Beet pulp...how long to soak?

[2bayboys]

I hate to let it sit all night (even covered), but my time is pressed in the morning when I bring the boys in, feed them, and turn their fans on.

If use hot water, can I soak it right before they come in?

[justdandy]

If it soaks for 15 minutes, it'll be fine. :)

[ChocoMare]

Cool water = 10-15 minutes
Hot/Warm water = 5 minutes

Do it that way every day all year round ;)


ETA: Shreds only, tho. Pellets take much longer

[hunter1985]

Soaking it overnight is fine, our barn does this. Other barns i've worked at do this as well (since we are all pressed for time in the mornings too)

[hey101]

What chocomare said. I actually think it's bad to let it soak overnight, especially in the summer, as it begins to spoil/ ferment (not sure exactly what the right term is, but it starts to smell and my horses wouldn't eat it!).

[Moocow]

Wow, have I ever been told the wrong instructions!! 10-15 minutes?? I was told 8 hours, so we HAD to soak it overnight. Boy was I wrong. :eek:

[goeslikestink]

speedy beat is quickest needs only 10mins as its already been treated and soaked in its process
pellets need 24hours shreds can take up to 12hours
be aware that any beat pulp used swells up to three or four times it size
and if not done properly can cuase choke

[aiken4horses]

Depends on if you're using pellets or shreds.

Pellets take much longer. Stick your hand in and feel them - still got chuncky bits? not long enough.

I switched to shreds and only need 15-20 minutes to soak. In the winter I use hot water and it takes 5-10 minutes.

Letting a bucket of soaked anything, sit in summer heat, will cause it to go rancid.

[ChocoMare]

GLS: I got a sample of Speedi-Beet and was intrigued.

So I did my own side-by-side comparison. I weighed the sample of Speedi Beet and then an identical weight of my regular shreds. I soaked both in the same exact amount of water from the hose. Within 15 minutes (my average soak time for every day feeding), both had soaked up the water.

So, for me, regular American plain beet pulp shreds (no molasses added) are much much cheaper and can be purchased at my local feed store.

[Seal Harbor]

Pellets in cold water = 8+ hours, Pellets in hot water = 4 hours (I do this every day and it is the last meal of the day) When it's done it has the same consistency as porridge, if it is dry looking I add more water during the soak time. I'm also in the dry summer of the Pacific Northwest and although our temps have been in the high 80's the last few days, it is still only 50 something when I get up in the morning. There are three buckets of beet soaking in my kitchen as I type.

Shreds much shorter amount of time. People are saying half an hour or less. I don't recall from the last time I used shreds many moons ago but when my horse goes horse showing again I will be taking shreds to the shows.

I really like the pellets I get from Elenbaas - they smell lovely, are always available and are very consistent. I've gotten some other brands that smell off/rancid in the bag and they had not gotten wet as they were still in pellet form.

[2bayboys]

So pellets soaked overnight and left in temperature-controlled tack room should be fine? Thanks all!

[mypaintwattie]

I feed shredded beet pulp and soak it in cold water (the only type available) for about 30 minutes. Usually it is pretty plumped up in about 15 min. I try no to soak it overnight in the summer because it tends to go bad in the heat.

[JoZ]

Has anyone tried making it with ICE WATER if it has to sit for 12 hours till the next meal? This just occurred to me. We are using grass and alfalfa pellets this summer because they can be started right before feeding and served at the very end. But I prefer beet pulp or a combo of pellets and beet pulp {pout}.

Where I live (western WA) there are no shreds available -- I am talking about pellets. Ice water to the barn would be no more or less inconvenient than hot water to the barn and it seems to make more sense from a hot-weather-maintenance perspective!

[3 is the limit]

I keep it super simple. I only use shreds and fill up the bucket with water (hot or cold...whatever comes out of the hose) as I'm walking to put the buckets out. Like literally 1-2 minutes before I feed.

I'm sure everyone is going to think I'm crazy/lucky, but I have been doing this for 5 years with 6 different horses (2QH, 3TB, 1WB) and never had even a hint of a problem.

The trick is to use shreded or loose. I've heard you have to soak the pellets forever.

[Granada]

I feed pellets in the winter and shredded in the summer when it's too hot to soak overnight. Shredded beet pulp doesn't really need to be soaked at all. We put water in the feed buckets, dump them in the stalls, bring the horses in. usually ~10 min of soaking.

[talloaks]

Why are you all feeding beet pulp?

[mep0726]

I use shredded beet pulp and I only soak it for 5 - 10 minutes before I feed it to my horse and have never had a problem.

[PletchersMom]

Shredded Beetpulp I soak for atleast 30 min prior to feeding....nothing less.

Pelleted form.....those take hours to soak....they just plain SUCK to use!!

[birdsong]

WOW...all that soaking is so unnecessary...honest!! I've been feeding it for years...shreds...not pellets. Dump it in the bucket...pour in the water...I use the same scoop as for the BP...it will be really sloppy. Give it a few good stirs to make sure its all wet. It expands immediately. When I dump it in the feed pan its still really wet. My guy leaves his grain for it. I DO make sure it has excess water in it. 5 min max from mixing it to feeding.

This topic has come up so many times about feeding BP and how hard and inconvenient it is. If people only understood how quickly it expands perhaps more would feed it.

[K~2]

FWIW, I soak my beat pulp pellets in cold water in a camp cooler in the summer time. Used to put it in the barn fridge, but our fridge got smaller, and the amount of beat pulp being fed got larger!:lol::lol:

[Equilibrium]

I use the Speedie Beet too. And basically because you can't get unmolassesed beet pulp of any kind other than the speedie beet here in Ireland.

Why am I using Beet pulp? Because many of my horses at the moment are on a handful to mix with the vits and mins. And it makes them think they're getting food like the rest of them. In the winter they get a bit more with their alfalfa pellets.

Terri

[Pasture_Ornament]

WOW...all that soaking is so unnecessary...honest!! I've been feeding it for years...shreds...not pellets. Dump it in the bucket...pour in the water...I use the same scoop as for the BP...it will be really sloppy. Give it a few good stirs to make sure its all wet. It expands immediately. When I dump it in the feed pan its still really wet. My guy leaves his grain for it. I DO make sure it has excess water in it. 5 min max from mixing it to feeding.

This topic has come up so many times about feeding BP and how hard and inconvenient it is. If people only understood how quickly it expands perhaps more would feed it.


Exactly... A lot of commercial pellets have large quantities of beet pulp in them, and while you certainly can soak those, most people do not. Put some water in w/ the shreds and feed it! There really is no reason to soak for any length of time at all. Pelleted beet pulp, since it is sooo hard and dense, is a different story. But still, w/ hot water it really doesn't take all that long to expand either.

[moodymaretoo]

One questions I have... I feed shreds w/o molasses.... and I'm so very sure I have looked all over the bag, and do not see any directions to say how much water to use when soaking.... Could I have possibly missed something? I know the speedy beet has directions I believe its a 2:1... but with the shreds when I tried 2:1 I had runny soup after 2 hours... Everyone I've asked gives me a different opinion... I'm thinking about doing my own scientific experiment.. My boy doesnt (but will eat it anyway) like soup.. he likes it nice and fluffy.. wet, but not overly soggy or soupy... anyone know the water ratio to save me from setting up test cups???

[jaimebaker]

One questions I have... I feed shreds w/o molasses.... and I'm so very sure I have looked all over the bag, and do not see any directions to say how much water to use when soaking.... Could I have possibly missed something? I know the speedy beet has directions I believe its a 2:1... but with the shreds when I tried 2:1 I had runny soup after 2 hours... Everyone I've asked gives me a different opinion... I'm thinking about doing my own scientific experiment.. My boy doesnt (but will eat it anyway) like soup.. he likes it nice and fluffy.. wet, but not overly soggy or soupy... anyone know the water ratio to save me from setting up test cups???

That will vary bag to bag. I get some shreds in that expand more and soak up more water, and some that don't soak up hardly at all. 2:1 is about normal but it changes with every bag I feed (I only go through 1 bag a month).

[chaltagor]

Why are you all feeding beet pulp?

It has a low glycemic index, and is a good low carbohydrate source of calories and high soluble fiber. Useful when a horse cannot for whatever reason get enough nourishment from hay or to increase weight, or to keep weight on a hard keeper. I feed it to all my horses in the winter and one horse year round.

[jaimebaker]

I'll answer the 'why are you feeding beet pulp' too. I took all of my horses off of soy last year. 2 out of the 6 showed sensitivity to soy. So, those two will remain on beet pulp unless I find a ration balancer with no soy that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. They get a very tiny amount, just enough to get vitamins/supps in. Since most of my horses are air ferns this works well. I am switching the ones not sensitive to soy back onto ration balancers, but those two mares of mine will stay on the beet pulp. Some folks feed it for horses to gain weight, I feed it to keep it off of them (2 cups AFTER soaked).

Other reasons I've heard is it makes the horse feel fuller for longer due to the fiber content. Some folks like feeding it to get water in their horses. Regardless of what some folks say that they don't soak it, I strongly urge folks to soak the beet pulp. Doesn't matter if it's shreds or pellets. A horse can choke on either. It doesn't take long to soak shreds, so why take the chance?

[nadasy]

My horse foundered at 4 from a severe reaction to vaccines, and spent months at a clinic. He is 10 now, and has been on BP w/o molasses since then. He gets 1 c. dry am and 2 c. dry pm. (this equals about 1.5 cups wet and 3 c. wet).

I keep all my supplements / BP etc. in the house, and an hour before breakfast I fix the am with hot tap water and it sits on the counter, same for pm feed. It's nice and plumped, and a great way to carry his supplements/herbs. Since he gets fresh garlic and some herbs that are very tasty, people say his food smells like pizza. Must be the EVOO and honey/vinegar mix. :lol:

My horse is like an air plant as well, so I have to be very aware of time spent out on grass, good quality timothy hay, his bp and he has lovely strong feet now, thanks to Mike Wildenstein at Cornell :yes: . He's in daily work and doing very well.

[naters]

Wasn't there a thread on Molassess beet pulp versus plain a while back? Was there ever a determination on which was better? Was the molasess one REALLY that much higher in sugar?

Searching now, but asking in case anyone remembers off of the top of their heads... Thanks!

[ponyjumper4]

I always soak my shreds with hot water and it soaks for about 5 mins. I put a lot of water in too so it is soupy when it is served. I feed without molasses when the shreds are good, if I get it with molasses, I soak and rinse 3-4 times because I do have some ponies with IR issues. I feed it as it is the carrier for supplements for some and just a way to moisten feed and/or add fiber for others.

[ponyjumper4]

Wasn't there a thread on Molassess beet pulp versus plain a while back? Was there ever a determination on which was better? Was the molasess one REALLY that much higher in sugar?

Supposedly, there isn't supposed to be much molasses in the with molasses, but my IR mare will get runny eyes on it and soaking and rinsing once doesn't get enough of it out. I'm having to feed with molasses right now because of some supply issues and I'm soaking it then rinsing it at least 3 time if not more--until the run off water is almost clear and that seems to be working well.

[naters]

IR being insulin resistant?

How is that diagnosed, ie: how did you suspect that your horse was IR?

Symptoms? (just curious!)

[Auventera Two]

Andre eats two of those 8 quart buckets full of soaked BP every day. One bucket a.m., one bucket p.m. While he has one bucket to be working on, the other bucket is in the feed room soaking. The buckets sit for 12 hours without any problem at all.

If you can't or don't want to do that, give it a good 15 minutes to absorb as much water as possible.

Like somebody else said, pellets and crumbles take much longer than the shreds. I won't feed those unless they've sat at least 45 minutes to an hour.

[Equilibrate]

You can actually feed it dry. I have clients feed it dry when in boarding situation where the barn owner grained and would not soak it. I know a lot of people don't feel comfortable feeding it dry so for the most part I suggest soaking. I have soaked pellets over night, soaked shreds for the length of my ride and also used hot water and soaked shreds for <10 mins as stated earlier. In all cases the horses were fine. It starts ti smell like wine when it goes off so if uncertain smell it.

Clair

Independent Equine Nutritionist
www.equilibrateequine.com
info@equilibrateequine.com

[Auventera Two]

E Put some water in w/ the shreds and feed it! There really is no reason to soak for any length of time at all.

Tell that to my mother whose gelding choked badly on shreds that were only wetted down and not soaked. She had to make an emergency vet call and after watching what her horse had to go through, I'm sure she wouldn't agree with you.

Just wetting it down is NOT sufficient.

And feeding it dry is just plain stupid. It's just a matter of time until your luck runs out.

[ponyjumper4]

IR being insulin resistant?

How is that diagnosed, ie: how did you suspect that your horse was IR?

Symptoms? (just curious!)

I haven't had her tested as my vet didn't think it necessary given all of our circumstances. She's an older mare that tends to be on heavier side, can does get fat pads easily, and on anything high in sugar, gets runny eyes. My trimmer also noticed things going on with her feet that seemed to be metabolically (if that's a word) related. We made some diet changes and a lot of those issues went away.

[talloaks]

I'll answer the 'why are you feeding beet pulp' too. I took all of my horses off of soy last year. 2 out of the 6 showed sensitivity to soy. So, those two will remain on beet pulp unless I find a ration balancer with no soy that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. They get a very tiny amount, just enough to get vitamins/supps in. Since most of my horses are air ferns this works well. I am switching the ones not sensitive to soy back onto ration balancers, but those two mares of mine will stay on the beet pulp. Some folks feed it for horses to gain weight, I feed it to keep it off of them (2 cups AFTER soaked).

Other reasons I've heard is it makes the horse feel fuller for longer due to the fiber content. Some folks like feeding it to get water in their horses. Regardless of what some folks say that they don't soak it, I strongly urge folks to soak the beet pulp. Doesn't matter if it's shreds or pellets. A horse can choke on either. It doesn't take long to soak shreds, so why take the chance?

jb, not picking on you to answer, but wanted to relate my story of beet pulp with my horse. He is a 17-2 hand HOL/TB jumper, at a trainers out of state, who fed him beet pulp and barley. Little did I know what was happening to him but when I decided I was done and had him shipped home, he arrived looking like an OTTB rescue!! My vet was out immediately and we devised a plan to get him on his regular Pennfield grain, onto his alfalfa hay and acres of good pasture. This took time. he has gained 200 pounds in the last nearly 2 months and looks so much better. I can't believe that a so called trainer would have a big horse in work and showing on such an inefficient diet. I say inefficient diet because he would not have looked like an OTTB rescue if he had had sufficient nourishment. When he went to this 'trainer' he was in great health and flesh and she only had him over 3 months, changed his diet right away and that was the devastating results. I am sure if this horse didn't have so much heart he would have perished!! That is why I questioned why anyone used beet pulp.

[Ambrey]

Beet pulp is higher in digestible energy than hay, but lower than grain products- but the question is how much was she giving him? I split 2 quarts between my horses and although that soaks up to be a lot, it's not even 2 lbs dry. Both of mine are air ferns so it's perfect, but if they were hard keepers they'd need a lot more.

[JB]

Talloaks, the issue was not that your horse *was* being fed beet pulp.

The issue is much more likely to be what he *was not* getting.

The issue is that beet pulp and barley is not nutritious enough for a large, working horse. And, it's probably safe to say, he just wasn't getting enough calories.

A horse looks different depending on whether he's getting ample nutrition but not enough calories, vs enough calories but not quality nutrition, vs too little of either.

Don't blame the bp on your horse's condition ;)

[talloaks]

Talloaks, the issue was not that your horse *was* being fed beet pulp.

The issue is much more likely to be what he *was not* getting.

The issue is that beet pulp and barley is not nutritious enough for a large, working horse. And, it's probably safe to say, he just wasn't getting enough calories.

A horse looks different depending on whether he's getting ample nutrition but not enough calories, vs enough calories but not quality nutrition, vs too little of either.

Don't blame the bp on your horse's condition ;)

No I blame the barn owner/trainer (same person) for his terrible condition. I know she said she wanted to save money on grain and was going to go the 'natural way'. I think my bills paid for the entire barn. Fortunately, my horse looks great now that he is getting the nutrition he needs, no beet pulp included. He is not by nature a hard keeper either. It is obvious he was not getting enough nourishment for his needs.

[JB]

Right, it was a management issue, and likely being fed too little, and too little nutrition. Not because he was fed bp ;)

[foggybok]

You can actually feed it dry. I have clients feed it dry when in boarding situation where the barn owner grained and would not soak it. I know a lot of people don't feel comfortable feeding it dry so for the most part I suggest soaking. I have soaked pellets over night, soaked shreds for the length of my ride and also used hot water and soaked shreds for <10 mins as stated earlier. In all cases the horses were fine. It starts ti smell like wine when it goes off so if uncertain smell it.

Clair

Independent Equine Nutritionist
www.equilibrateequine.com
info@equilibrateequine.com

Having recently treated a horse with choke from the pellets, I would not ever recommend feeding dry.... Especially the pellets. This poor mare had an esophagus full of expanded beet pulp pellets. She had only been given a small amount as a treat, but it was enough to cause a problem. Healthy young mare with no teeth or eating issues, just bad luck with the beet pulp...

Shreds are better, but I would still be very careful....

In my experience the shreds take up the water pretty fast, pellets much longer (and they expand more)

[Equibrit]

Only the brain damaged feed dry BP pellets.

[talloaks]

Right, it was a management issue, and likely being fed too little, and too little nutrition. Not because he was fed bp ;)


I realize that, but she was feeding almost entirely beet pulp with some barley on top!! I had never heard of such a diet for any horse, let alone one who was in work. Her goal was to save money on feed, and I guess she did, but also lost a client! Thank God I didn't loose my horse!;)

[Ambrey]

I realize that, but she was feeding almost entirely beet pulp with some barley on top!! I had never heard of such a diet for any horse, let alone one who was in work. Her goal was to save money on feed, and I guess she did, but also lost a client! Thank God I didn't loose my horse!;)

I know a lot of horses living on no grain at all...

[JB]

Sure. She could have been feeding barley with a little bp on top. Or alfalfa pellets with a little barley on top. Or Triple Crown Complete but only 1lb. Or only 10lb of hay a day.

Your post on it said That is why I questioned why anyone used beet pulp. which implies the beet pulp was part of the problem.

That's the only point I'm trying to make. Your horse was underfed. Period. It just happens that he was eating bp and barley. That doesn't automatically make either of them questionable feedstuffs :)

[Equibrit]

Barley needs to be boiled to be worth anything, and is generally a good way to put weight on your horse.

[Equilibrate]

Having recently treated a horse with choke from the pellets, I would not ever recommend feeding dry.... Especially the pellets. This poor mare had an esophagus full of expanded beet pulp pellets. She had only been given a small amount as a treat, but it was enough to cause a problem. Healthy young mare with no teeth or eating issues, just bad luck with the beet pulp...

Shreds are better, but I would still be very careful....

In my experience the shreds take up the water pretty fast, pellets much longer (and they expand more)

I have seen a horse choke and it is not a pleasant experience. Some horses can choke which is why even though it can be fed dry as I mentioned I suggest soaking it unless for some reason it is not possible. What I did not clarify is that the decision of whether to soak or not is based on the horse in question. And the use of management techniques to lessen the chances of choking.

Susan Garlinghouses has a very nice article on beet pulp myths and reality which is a very informative read.

http://www.shady-acres.com/susan/beetpulp.shtml

What follows is taken from that article. She does a far nicer job of getting across the point I was trying to make.

Contrary to popular belief, while beet pulp can and usually is soaked prior to feeding, it does not necessarily have to be. In fact, in some management situations, feeding beet pulp dry is the only alternative if beet pulp is to be fed at all. Horses consuming soaked beet pulp in hot weather may be unable to finish off a large portion before it begins to sour and becomes unpalatable. Likewise, horses in cold climates may not be able to finish their soaked beet pulp before it begins to freeze. Research conducted at several universities have fed dry beet pulp in amounts up to 45% of the total diet and saw no instances of choke or other adverse reactions. Likewise, many, many tons of dry beet-pulp based feeds are fed annually without incidence. Although beet pulp, particularly that in the pelleted form, can cause choke, the choke is often in response to the particle size and the horse's feeding behavior, not necessarily due to the actual feed itself. Horses which bolt their food without sufficient chewing, or do not have adequate access to water, are far more likely to choke, regardless of the type of feed, than horses which eat at a more leisurely rate. Efforts should be made to prevent gobbling in these "wolfers"by putting rocks into the feeder or mixing in other feeds such as chaff to slow intake and encourage chewing. In any case, it should be clearly understood that, for whatever reason, some horses are more prone to choking than others. Therefore, decisions to soak or not should be made on an individual basis, taking into consideration whether feeding dry beet pulp is a necessity, the feeding behavior of the horse, and competition from other horses which encourage wolfing. In some horses, feeding soaked beet pulp may be the only alternative.

[Auventera Two]

She thinks its fine to feed dry because she's been lucky enough to not have to see a choke happen. I asked my own vet about it and he said he's treated beet pulp chokes and he does not recommend feeding it dry. Knowing what happened to my mother's horse, and seeing the shreds with my own eyes and feeling them, there is no way I'd be dumb enough to take such a chance. Dry beet pulp shreds is like shredded wood. It's hard, rough, and jagged.

I won't buy or feed hay that's overly coarse and rough either. I buy stuff that is less mature and is softer so I don't have to worry about it so much.