Feeding Answers - FAQs
Are Speedi-Beet & Fibre-Beet ok for a horse with Cushing's/PPID? ↓
Yes, they are. Cushing’s Syndrome (Pituitary Pars Intermedia Disorder) is associated with hyperglycaemia (too much glucose circulating in the blood) and abnormal patterns in plasma insulin due to abnormalities in the pituitary gland. The glucose levels in Speedi-Beet & Fibre-Beet are low and will be largely used in the gut wall to help protein absorption. Levels absorbed will not affect the syndrome.
Read more about Feeding Those with Cushing's/PPID in our Nutrition Library.
Are beet products suitable for a senior horse? Yes! They are particularly ideal for those with poor dentition as they are easily consumed, once soaked, and can be fed as partial forage replacers to help maintain fibre intake. ↓
Both Speedi-Beet and Fibre-Beet (Baileys' prefered beet products) are suitable for the veteran horse. Once soaked they are palatable and easy to eat, even if your horse has missing teeth. As horses get older their digestive efficiency declines and so a readily digestible feedstuff, like Speedi-Beet/Fibre-Beet, is ideal.
Can I feed Speedi-Beet or Fibre-Beet to a convalescent horse? ↓
Yes. Speedi-Beet or Fibre-Beet can be fed in any situation. As they are soaked feeds, when fed before feeding other feeds such as forage, they will increase feeding time and so help allay boredom. Their palatability can also help mask the taste of any medication introduced.
Can I over-feed Speedi-Beet? What is the maximum amount I can feed to my horse? ↓
Over-feeding Speedi-Beet is unlikely to cause any problems in terms of gut function and integrity. We would recommend, as a general daily guideline, 100g of Speedi-Beet (dry weight) for every 100 kg of horse weight e.g. 0.25 kg for a 250-300 kg pony, 0.5 kg for a 500-600 kg horse. However, depending upon the rest of the diet fed and level of horse activity, this rate can be increased to 500g of Speedi-Beet per 100 kg horse weight each day. New feeds should always be introduced gradually and horse condition monitored.
Can I prepare enough Speedi-Beet or Fibre-Beet for two feeds (i.e. over 24 hours)? ↓
Yes. There is no problem, except perhaps during very hot, humid periods where there may be a slight risk from mould growth. The nutrients will remain unaffected.
Can Speedi-Beet and Fibre-Beet cause Colic? ↓
The patented process that produces Speedi-Beet means the product is extremely friable (crumbly when dry!) and allows complete water penetration on soaking. As such it is of the same consistency as the rest of the gut contents (chyme) and so should not cause any form of impaction colic. Fibre-Beet, when soaked, has a similar consistency.
The fermentation products of both these products do not produce any significant amounts of gas and the presence of cellulose fibre bulks the gut, helping reduce the risk of torsion.What should I do if my horse eats some unsoaked Speedi-Beet accidentally? ↓
Speedi-Beet has been processed to be a quick soaking flake. This results in the flake being extremely friable and this means it will not compact in the gut. So if a horse does eat Speedi-Beet dry – and we have had reports of horses eating up to a whole bag! – the best thing is to give it small amounts to drink at frequent intervals and to walk him.
This will help the gut transit of Speedi-Beet. Because micronization affects the Water Binding Capacity of the beet there is no occurrence of it drawing water from the horse itself. Controlled water absorption will avoid any gut discomfort.What is the difference between Speedi-Beet and Fibre-Beet? ↓
Speedi Beet is unmolassed (95% sugar free) sugar beet that soaks in 10 minutes. Fibre-Beet is a combination of Speedi Beet, alfalfa, oat fibre and Biotin and takes 45 minutes to soak in cold water/15 minutes in warm water.
Both products are ideal for horses and ponies prone to laminitis as both are low sugar/high fibre products. The principle difference between Fibre-Beet and Speedi-Beet is that Fibre-Beet is designed to be used as a “super forage”, whilst Speedi-Beet is suited to replace a portion of the hard feed.How does Fibre-Beet help maintain hindgut function? ↓
By reducing the amount of forage given, and replacing it with a stable fibre source, the variation in free sugars and polysaccharides is reduced, ensuring fewer problems in the hindgut.
Does it matter if I use too much water? ↓
No that’s fine. Speedi-Beet can soak up to at least seven times its own weight of water and Fibre-Beet up to 5 times its own weight. The final mix will be a bit sloppier, but it is a great method of getting extra water into your horse.
I don't feed sugar beet. Why should I? ↓
The fibre profile of sugar beet is ideal for horses. Equally divided between cellulose, hemicelluloses and pectins, beet provides fibres that can be fermented along the whole gut length at different rates, as well as providing slowly fermented fibre and much needed bulk.
Fibre is an extremely complex range of ß-linked carbohydrates that varies between different plant species. The profile in sugar beet is such that microbial fermentation (the only way animals can utilise fibre) in the gut gives the right proportions of energy rich nutrients for the horse.Why are Speedi-Beet and Fibre-Beet good for laminitics? ↓
Nutritional laminitis can be caused by the hindgut microbes producing lactic in high quantities, causing disruption to the microflora and stimulating toxin production. One of the major sources is undigested starch. Both Speedi-Beet and Fibre-Beet allow you to reduce starchy feeds in the diet – so there’s less undigested starch. In addition the fermentation of the fibre in Speedi-Beet and Fibre-Beet produces lower levels of lactic acid than grass or hay.
Find out more about laminitis in the following article:
Laminitis - What it is and How to Avoid itWhy does Speedi-Beet have greater nutrient availability than sugar beet pulp? ↓
The manufacturing process of Speedi-Beet forces the fibres apart and also disrupts them. This releases non-fibrous nutrients rendering them available to digestive enzymes and increasing the surface area for gut bacteria to attack and ferment them. As fermentation is time dependent (the time it takes to pass through the hindgut) improving accessibility to the microbes allows more slow release energy to be generated. The Effective Degradability of Speedi-Beet is close on 100%.
You say Fibre-Beet is a forage replacer. How much Fibre-Beet and how little forage can I safely feed? ↓
This depends on the forage and the activity of the horse. With a poor quality forage, you can replace up to half, as long as there is sufficient for trickle feeding. For better quality sources up to one third.
For more advice on Forage Replacement, read our article, here.
What are the correct proportions for soaking Fibre-Beet? ↓
1 part of Fibre-Beet, to 3 parts of water by weight. Soaking time is 45 minutes in cold water soaking and 15 minutes in warm water (to fully absorb into the alfalfa and oat component).
What are the correct proportions for soaking Speedi-Beet? ↓
The recommended proportion is one part of Speedi-Beet to five parts of water by weight. For example 250g of Speedi-Beet should be soaked in 1.25kg (or 1.25litres). The amounts aren’t too critical. When first using Speedi-Beet, weigh out the amounts and judge the amount to scoop for subsequent feeds.
