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Horses evolved over thousands of years, grazing for the majority of each and every day. Today’s horses still need fiber, yet performance horses are frequently fed concentrates as well. A group of Danish researchers* took a deeper look at a sweet, savory, fiber-rich alternative to classic concentrates: sugar beet pulp.  

Sugar beet pulp (SBP), a co-product of the sugar industry, is chock-full of fiber, improves water balance in horses, and is a great source of digestible energy, which translates into more energy per bite.

To better demonstrate that SBP could partially replace hay and a concentrate (barley, in this case), the study authors fed horses one of four diets that varied in the amount of SBP: hay only; hay and SBP; hay and barley; and hay, barley, and SBP.

The authors found:

  • Horses drank more water when fed hay;
  • Intestinal transit time was faster in the “hay and SBP” diet, presumably because of a greater amount dietary fiber; and
  • Enough energy (calories) was provided in all four diets for light to moderate work.

SBP therefore seems to be appropriate as a partial substitute for hay or barley and is capable of maintaining a high level of nutrient utilization while reducing starch intake.

* Jensen, R.B., D. Austbø, K.E. Bach Knudsen, et al. 2014. The effect of dietary carbohydrate composition on apparent total tract digestibility, feed mean retention time, nitrogen and water balance in horses. Animal Jul 14:1-9. 

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