Fibre-Beet recognizes the fact that Horses evolved principally to eat grass which contains 80 to 90% water. Fibre-Beet is designed to be fed as a wet feed (liquid diet) which is the most natural way to feed your horse.
By combining Lucerne and Speedi-Beet together into one easy to use unique lozenge shape, Fibre-Beet offers an excellent source of highly digestible fibre in a liquid form and provides your horse with slow release energy without fizz.
What Is Fibre-Beet And How Does It Work? Increasingly the nutrition of the horse is becoming more widely understood and accepted, and the benefits of maximising fibre intake have been well received. More high fibre mixes are being produced to help optimise the utilisation of forage and there is now a comprehensive range of possibilities to maintain the nutrition, behaviour (chewing, trickle feeding) and welfare of the horse. What is different in wet feeding and why do we need to look at a new concept? Your horse has access to water so why do you need to add another layer of complication? Well, answer me this. How much does your horse drink? The answer may surprise you.
Vital Water A horse at rest may drink up to 7 litres per 100kg of body weight per day. A 400kg horse will drink over three bucketful’s. During exercise up to 15 litres of water per hour can be lost as sweat - another two buckets. And it has been shown that as water intake is restricted the intake of food reduces.
Water is essential, not only to maintain every aspect of the physiology and biochemistry of the body but also to ensure the correct condition in the gut.
The gut contents (chyme) in a horse is mainly water in which is suspended food particles and digestive enzymes.
Muscular contractions squeeze (and mix) the contents along the length of the gut as enzymes break down nutrients for absorption and microbes mix with, and attach to, the fibre to release energy. It’s only as the chyme passes through the large intestine that most of the water is absorbed and utilised in the biochemistry of the animal.
But he’s got a bucket! So, no problem; you’ve a bucket of water in the stable and you fill it whenever its level is low; or maybe an automatic bowl. However trial work has shown that water intake from bowls is less than buckets, and if intake from buckets is restricted feed intake and welfare can be compromised.
And water intake is essential. A big drink after a meal is good, isn’t it? Yes, but water and feed intake together is better.
Every article of feeding horses relates feeding behaviour to the evolutionary past of the horse. They are trickle feeders, far ranging, eating a variety of forages and exercising intermittently (when hunted, or mating). And this article is no different.
Moisture Matters Forage varies in its moisture content. However even mature grass contains up to 90% moisture and so a grazing horse can fulfil most of its water needs from grass. Chewing a moist product has less impact on the teeth and localised oral dehydration and prepares it for its subsequent journey through the gut where it will mix easier with additional water than a dry chewed product. It’s like the difference between eating porridge and the dry oat flakes!
And that’s the nub of the problem. Most feeds where water soaks in well are starchy and current thinking encourages a reduction in these feeds unless the horse’s level of activity justifies their use. Fibrous feeds (hay, Lucerne) do not soak well, and soaking will result in a slightly damp product and a bucket of water! Wet feeding of the horse is better as it avoids physiological stress in chewing, swallowing and gut transit. However, for many people access to grazing may not be practical.
Absorbent Lucerne Fibre-Beet addresses this situation. Exploiting the technology of Speedi-Beet rapid soaking technology, Fibre-Beet absorbs at least 3 times its own weight of water, holding the moisture through chewing and swallowing and entering the stomach in an ideal form.
Fibre-Beet complements the water holding and nutritional benefits of Speedi-Beet with those of a moist Lucerne, a combination that is a physiological winner in the concept of wet feeding of horses. This quick-soaking conditioning feed has a patented lozenge shape to increase surface area (like a radiator) and aid water absorption.
Lucerne is a leguminous plant, related to peas. Used as an entire forage crop it has been cultivated for many centuries for feeding purposes. It also has low non-structural carbohydrates. These products, such as starch and fructans can cause fermentation problems if overfed. Typically levels are lower than grass and hay, so Lucerne can be fed with confidence to all types of horse. Rich in protein and provides an excellent source of digestible fibre and a high level of slow release energy without fizz. It also provides a good range of minerals, trace elements and amino acids.
Fibre-Beet is ideal for all types of horses and ponies with soaking time only 45 minutes in cold water or 15 minutes in warm water. It is also beneficial to laminitics due to its high fibre, low sugar content and contains Biotin to help maintain hoof integrity.
Fibre-Beet can be fed to replace a proportion of forage sources such as hay and grazing. It can be fed up to 40% of the daily feed and the combination of Speedi-Beet and alfalfa means the bulking will improve the inherent digestion in the horse.
Typical Nutritional Analysis of Fibre-Beet
Mixing & Preparation of Fibre-Beet Preparing Fibre-Beet couldn’t be easier. Simply mix 3 parts of water to 1 part of Fibre-Beet by weight. Leave to soak for 45 minutes using cold water or 15 minutes using hot water (fantastic in the winter to warm your horse!).
Once Fibre-Beet has been soaked it can be fed straight away or it can be left for up to 24 hours in a cool environment, enabling you to still prepare in advance if you wish. DO NOT FEED DRY
Dry FIBRE-BEET
Absorbent Lucerne Fibre-Beet addresses this situation. Exploiting the technology of Speedi-Beet rapid soaking technology, Fibre-Beet absorbs at least 3 times its own weight of water, holding the moisture Through chewing and swallowing and entering the stomach in an ideal form.
Fibre-Beet complements the water holding and nutritional benefits of Speedi-Beet with those of a moist Lucerne, a combination that is a physiological winner in the concept of wet feeding of horses. This quick-soaking conditioning feed has a patented lozenge shape to increase surface area (like a radiator) and aid water absorption.
Lucerne is a leguminous plant, related to peas. Used as an entire forage crop it has been cultivated for many centuries for feeding purposes. It also has low non-structural carbohydrates. These products, such as starch and fructans can cause fermentation problems if overfed. Typically levels are lower than grass and hay, so Lucerne can be fed with confidence to all types of horse. Rich in protein and provides an excellent source of digestible fibre and a high level of slow release energy without fizz. It also provides a good range of minerals, trace elements and amino acids.
Fibre-Beet is ideal for all types of horses and ponies with soaking time only 45 minutes in cold water or 15 minutes in warm water. It is also beneficial to laminitics due to its high fibre, low sugar content and contains Biotin to help maintain hoof integrity.
Fibre-Beet can be fed to replace a proportion of forage sources such as hay and grazing. It can be fed up to 40% of the daily feed and the combination of Speedi-Beet and alfalfa means the bulking will improve the inherent digestion in the horse.