FASTRACK $26.95 for a 5 pound bag
Beet Pulp
Beet pulp is a nice halfway point between grain and forage---it’s lower in soluble carbohydrates than grains are and is high in pectin, which is a form of soluble fiber. Therefore, when digested by the horse, it provides a steady, slow rise of blood glucose for a long period of time---a good thing for an endurance horse with a long day ahead of him. This is as opposed to highly soluble carbohydrates, to one extent or another, such as grain or sugars. Depending on the exact type and content of the sugar molecules, glucose enters the bloodstream much more quickly and pretty much all at once. The blood glucose levels rises much more quickly and to a higher level, but then also drops much more quickly, potentially leaving the horse with low blood glucose levels while he still has many miles to go. The trick is to choose the correct form of carbo for the type of exercise your horse is performing---a higher blood glucose level is more applicable for racehorses (Tom, jump in here), while a slower, sustained glucose level is usually preferable for slower, sustained (endurance) exercise.
Soaked beet pulp is also a good way to get a little more moisture into your horse during a ride. Beet pulp easily holds water at a 2-3 to 1 ratio (a cup of beet pulp will soak up 2-3 cups of water) and that’s a nice reservoir of extra moisture to have in a horse’s gut on the trail. Beet pulp is also fairly high in fiber which will help maintain gut motility during a ride.
Also, while beet pulp is higher in energy than any hay, and is considered right on the borderline between being a forage and an energy feed, it does not have the risks of causing laminitis, azoturia, or acid-base disturbances that grains (highly soluble carbohydrates) do. It won’t upset the microflora bugs in the gut like soluble grains can. Horses that get silly on grains but can’t maintain weight on hay alone often do very well on beet pulp---and, as an Extra Added Bonus, beet pulp is a terrific base for adding fat to a horse’s diet, which has a bunch of advantages for endurance horses all its own.
Electrolytes
We generally come across electrolytes in the form of salts where two particles with opposite charges, called ions, are held together by their electrical energy. Sodium chloride, or regular table salt, is a common example. Other important electrolytes include calcium, magnesium, potassium, hydrogen and phosphorus.
They are important in just about every aspect of our lives and our sport, including allowing contraction and relaxation of muscles, nerve conduction, cardiac rhythm, hydration, fluid balance and thermoregulation. As these ions cross in and out of the cells of various tissues they are responsible for electrical conduction and fluid shifts within the tissues of the body, thereby regulating almost every aspect of physiology.
Electrolytes are generally found in the diet and in supplements that we offer like salt blocks, loose salt and the concentrated oral pastes that we give during endurance exercise.
Oats, like barley, have a hard outer hull that must be removed before it’s ready for human consumption. Even though the outer hull of an oat kernel comes off easier than a barley kernel’s hull, it’s still not within reach of the average consumer to accomplish this. For this reason, if you want whole oats to eat, purchase them already hulled. Hulled oats, called oat groats, look very much like rye or Triticale. Unlike barley which must have it’s hull sanded off damaging the seed, an oat groat kernel’s outer bran layer is still intact after de-hulling. This somewhat protects the inner nutrients and also permits it to sprout. From this stage of processing, oats are most often rolled. Sometimes they are cut into two to four pieces before rolling and are called ‘steel cut rolled oats,’ or quick rolled oats. Opening the seed in this way permits oxidation of the inner nutrients
Rice Bran
Rice bran is a supplement that will provide horses with added fat, vitamin E, and energy. The makeup of this little known feed is about 20 percent of fat, one percent of fiber, eight percent of protein, but 65 percent of starch, the remaining six percent are fillers.
Owners of performance horses look to rice bran for a supplementation of much needed fat since it will ensure that the animal will gain additional weight if needed. Show horses also benefit from the added fat for a sleek and healthy appearance. There is little in the ways of studies that show that some types of horses will not respond well to this kind of supplementation.
