Beet
- Jenny Paterson
- Nov 27
- 2 min read
BEET has multiple advantages for horses especially for their Digestive System...
1. Beet is an excellent source of FIBRE - Beet flakes are the fibrous material remaining after the sugar has been extracted from sugar beets.
2. Particularly when horses are on high hay diets, beet fed soaked makes a good hydrating base for their feed.
3. Beet is low in sugars and starch but is still an excellent source of energy for horses.
4. Beet is high in Pectin, a ‘soluble fibre’, which being mucilaginous is very beneficial for the entire digestive tract. We know of cases where a fortune was spent on ongoing ulcer treatments UNTIL beet was introduced into the horses feeds.
5. Soluble fibre is also a very good prebiotic promoting the health of the fibre-fermenting hindgut microbes
**” Studies of the fecal samples of horses fed beet show increases in the strains of flora which produce butyrate an important short chain fatty acid promoting overall gut wellness.”
6. Being already ground makes beet an ideal component in feeds for elderly horses and those with poor dentition.
NB: For all other horses mix soaked beet into chaff to promote proper chewing
7. Beet is relatively high in calcium compared to phosphorus helping to balance the lower calcium, higher phosphorous content of protein sources like crushed/micronized linseed and sun-flower seeds/meal.
CONCERNS around feeding Beet:
1. While Beet has the ‘Laminitis Tick’ because the sugar content is below 10% and it contains very little starch, it is still high in Digestible Energy (DE) and some owners report that it ‘caused a flare up’ when they fed it to their laminitic ponies. Since we err on the side of caution we advise NOT to feed beet to horses while they are recovering from laminitis.
2. For 'good doers' beet may cause unwanted weight-gain. Conversely for 'poor doers' it may assist with weight-gain. Therefore adjust quantities according to the individual.
3. The IRON content of beet is 600 – 700 mg/kg but:
Horses only absorb about 15% iron ingested
Most people are only feeding small amounts (100-200g). If you are feeding larger quantities, beet can be rinsed before and after soaking prior to feeding BY FAR the greatest source of iron intake for horses comes from nibbling around on short grass. (eg 1,456mgs/kg & 1,774mgs/kg in two of our forage analyses of short grass). Whereas iron levels in hay are down around 100mgs/kg.
4. Oxalates – these are only found in the above-ground leaves and there are NO leaves in the beet itself.
5. Glyphosate - Concerns about Glyphosate residues in beet are completely unfounded:
There are pros and cons of most feed items. Introduce any new feed items gradually and monitor.
**Effect of Sugar Beet Pulp on the Composition and Predicted Function of Equine Fecal Microbiota
Tamara Ford 1,†, Zachary L McAdams 2,†, Kile S Townsend 1,3, Lynn M Martin 1,3, Philip J Johnson 1,3,†, Aaron C Ericsson 1,2,4,*
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