Bran Mash/Beet Pulp questions
Sirius Star
it and she said everytime she rides her older horse (1X a week) she
gives him a treat of bran mash. Curious, she showed my how to mix a
small bowl for my horse. He really enjoyed it, though he got me all
wet. However, I got to thinking about how this might be a really good
thing at rides.
I found information on a product called Speedi-Beet and Fibre-Beet
(speedi-beet with alfalfa added). There seems to be a lot of good
things about this beet pulp and helps to maintain the calcium/
phosphorous ratio better than bran mash. This particular brand is
ready in ten minutes using cold water and less with hot.
My questions:
1. Does anyone feed bran mash/beet pulp and how often? I was told that
beet pulp could be fed "once in a blue moon" without health problems.
However, I don't want to experiment at rides.
2. Does anyone feed these at endurance rides? How do you prepare your
horses gut for it (i.e. do you feed everyday for a week or two ahead
of time? Or do you give once a week such as my friend does?)
3. If you feed it or don't feed it, why?
I like the idea of helping my horse to rehydrate more and keep a high-
digestable fiber that releases energy over longer periods of time in
his gut. It also helps to absorb acids which I know too much acid in
an endurance horse during a ride can be a problem. However, it's
impossible for me to give it everyday on a regular basis. If I knew
how long and often I needed to feed it before a ride, it might be a
possiblity.
Char Jewell
Char Jewell
Every endurance rider knows more about electrolyte therapy for horses in competition than any vet I know. author to remain anonymous
From: Sirius Star <endurance...@gmail.com>
To: ridecamp at Endurance.Net <ride...@endurance.net>
Sent: Sat, February 26, 2011 9:20:22 PM
Subject: [RC] Bran Mash/Beet Pulp questions
You received this message because you are subscribed to ride...@endurance.net
To post to this group, send email to ride...@endurance.net
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ridecamp+unsub...@endurance.net
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/a/endurance.net/group/ridecamp?hl=en
Endurance Granny
feel it increases their fluids tremendously. After training rides my
horse seems to recover her sweat losses more quickly. She won't
however look at beet pulp mash at a competition when she REALLY needs
it. I don't get the once in a blue moon statement. The only
negatives I've heard about beet pulp is when someone starts feeding it
dry.
Elyse Carreno
Currently I don't feed beet pulp shreds every single day simply because my horses have free choice good quality hay, and I only give them 1/4 scoop of super fortified "lite" feed (formulated to be effective in small amounts), and 1/4 scoop senior feed daily just for the fats, vitamins, and minerals. They just don't need the beet pulp, and looking at cost/bag it doesn't fit into daily use in my personal feeding routine. If I didn't feed free choice hay I would definitely feed it in its raw form daily, not just what's in their grain (which I do still make a mash out of, due to a horse that tends to choke.)
Because their feed is beet pulp based I feed beet pulp for upcoming events or during hard workouts without building him up to it. At rides he gets a bucket of very wet beet pulp in the trailer, one the night before, small one in the wee hours of the morning, and at each check during a ride. I throw in just a couple of handfuls of grain in each. At each check he polishes a whole feed pan of it off. I know some people won't feed beet pulp without it being soaked for hours but I just mix it up with tons of extra water, and give it right to him. He enjoys slurping through everything. I do feed shreds though, I believe pellets require long soaking, not sure. When my mare was competing you could put a few handfuls of beet pulp in the bottom of a bucket and a gallon of water on top, and she would drink whatever water off the top to get down to the beet pulp.
I'll copy the article below just because if you don't have a horse.com account you probably won't be able to access it. Sorry for the long post. :-)
-Elyse
Bran Mash: What's it Really Good For?
by:
Kentucky Equine Research Inc.
January 01 2011,
Article # 17468
Print
Email
Add to FavoritesDuring the colder months, many horse owners go on a quest for wheat bran, probably so that they can make their four-legged friends a bran mash--a warm treat for horses on frosty winter days. Aside from the obvious, what's in a bran mash? And what is it meant to do?.
Here's an easy recipe. The two basic ingredients, simply enough, are wheat bran (rice bran, which is relatively high in unsaturated fats and is often used as a fat supplement in the diet of high-performance horses) and boiling water. The amount of water used depends on the desired wetness or sloppiness of the mash. Blend thoroughly and steep for at least 15 minutes, covering the bucket or feed tub with a towel. Just prior to feeding, add any other ingredients that might tempt a horse to dive in, such as diced apples, sliced carrots, a pull of molasses, or a handful of oats. And voilà ... a bran mash is created.
Bran mashes remain a staple in the feeding regime of some horsemen and continue to be a traditional meal for horses recovering from sickness, for mares immediately following foaling, and for aged horses with dental problems. A bran mash also is often the meal of choice for horses following an intense workout, especially for those that do not drink adequately during or after intense exercise and teeter on the brink of dehydration.
However, aside from the B vitamins niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin, wheat bran offers little in the way of nutrition. Even as a fiber supplement, wheat bran contains only 10-12% crude fiber, which is considerably less than other sources of fiber such as beet pulp (20%) or grass hay (28-34%).
In terms of macromineral balance, bran mashes can be problematic. While no cereal grain or grain byproduct contains an equal ratio of calcium to phosphorus, wheat bran contains an exorbitant amount of phosphorus. If fed often enough, the imbalance in wheat bran can lead to skeletal problems, particularly in young horses, but the occasional bran mash will not upset body-wide mineral levels. Avoid feeding bran mashes to young horses, and do not allow mashes to constitute more than 10% of the daily ration of an adult horse.
In recent years bran's long-standing laxative properties have been under fire. For decades, horsemen have believed that bran might prevent colic in horses by keeping ingesta (ingested feed) flowing smoothly through the digestive system. Research, however, suggests otherwise. In fact, a study conducted at Cornell University completely denounced this tightly held belief. Fed wet or dry, wheat bran was found to have no notable effect on the moisture content of stool. Even when fed in its most sloppy state, fecal water content only increased 3%.
So how do researchers explain the loose manure that many horses offer up the day after a bran mash is given? Researchers believe it stems from subsequent, though mild, digestive upset caused by the sudden change in diet. Some scientists feel that bran mashes might even have a negative effect on the gastrointestinal tract's resident population of fiber-fermenting microbes.
Contrary to popular belief, a bran mash will not warm a horse in the bitter cold. That job is most effectively achieved by meting out appropriate amounts of forages, as more body heat is generated through the digestion of hay and other roughages than any grain or grain byproduct.
While some research puts the lore and lure of bran mash on shaky ground, periodic feeding might still have its place in some horses' diets. A finicky eater might not be able to resist the temptation of a warm bran mash, and there simply might not be a better way to disguise medications than to diffuse their bitterness in the pleasantness of a bran mash. If medications are added to the mash, sprinkle them in just prior to feeding because cooking could alter their effectiveness.
From: Sirius Star <endurance...@gmail.com>
To: ridecamp at Endurance.Net <ride...@endurance.net>
Sent: Sat, February 26, 2011 9:20:22 PM
Subject: [RC] Bran Mash/Beet Pulp questions
Recently, a friend at my barn was feeding bran mash. I asked her about
it and she said everytime she rides her older horse (1X a week) she
gives him a treat of bran mash.
Sandy Adams
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ridecamp+u...@endurance.net
Shannon Loomis
I feed beet pulp most days of the winter to all of my horses - the old
man because he cannot chew his hay as well as I would like and so he
needs some supplemental fiber. My competition horses to maintain a
bit of weight through the winter and to keep their guts tuned to it.
To my 7 year old who impacted his small colon last year and required
surgery, to keep plenty of moisture in that belly, and to the other 2,
just because everyone else is getting some!
I am of the dump and pour method of beet pulp feeding. I add it to
the grain ration in the feed tubs, fat horses getting only a half cup
or so, skinny horses getting 3 or 4 cups and then pour a half gallon
to gallon of warm water on top. It soaks for however long it takes me
to walk that particular horse from the pasture to the barn, unless I
forgot to put it out before bringing horses in, then I dump and pour
and they start on it immediately. I put LOTS of extra water in and
have never had a horse even think about choking on it. I also add
some alfalfa pellets to help keep weight on the old man and for extra
calcium for the ulcer-prone - I have only a limited supply of quite
expensive alfalfa hay as it is not grown much around here, so I hold
off on feeding that until I really start conditioning and competing.
I never feed bran mash, mostly because beet pulp is superior in almost
every way. Even just adding warm water to regular grain is better, or
adding a handful of rolled oats, which my horses LOVE, especially at
rides. Sloppy "oatmeal" is a favorite at vet-checks and I usually end
up sharing with everyone in my vicinity of the crew area (we tend to
park ourselves near friends, all the better to swap stuff with as
every one else has better stuff).
All that aside, even though he inhales it at home, sometimes my horse
just won't eat the beet pulp at rides, particularly in hot weather. I
do not presoak on hot days because I think sometimes it can "turn" and
he hates it when it has been sitting in the sun all day. I always
offer a fresh wet pan and a dry pan of various feedstuffs and he picks
which one.... The good news is that the soaked stuff rarely goes to
waste even if he doesn't eat it all - someone's critter will usually
"volunteer" to clean it up!
Shannon Loomis
Sirius Star
thoughts.
It's Fibre-Beet that has the alalfa in it, not Speedi-Beet according
to the packages.
I might just try it with him sometime to see how he does. Maybe in the
summer when he's a lot closer to home.
Mary Watkins
>
I have been feeding my horses 1 pound of soaked un-mollased shredded
beet pulp twice a day for almost a year now, mixed with a rather small
quantity of grain and supplements as needed.
I choose to do this because it is an excellent way to sneak in extra
water, it is a very good source of calcium, it is a very good source of
the right type of fiber, it is high in calories and low on the glycemic
index.
Initially, I started this routine based on my veterinarian's
recommendation for a horse that was prone to ulcers. Beet pulp was an
important component of the ulcer care routine. I based my decision to
continue this for ALL my horses from the success of that feeding routine
and additional on-line research....most specifically an article by Susan
Garlinghouse.
It is a convenient, low cost food forage supplement for my horses.
It is not difficult to prepare. I simply put 1 pound of beet pulp into
each horse's pail, add an equal volume of tap water. I prepare this
after a feeding, allowing it to soak until the next feeding.
Sometimes, if I have forgotten, I simply add half the amount of water
and allow that to soak for 10-15 minutes. The beet pulp becomes
sufficiently moist for the horse's to eat.