Beet Pulp to Prevent Colic in Horses

Feeding beet pulp can be a good preventative for colic when used in conjunction with providing plenty of water and other roughage, a consistent feed schedule and a good deworming schedule. You can use beet pulp as a low-starch alternative to feeding more grain, which can be much healthier for your horse's digestive tract.

  1. Impaction

    • Impaction colic is a condition in which some of your horse's feed, whether grain or roughage, has congealed together into a mass in the horse's intestines. This usually occurs when there is not enough moisture in the horse's digestive tract, or if there is too little roughage in the diet. Beet pulp helps with both causes. Though scientific research indicates there is no problem with feeding dry beet pulp, most people choose to continue soaking beet pulp because it gets water into your horse's system. Beet pulp is also a source of roughage.

    Sand accumulation

    • If your horse tends to ingest sand with his feed or when he is grazing, beet pulp can help move the sand along the digestive tract. It is often hard to get sand out of the horse's gut, since it settles on the bottom of the intestines. Roughage fills up the gut enough to get to the sand at the bottom of the intestines.

    Gastric ulcers

    • Gastric ulcers are a huge problem for performance horses of all disciplines and result when stomach acid reaches the unprotected upper half of your horse's stomach. Beet pulp helps to absorb excess stomach acid, which can keep the ulcers from developing. Also, because beet pulp takes longer to chew than grains, chewing the beet pulp produces more saliva, which neutralizes the stomach acid.