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I ditto Samm Bartee's endorsement of beet pulp, and also Tom Iver's
recommendation on feeding re: rest days. Here's my .02 worth.
An excellent horsewoman friend of mine was using beet pulp 35 years ago
and taught me about the value of same..old fox-hunting masters had
taught HER...although I eased off (forgot about the value of) for years,
I've recently (3 yrs.) picked it back up and use it on all ages, etc. as
Samm does..if I'm laying off my endurance horse for a while, I might
decrease his grain quantity a small bit, but I'll increase the beet pulp
as this gives the feed tub satisfaction he's used to...I still continue
with the oil, rice-bran additives, etc., and there's never any back-off.
The beet pulp product I use (and maybe most are this way) contains the
molasses FROM the beet pulp itself, so it must be palatable unto itself.
No horse has ever refused to eat it...I also feed a wet feed every meal,
as the pulp is wet (I soak from feeding to feeding..find that that gets
me my best value for the product). I happen to have an old electric
kettle in my feed room..the water is heating as I'm dipping up the por-
tions of cr. oats, rolled oats, rolled barley, coarse cracked corn..I
then pour hot water onto the dipped up feed and let it steep as I add
the oil, rice bran, etc. (I make sure NOT to pour real hot water onto
my vit/mineral w/enzymes supplement..disturbs the enzymes says the man-
ufacturer)...yes, this is a labor intensive way to feed..I do it 'cause
I have better control over who gets what and how much, and I know that
each is getting his daily requirement of basic vits. and minerals. If
one doesn't have time for all this separate dipping up, etc., and feeds
a prepared feed, the hot water is still a nice idea (as long as pellets
are not a part of the prepared feed..they are not too apetizing when
wet) and you simply add your presoaked beet pulp. I read a veterinary
produced article a few months ago (don't have ref.) that beet pulp can
be fed dry OR soaked...I believe it and have, but the "hot/warm meal"
idea goes over real big here...old time race-trackers used to "cook"
their grain and that appeals to me I guess, as much as the horses...the
cereal grains smell sooo good when steeping!
Didn't mean for this to be a treatise on my feeding program, but I have
a hard keeper in my endurance horse and this program has proven excel-
lent for him (and the others too). Continued best of luck in this fun
game of long-distance competition. We're putting on the FLORIDA
ENDURANCE CLASSIC on the 7 March '98...try to come down...entries will
be ready right after New Years.
Deena Meyer (with TF American Express - I don't leave home without him!)
carlmey@citrus.infi.net for entries for FEC
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!
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