Instructions
Determine how much beet pulp to feed your horse, depending on your horse's size and activity level -- each 2.2 lb. of beet pulp will supply 2,400 to 2,850 calories, and horses generally require 15,000 to 33,000 calories each day.
Place the beet pulp in a bucket of water to soak. Allow the pulp to soak for 10 minutes to 24 hours, depending on the specific brand of beet pulp's directions (found on the container or sack the beet pulp is packaged in).
Check to make sure the beet pulp is finished soaking by grabbing a handful of it; squeeze the handful until you've gotten out all the moisture you can, and hold the handful up to your ear -- if you hear a crinkling sound, allow it to soak further and re-check.
Smell the soaked beet pulp to make sure the beets haven't begun to ferment (if they have begun to ferment, the sugar in the beets is turning to alcohol and will be unhealthy for the horse).
Drain off the beets' soaking water by tilting the bucket the beets are in, and pouring out the excess water. Place the drained beets in the feeding area of the horse stall for them -- the beets are ready to eat.
How to Feed Sugar Beets to Horses
Sugar beets are fed to horses as dehydrated pulp, or, occasionally, in shredded form. Sugar beets are a high-fiber food that is easily digested by horses and provides a relatively high number of calories per ounce, so many horse owners consider them a healthy, efficient feed. The beets are chopped, and the parts that are used for making sugar for human consumption have already been taken out -- so they're in small pieces, dehydrated and no longer sweet by the time they are being packaged for horses. In order to boost the caloric content and to add sweetness, molasses may be added to sugar beet horse feed.