Sugar beets 

Horses find sugar beets very tasty. The sugar beet is not suitable for horses if they come directly from the land. Sugar beet consists of 20% of sugar, which is too much for horses. Too much sugar can lead to diabetes. The horses may become resistant to insulin, which is the hormone that absorbs glucose in the body. The horses that become resistant to insulin are at higher risk to develop laminitis. Some horses get gas colic from too much sugar because the intestines converts the starch overdose to sugar. In addition, sugar is bad for dentures. 

When sugar is produced, the sugar is separated from the beet, so as a residual product, beetroot and molasses (sugar syrup) form. 

The beet pulp can be given to the horses as feed. Please note that horses should only be given soaked beet pulp to prevent clogging. 

Beet Pulp 

Beet Pulp is a residual sugar beet product. Horses usually find beet pulp very tasty because the beet pulp contains a little sugar. 

The protein content in beet pulp is quite low and the calcium content is high. The special thing about beet pulp is that it contains pectin, a particular fiber. Pectin is a complex carbohydrate that can not digest enzymes in the small intestine, but the bacteria in the small intestine can break them quickly and easily. This type of fiber stimulates the growth of so-called good bacteria. For horses with a bad intestinal flora (all bacteria in the intestine) it can be a good addition to the ration. 

Beet Pulp has got a bad name from a number of people because it can cause a lot of misery in dried form. Dried beet pulp takes up a lot of water and it does so in a short period of time. During the chewing, the beet pulp swells and after swallowing, it can clog into the esophagus. An esophageal obstruction must be resolved quickly and this is not always easy. Therefore, dry beet pulp on horses should never be fed. 

You can feed horses beet pulp by soaking it with plenty of water, about 5 liters of water for every 1kg of dry pulp. Do not let the soaked beet pulp to stand for more than 12 hours to prevent it from spoiling and distasteful for the horse. If a horse is given beet pulp, it may have 1-2kg (dry) beet pulp a day. 

Feeding beets 

Horses can be fed beets directly from the land. However, the sand must be removed from the beets to prevent sand colic. 

Beets contain mostly moisture and a little sugar. Due to the large amount of moisture, it is better not to feed too many beets on a day to horses to prevent watery manure. 4 to 5 per day is a good amount. When the manure becomes too thin it is wise to reduce the amount per day. 

Beets can be given to horses as a whole so that the horses are entertained during a while as the beets are difficult for horses to chew them. Horses can also be given daily roughage with beet contents, such as in several Hartog products.