Beet pulp

We feed beet pulp to our lambs. We would soak it in water until it expanded then try to squish out as much water as we could. We mixed it with their feed and that ate it fine. They would not touch it by itself.

 

Try Rice Bran instead.

When was the last time he had his teeth done? How much hay is fed? I never had good results with beet pulp, BUT the Rice Bran works great!!

 

I add a scoop of LMF Senior and a scoop of sweet cob (2 lbs total weighed out) and my horse gobbles it right down. Obviously the amount of grain would depend on your horse and should be added in slowly to start. I also add two little scoops (I think it's 4 oz total) of Cool Calories and mix it all up to help keep my retired guy bulked up.

 

A lot of horses don't like beet pulp and won't eat it unless it's mixed with something else. Keep in mind that rats won't even eat it, so it can't be very appetizing in itself.

Adding a handful of oats or other well-liked treats can help. If you had chunks of apple or carrot, most likely the horse will root through and pick out all the chunks. Try something finer. Or pour a little molasses on it and mix in.

Be sure it soaks for a LONG time - at least a couple hours, and use hot water and let it sit and steam, covered is best. Soaking it longer and really steaming it helps to make it more palatable too.

Another tip to make it more palatable - add only enough water to puff it up and soften it, not enough that it's sloppy or wet, with loose water left at the bottom of the bucket. Putting it in a flat rubber feed pan that sets on the floor, can also help.

 

We soak it in warm water and the mix it with their grain...
We don't use sweet feed, but I would think if you do... some of the molassas would attach to the beet pulp.

I spent over a year trying to get weight on a TWH... she was in BAD shape when I got her... I used the beet pulp, but also the 14% pellet at Co-op... never used sweet feed....

Good luck getting the weight on...

 

Beet pulp comes in one form with molasses already added. Some horses just need time to begin eating it because it is new to them - leave it in the stall with him overnight if you stall at night - be sure to change it out - it will sour depending on temps - Worked very well with our 27 y.o. arabian. Fed his senior grain in one bucket & after he ate his grain we would place the bucket of beet pulp in the stall & leave it overnight with him. At first he wouldnt eat it but I added alfalfa cubes to the mix & he began eating it - eventually would eat it without adding the alfalfa cubes. But we used the beet pulp shreds with added molasses. The beet pulp/senior diet held his weight (he had almost no teeth & couldn't eat standard hay) and alfalfa cubes were too rich for him caused him to keep a very loose stool. We tried the Lucern Farms chopped alfalfa bagged hay but again was too rich for him. With using beet pulp along with a senior diet we kept him alive & in fairly good shape until he was 29. Of course he lost muscle tone due to age but he wasn't "emanciated" looking at all & still played like a colt. Couldn't get him "fat" but kept him where his rib outline was rippled but not sunk in around the ribs as you see in starved or unattended aged horses. Good Luck

 

Sounds like he's got it now, but just wanted to add... I always fed beet pulp to my senior horses over the winter to keep weight on. My Arabian gelding would always turn his nose up at it for the first week or so. I soaked overnight, drained, added a bit of veg oil, pumpkin pie seasoning and chopped apples. He would not eat it otherwise.