats at the ride doesn't contribute, the beet pulp that he ate on Thursday sure does.  VFAs go right into the Krebs cycle, just like glucose....
 
*I* have to eat carbs at rides because I don't have a hindgut.  (I know, Dr. Q, I LOOK like I do, but that's beside the point....)  While a few carbs are certainly helpful, a "full" horse really doesn't need many, relatively speaking.
 
So yes, it's a good thing to give that handful of grain every so often at rides, or whatever, for a few carbs.  But when my horse eats his beet pulp, he is stimulating into action a huge reserve that we mere humans simply don't have....
 
Heidi


Alison--
  I agree that beet pulp has some good fiber in it, and that can
contribute to gut motility, but since it has virtually no influence on
the blood glucose levels, it won't serve as a good enough energy source,
by itself, to keep the horse excercising as efficiently as he can if he
gets some significant carbs throughout the ride. The chart you shared
show that the total NSC is very low at 12.3%. That figure basically
tells the story as to what degree it will restore the horse's tolerance
for work.  Alfalfa, or oat or barley hay would  provide more energy for
the horse than beet pulp. Gut motility is important, yes, but the
horse's food must contain ingredients for energy as well as gut
motility.  And, certainly grain, when fed throughout the ride will keep
him going strong. Don't you consume carbohydrate rich foods/liquids when
you're on a ride?  Horses are mammals, too, and though their gut works
differently, they basically function the same way at the muscular level.
Marathon runners consume carbs for energy with a little protein to
prevent catabolism, not fiber or fat.   Dr Q


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