Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

In a message dated 8/10/2005 1:40:12 PM Pacific Daylight Time, suendavid@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:

> Anyway, just IMO, but I think you kind of have to be careful not to throw
> the baby out with the bath water here in evaluating the inclusion of beet
> pulp in a performance horse's ration.  Yes, it has a modest detrimental
> effect on mineral absorption.  Fine--- so you make sure that there are
> sufficient amounts of macro and trace minerals in the ration, especially if
> beet pulp is fed in a significant amount.  Not a difficult thing to do, just
> add a moderate dose of a top-quality vitamin-mineral supplement, which isn't
> a bad idea at any time.


And that was my point. You cannot just dismiss the chelating effect out of hand. In considering any dietary component, you have to think about how it affects both the digestibility of the other components and the blood-borne balances once they are absorbed. 

Another thing to keep in mind is the fact that there are very many out there who, once told that a substance is useful, conclude immediately that more is better. This is often the case with both beet pulp and bran. 

ti