Many horse owners ask if beet pulp is a good way to put weight on a horse. This is a great question, as many horse owners struggle to keep weight on their horses, whether they are being used heavily or they are simply trying to maintain a “hard keeper”. Weight gain in horses is a function of Calorie intake, just as it is in humans. If a horse needs to gain weight, you have to increase the Calorie intake per day above the current level that the horse is being fed.
Beet pulp is what we sometimes refer to as a “super fiber”. Because it has a high percentage of highly digestible or readily fermentable fiber, it contains more digestible energy per pound than hay and is actually about the same as oats, as beet pulp contains about 2.98 Mcal/kg. Unless there is a lot of molasses added, it is also fairly low in starch and sugar with a non-structural carbohydrate level of about 9.8%. That is why it is considered a fairly “safe” energy source. Soy hulls have a similar status, with a digestible energy value of about 3.0 Mcal/kg.
So, if one kilogram of feed that contains 1.4 Mcal/kg is removed and replaced with one kilogram of beet pulp that contains 2.98 Mcal/kg, then 1.58 Mcal or 1,580 Calories have been added, all while feeding the same amount of stuff. Because beet pulp is highly digestible, the horse has less gut fill and can actually consume a bit more per day as well, so the feed intake and Calorie intake can be further increased, which supports the weight gain theory that many horse owners follow.
That said, beet pulp is not a well-balanced feed. It has low mineral content, is a very poor amino acid source, and only contains about 9.3% protein. Beet pulp fits into a feeding program very well as an energy ingredient, but it needs to be balanced for the other nutrients.
In conclusion, it is important to bear in mind that rarely is a single ingredient the answer to an equine nutrition situation. Ingredients on their own are simply not balanced solutions. While beet pulp is a very viable ingredient for use in a horse’s overall diet, and it can definitely be used to increase the caloric intake, it needs to be evaluated in the scope of the entire diet to determine if the horse is receiving a balanced ration. For most horse owners, the simplest route if beet pulp is a desired ingredient is to purchase a commercially available feed that incorporates it as a major ingredient and adds the needed protein, vitamins and minerals to balance the diet for overall health and well being of the animal.
Why even mess with the beet pulp when Nutrena has the Empower, with EXTRA fat and correct other ingredients? This is what I use.
i just started my rescue saddlebred on empower mixed in with safechoice and cornoil and a little sweetfeed. they all seemed to love the mix.
Watch out for that corn oil! Find a supplement that does the same thing for horses (possibly biotin). I don’t want to quote people or websites, but corn oil can be a problem for horses. Best of luck to you and your horses.
empower is always very expensive and if u r feeding more than one you can go broke on it..
This is why I like the Nutrena Life Design Senior, I don’t have to mess with a bunch of different bags because it has the beet pulp AND the rice bran. It’s been amazing for putting weight and a healthy shiny coat on our girls. The added benefit is they’re not “high” on molasses like they were with some of the other senior feeds out there.
I’ve used beet pulp for years. You can buy it without molasses which is great for those that dont want or need the extra sugar, but sometimes hard to find. It can be rinsed. Also good for horses that tie up or have breathing/starch issues. Ideally it should be wetted first before being fed which is not mentioned in the article. Some let it soak for a little while first but not necessary. Great in the winter for that nice warm meal that also gives horses that much need ‘slow burn’ for producing warmth and the added water good for those that dont drink as much as they should in winter. I use it more to supplement the hay rather than feed and due to the high fiber, keeps their hind gut in good shape. Its great for putting weight on horses without the risk of colic like feeding large amounts of feed. Its also relatively inexpensive unlike other additives. I had a off the track TB that I was giving beet pulp to in addition to a full ration of Safe Choice and was able to put over 150lbs on her in a short period of time before her new owner came to pick her up. I cant say enough good things about it but as stated, have to watch your mineral balances
I am soo glad I read this. I have a gelding that I am current barrel racing and he use to be our Ex Reining horse. He is the type of horse that gets himself worked up sometimes and loosing weight or he will be pasing all day long and he gets himself in shape. I have noticed that with a bit of hot weather and the bugs being sooo bad that he has lost a bit of weight. I was feeding a whole bucket of wet cubes and safe choice to him and another gelding that I am competiting on this year. I have decided to feed a bit more cubes ( timothy) with SafeChoice/patriot finishing touch ( high in Fat) with beet pulp. I hope this helps him!
Yes, I also feed Nutrina Senior to both of my girls and it has been terrific at helping them to maintain their weight and energy level. You would never guess my quarter horse is going on 31.
I totally agree with Laura Hicks, I have had purchased a couple of horses that were 200lbs or more under weight, its a safe way to put weight on and it does help with keeping them hydrated, but alot of people don’t know is that is water weight. It is safer to to soak it, I first started to buy pellet form but I would have to let it soak all day so I went to the shred form and it doesn’t take to long to soak and the horses seem to like it better, since its more of a structure and pellets turned to a mush which it depends on the horse which they like better, But overall beet pulp is a cheap ,safe way of keeping weight on and I Like it alot better than using oats, for top weight and adding wieght in general.
I tried giving my mare beet pulp and she just pushed it away and didn’t eat it, so now I have her on just good hay and Nutrena Senior and she’s looking very nice for an “old lady” of 19 years and is acting just as spritely too. (meaning she’s got alot more energy than she did) Thanks Nutrena for a good product!
I use beet pulp and my horses love it. We use it mostly for our hard keeper, with a full serving of hay. He tended to leave his hay. We use pellets and then soak and drain to get some of the molassas off. ( We couldn’t find the non-molassas kind for a while) We also feed a vitamin mineral supplement. We started with mixing it evenly with cob, then increasing the amount of beet pulp. now they will eat it plain, With the amount of feed our hard keeper needed to gain weight, it was too much money. this way i can feed him as much as he needs and not worry about the cost. But when we go away for a few days we switch him to safe choice (over a week or so) so its easier for our friends to feed while we are gone.
We have fed our three horses beet pulp for years, not to help them gain weight (they are all easy keepers) but as a “filler”. We feed equal amounts (1 cup each) oats, Nutrena, and beet pulp once a day. We soak the beet pulp so it has the most volume. We feed good quality grass hay and also bermuda year round and they are all happy campers! I love the Nutrena Safe Choice.
Hello, Im in Calfornina and have a overweight Insulin Resistance mare who my vet says to put her on soaked beet pulp (drained) and ration balancer with unlimited hay! Also he has provided a suppliement called HEIRO. Has anyone heard of this type of diet? Im afraid she will gain weight
Hi Shelly,
Thanks for the great question. Insulin resistant horses can be fun to manage. A ration balancer is a great way to help ensure they are getting all the nutrition they need, without the calories of a traditional grain, so your vet is right on with that recommendation. As for the beet pulp, if you do want to feed it, soaking to remove sugars is a good idea, just make sure you drain the water off before feeding – otherwise they would simply get the sugar from the water! You can also do the same thing with your horse’s hay, to remove excess sugar from the hay. Either way, the beet pulp is not necessary in her diet. You will also want to try to feed grass hay to her, and if possible, have it tested so you know the starch & sugar levels in it before feeding it. Keep her total hay intake at 1.5-2.0% of her bodyweight (so if she weighs 1000 lbs, then she should get 15-20 lbs of hay per day) rather than free-choice – this will help keep her weight under control.
If you have any further questions, please do let us know!
Thanks ~ Gina T.
My horse won’t eat beet pulp, it actually frightens me to feed it cause it looks too hard to swallow. I know it should be soaked and that, but it looks like a choking hazard. I know I wouldn’t eat it if I had the choice. I have a hard keeper too. She won’t touch it.
I have a tb that is a hard keeper. He gets 2 flakes of alfalfa and half a bale of local hay. I also give him a large scoop of eqquis adult pellets mix a large scoop of beet pulp, ounce of purine supplements, two ounces of omega 3′s and muscle mass from smartpaks. I also have him on 4 ounces of weight gainer powder suggested by another horse owner. She said you can’t give to much. Is this to much for the horse? I’m a new horse owner and listen to feed store and other owners.
Hi Wendy, Thanks for submitting your question, and we’d be glad to help you out. Sounds like you have a lot going on with your guy, and I think we can simplify your life a bit! The first thing I’d recommend for you to do, is click on the “Weight Control” topic on the right side of the page, and read through all the articles there – it will be very good for you to establish things like his current body condition score, and his weight.
After that, it would be good to select a feed that fits his needs and activity level. TB’s are notoriously hard keepers, so what you are facing is not uncommon. However, rather than mixing a myriad of supplements, we would recommend to select a single feed that has all the nutrients he needs so that you know you are getting a complete nutritional package in to him. Look for high fat levels, and quality protein (i.e. look for guaranteed amino acids – lysine, methionine, and also threonine) to help his muscle tone stay in condition. Finally, using the weight that you measure him at, measure the weight of the feed you are giving him, and ensure it matches up with the feeding directions on the feed you select.
For possible feeds to use, if you have a Nutrena dealer near you, I would suggest Life Design Compete, Vitality Ultra, or XTN as very good fits for him. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to let us know!
Thank you ~ Gina T.
i just got my medicine hat paint 5 months ago she was 7 months old & very very underweight her feet was real bad i got them trimmed she weighs 570 pounds & steal looks very thin i feed her brum like 3 times a day now i have different people saying only feed her a 1/2 cup of sweet grain & now i have others say feed her 1 gallon of grain in the mor & 1 gallon at night i am so lost right now even the vet said to give her a gallon of gran but not all at once can some one help me she needs more weight on i know that but WHAT DO I DO HELP SOMEONE
Hi Sherry, Thanks for checking in with us. For a horse that is thin, you have a couple options. And the proper amount to feed is somewhere in the middle of 1/2 cup and 2 gallons! First off, any time you are putting a horse on a new feeding program, start slowly – start her out with just a cup or so at each feeding, gradually working up over the course of about 5-7 days to the full amount. If you just start right out at a large amount all at once, you are looking to cause a digestive problem such as a colic episode.
As for products to use, we would recommend a product like our Life Design Senior to get her back up to condition. This is a fantastic product to bring horses back from very underweight, to good condition. It’s got an excellent nutritional profile with all the vitamins and minerals she needs, plus very high quality protein to help with her muscles, along with things like prebiotics and probiotics to help her get more out of her feed. It also contains a daily dose of biotin, which will help with her hoof quality.
Once she’s back up to condition – and that may take a couple months – you need to take it slow – you could either stick with the Life Design Senior for a while, otherwise you could switch to a product like SafeChoice for the long haul.
And of course, if you haven’t already, make sure you read our other posts on Body Condition Scoring and Weighing your horse without a scale – it’s a really good idea to do both of those measurements at least monthly, so you have a definitive record of her progress versus “well, I think she’s improving”.
Hope this is helpful for you, and please do let us know if you have more questions!
Thanks ~ Gina T.
I’m back to feeding beet pulp, after choking a valuable mare on it dry a couple of years ago. Needless to say, I now soak it. For the horses that didn’t like the taste, I mix the baled US Alfalfa with it, then soak that mixture. Those that wouldn’t touch it without the alfalfa, dive into it and lick the feeder now. I’ve just started adding it to the rations of a growthy colt that needs a little more weight. Hopefully it will do the trick.