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Hi Nina,
Providing hay is more important at vet checks than any form of
carbohydrate, including beet pulp. You need the hay to maintain gut
motility, which is a more important issue than refueling spent energy.
However, there's no reason why you can't provide both---let him eat hay
for awhile, then give him some beet pulp. Beet pulp is also quite high
in fiber, so also provides for some "bulk" in the gut as hay does, and
also will provide for some refueling. Not as much as grain, but then,
bett pulp also doesn't cause the fluid shifts, etc that grain does.
Because of this, you can safely provide pretty much as much beet pulp as
he'll eat, even though he doesn't get that much at home. It'll also
provide a nice extra reservoir of electrolytes and moisture, never a bad
thing. And yes, it does break down and enter the bloodstream quickly
enough to help during the ride, and even if beet pulp late in the day
doesn't help during the ride, it'll help him recover afterwards, also
not a bad thing.
Hope this helps.
Susan Garlinghouse
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