Sugar Beet / Fibre Beet / Speedi Beet

[_jetset_]

I am having difficulty keeping the condition on Grace at the moment with the work she is doing and the fact she is not really a foody as such.

She is on TopSpec Balancer, their Super Conditioning Flakes and their Cool and Condition cubes, along with Healthy Hoof and Fibre Beet.

I am trying to swap the Healthy Hoof for Alfa A, but that has to be a really gradual process because she is not that keen on the Alfa (although has been eating the bits I give her) and it also brings her up in a rash when I first put her on it (although this goes in 2-3 days).

However, I am wondering whether the Fibre Beet is actually doing anything or whether bog standard sugar beet would do a better job (or even the Speedi Beet)???

(Also in Stable Yard)

[meardsall_millie]

Have you tried Alfa A Oil instead of Alfa A? It's higher in calories and has a less bitter taste so tends to be easier to get them to eat it.

[horseywelsh]

My horse sounds similar to yours.
We feed him fibre-beet (not much in summer), alfa a oil and topspec calm and condition cubes (swear by these), mix abit of happy hoof in too and garlic as he pulls his nose up at the alfa a. He comes out in lumps and bumps with most food, but i've found the topspec cubes to be ok as they contain no concentrates.

[dressagecrazy]

I also feed Alfa Oil i only need it in the winter. It's great for keeping weight & condition & doesnt seem to heat any of my horses up. Down side it has a bitter taste, but all mine havent had a proble & i have a major fussy old TB.

Bog standard Sugar Beet is normally mollased so stands more of chance of heating the horse up a bit.

Fibrebeet should be more calories than speedibeet for the simple fact that its speedibeet & Alfa mixed together.

If i was wanting to add a bit of weight i would go for Alfa Oil. If i couldnt use the Alfa Oil i would add Instant linseed.

Have you thought about adding Pre & Probiotics to her feed also??

[TGM]

According to the manufacturer's website the calorie content of Fibrebeet is 11 MJDE/kg, Speedibeet is 12.4 MJDE/kg and Supabeet pellets (standard sugar beet) is 12.5 MJDE/kg. Sugar content of molassed sugar beet is usually around 20% whilst Speedibeet is only 5% sugar.

[dressagecrazy]

Thats interesting TGM , ive never fed Fibrebeet but i do feed speedibeet to old TB.
Glad im making a good call, i would of expected the Fibrebeet to be more calories though not slightly less .

[JenHunt]

If you speak to dengie about their alfabeet they tell you its more conditioning than sugar beet alone due to the higher fibre content, meaning everything goes through the horse slower, giving it more time to absorb all the nutrients.

plus the extra protein in the alfa part of fibrebeet/ alfabeet means that the horse can put on muscle mass as well if you are woking them.

I have to say that I find alfabeet/fibrebeet more conditioning for my lads than sugar beet. and have never had problems with palatability of it.

[tabithakat64]

I used fibrebeet over the winter to keep condition on my fussy laminitic and it worked really well.

[happihorse]

I find Speedibeet really good at keeping condition on and it's cost effective too. If you are adding chaff to their feed, is their really any need to use sugar beet that is mixed with it as well?

How about adding extra oil to her feed to put more condition on?

Is she on the full ration of Top Spec for her workload?

[rlhnlk]

My mare hates alfalfa aswell, I don't think she likes the texture. Last winter to keep her weight on I fed alfabeet but I gave her the max amount in a seperate bucket to the rest of her feed so she could pick at it overnight, it was the first winter that she didn't have visible ribs. I wouldn't have given her sugarbeet as the sugar would make her flip and feed merchants don't have speedi beet so not an option.
Mine is currently on Baileys endurance mix which is keeping the weight on nicely and she likes the taste(even though it has some alfalfa in) but she will be going back to alfabeet in the winter.
Just 1 point, I've never looked at topspec so I don't know if their feeds are desgigned to all be fed together but I was once told that feeding different feeds together dilutes individual effects so it might be worth trying to simplify her diet.
Try ringing some of the manufacturers as they are really helpful and will send you a free sample of their recommended feed so you can see if the fussy mare will definitly eat it.