Why beetpulp is bad for horses
- Beetpulp has chemicals in it (even though the internet says it doesn’t).
- Beetpulp has too much sugar in it.
- Beetpulp needs microorganisms to digest, that the horse doesn’t normally have. So digestion is slow. Slow digestion can cause impaction colic.
- Beetpulp changes the gut pH.
- Beetpulp is high in oxalates (bad for kidneys).
An email from one of our readers:
“I just wanted to share a little insight which totally lines up with something you had mentioned.
A while back, you had written about beet pulp. It seems these days everybody is feeding their horses beet pulp. Not entirely sure how it became such a staple but I’ve fed it to my horses in the past as well as multiple horses at professional stables. You mentioned that aside from the fact that it is full of chemicals despite claims (which really shocked me because I know super health conscious people that feed it) beet pulp also just adds water weight. I took this information with a grain of salt (as I do with everything) and this past month out of sheer desperation to get some weight on my two rescue OTTBs since the winter temps have hit, I bought a bag of beet pulp pellets.
The most amazing observation occurred. During the time that I fed my two rescue horses beet pulp I was finding that my horses would eat their beet pulp and then eat their hay (about 20lbs split amongst them) and then they would sit around the barn all day long despite having free access to my sprawling 5 acres out here in the foothills which is full of grass, weeds, shrubs, dry forage, leaves, and acorns.
Before feeding beet pulp my two horses were typically busy nibbling on plant stuffs, but while eating beetpulp, they just stood around all day!! It didn’t add up. An animal that is designed to forage 20 hours a day suddenly not foraging but just standing around is not right it had to be the beet pulp adding water weight to my horses, thus making them think they were full. Your words resonated with me.
Anyways, I finished the bag of beet pulp and have decided I will never feed beetpulp to my horses in the future.
To my delight, since switching my two rescues over to forage only pellets along with their hay my horses have gone back to grazing and forging my five acres after they have finished their meals.
I put what you said to the test and your info held true. Thank for all your trial and error, all your research, and your willingness to share it. None of it is in vain. I know the horse industry is stubborn and set in its ways. A lot of people fear the unknown and it is so much easier to go down the beaten path than step out and forget your own path or follow in the footsteps of a pioneer.
God’s plan and purpose is always bigger than us. Thank you for being the pioneer and helping those of us who are afraid but want to change and be change! It takes courage to uncover the truth and speak it.”
