Beet pulp or rice bran??

Adaansmom · 07-02-2008, 04:20 PM

Adaan has been getting a scoop of Triple Crown Complete and a scoop of soaked beet pulp twice a day. He stopped losing weight and was gaining some, but seems to have hit a plateau. Should I increase his beet pulp, or would it be good to switch him to rice bran? If so, do you soak it too or what? Thanks!

Love4horses · 07-02-2008, 04:32 PM

My vet recommends beet pulp soaked all the way. I have had others say feed rice bran and soybean meal but its more expensive. My vet says beet pulp does much more for the horse. It has more to it like nutrients and such and is cheaper on the pocket book. We use beet pulp and seems to be working for us really good. We are getting a horse back to a good weight that was a rescue and starved and beet pulp seems to do the trick.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adaansmom

Adaan has been getting a scoop of Triple Crown Complete and a scoop of soaked beet pulp twice a day. He stopped losing weight and was gaining some, but seems to have hit a plateau. Should I increase his beet pulp, or would it be good to switch him to rice bran? If so, do you soak it too or what? Thanks!

Dawn · 07-02-2008, 05:20 PM

How much Complete and how much beet pulp are you feeding? TC Complete is very heavily beet pulp based, so adding more on top of it can be overkill in a way. It might be that you need to increase the Complete. Or add in a fat source (such as but not limited to rice bran).

Adaansmom · 07-02-2008, 06:09 PM

Dawn, he's getting a full scoop of each twice a day. That's one of those metal scoops, not the squarish plastic ones. Does that help? Our farrier recommended upping the beet pulp to 2 scoops twice a day and keeping the complete as is.

This may help: he did start gaining weight when we started the one scoop of beet pulp with his Complete twice a day. After that I started riding him again. Nothing major. Just walk/trot for 30-45 mins 3-5 times a week on level ground. That's when he stopped gaining. Since he's getting some work now, would increasing to 2 scoops of pulp help? He's not losing again. Just not gaining, and he still needs to. Thanks : )

Dawn · 07-02-2008, 06:20 PM

Is it a gallon sized scoop? (That's most common in metal, but they do come in various sizes.)

If it is a gallon, you're probably looking at about 8 lbs of the Complete. Beet pulp, I'm not sure off the top of my head.

Any time you increase safe useable calories, it helps. You just have to locate which are the most beneficial sources to use.

What kind of hay/pasture situation is he in? That will help to determine the usefulness of large amounts of forage concentrates.

Adaansmom · 07-02-2008, 06:24 PM

Thanks! Yes, it's a gallon scoop. He's on pasture 24/7. The grass is so/so.

Dawn · 07-02-2008, 06:25 PM

In that case it would probably be more beneficial to add a fat source into the mix rather than more beet pulp. My personal preference is BOSS, but rice bran works well for some people.

If you do want to stick with a forage source rather than a fat source, I would switch it off to alfalfa pellets instead of beet pulp.

Adaansmom · 07-02-2008, 06:40 PM

Thanks Dawn! Any other opinions out there? If I go with the rice bran, should I add a whole scoop of that as well and do I soak it with the beet pulp or just add it to the pulp and feed?

Dawn · 07-02-2008, 06:45 PM

You can only feed a max of 2 lbs of rice bran/day. And it should be added slowly as the horse's body needs time in order to properly digest the fat.

It's about the same amount of calories/lb as beet pulp.

MI Racer · 07-02-2008, 10:06 PM

Cocosoya by Uckele or my all time fav, Omegatin from Kent. The Omegatin is pricey, but you only feed one ceramic coffee cup serving twice a day. It is heavy with fat and works wonders!

07-02-2008, 04:20 PM	#1
Adaansmom Full Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: McDonough, GA Posts: 91 Images: 20	Beet pulp or rice bran?? Adaan has been getting a scoop of Triple Crown Complete and a scoop of soaked beet pulp twice a day. He stopped losing weight and was gaining some, but seems to have hit a plateau. Should I increase his beet pulp, or would it be good to switch him to rice bran? If so, do you soak it too or what? Thanks!

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07-02-2008, 05:20 PM	#3
Dawn Senior Member+ Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Tennessee Posts: 29,652 Images: 1283	How much Complete and how much beet pulp are you feeding? TC Complete is very heavily beet pulp based, so adding more on top of it can be overkill in a way. It might be that you need to increase the Complete. Or add in a fat source (such as but not limited to rice bran).

07-02-2008, 06:09 PM	#4
Adaansmom Full Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: McDonough, GA Posts: 91 Images: 20	Dawn, he's getting a full scoop of each twice a day. That's one of those metal scoops, not the squarish plastic ones. Does that help? Our farrier recommended upping the beet pulp to 2 scoops twice a day and keeping the complete as is. This may help: he did start gaining weight when we started the one scoop of beet pulp with his Complete twice a day. After that I started riding him again. Nothing major. Just walk/trot for 30-45 mins 3-5 times a week on level ground. That's when he stopped gaining. Since he's getting some work now, would increasing to 2 scoops of pulp help? He's not losing again. Just not gaining, and he still needs to. Thanks : )

07-02-2008, 06:20 PM	#5
Dawn Senior Member+ Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Tennessee Posts: 29,652 Images: 1283	Is it a gallon sized scoop? (That's most common in metal, but they do come in various sizes.) If it is a gallon, you're probably looking at about 8 lbs of the Complete. Beet pulp, I'm not sure off the top of my head. Any time you increase safe useable calories, it helps. You just have to locate which are the most beneficial sources to use. What kind of hay/pasture situation is he in? That will help to determine the usefulness of large amounts of forage concentrates.

07-02-2008, 06:24 PM	#6
Adaansmom Full Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: McDonough, GA Posts: 91 Images: 20	Thanks! Yes, it's a gallon scoop. He's on pasture 24/7. The grass is so/so.

07-02-2008, 06:25 PM	#7
Dawn Senior Member+ Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Tennessee Posts: 29,652 Images: 1283	In that case it would probably be more beneficial to add a fat source into the mix rather than more beet pulp. My personal preference is BOSS, but rice bran works well for some people. If you do want to stick with a forage source rather than a fat source, I would switch it off to alfalfa pellets instead of beet pulp.

07-02-2008, 06:40 PM	#8
Adaansmom Full Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: McDonough, GA Posts: 91 Images: 20	Thanks Dawn! Any other opinions out there? If I go with the rice bran, should I add a whole scoop of that as well and do I soak it with the beet pulp or just add it to the pulp and feed?

07-02-2008, 06:45 PM	#9
Dawn Senior Member+ Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Tennessee Posts: 29,652 Images: 1283	You can only feed a max of 2 lbs of rice bran/day. And it should be added slowly as the horse's body needs time in order to properly digest the fat. It's about the same amount of calories/lb as beet pulp.

07-02-2008, 10:06 PM	#10
MI Racer Senior Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Michigan Posts: 582	Cocosoya by Uckele or my all time fav, Omegatin from Kent. The Omegatin is pricey, but you only feed one ceramic coffee cup serving twice a day. It is heavy with fat and works wonders!