Food For Thought Horse Series: Beet Pulp
- naturalhorse1
- Mar 6
- 3 min read
BEET PULP
Horses never evolved eating sugar beets, and they certainly never evolved eating the leftover fibre after the sugar has been removed.
In natural environments, horses graze grasses, herbs, and fibrous plants. Sugar beets are an agricultural crop grown specifically for human sugar production. They are not something a horse would naturally encounter in a pasture or grazing system.
Yet once the sugar is extracted from these beets, the remaining material is dried and sold as beet pulp for horse feed.
WHAT BEET PULP ACTUALLY IS
Beet pulp is the fibrous material left after sugar has been extracted from sugar beets. During sugar production, the beets are harvested and taken to factories where the sugar is removed first. What remains is the fibrous residue of the plant.
This residue is then dried and commonly formed into shreds or pellets that are sold as beet pulp.
In simple terms, beet pulp is a byproduct of the sugar industry.
HOW IT IS GROWN
Sugar beets are grown as a large-scale industrial crop. Commercial production commonly involves fertilisers, herbicides, and pesticides to maximise yield.
In some countries, genetically modified sugar beet varieties are widely used. Once harvested, the beets are transported to processing facilities where the sugar is extracted.
The fibrous material left behind after this process becomes beet pulp.
WHAT “PROCESSING” ACTUALLY MEANS
The beets are not simply dried and turned into feed.
They are washed, sliced, and subjected to repeated hot water extraction to remove as much sugar as possible. The beet material is soaked and heated to extract the sugar.
The remaining fibre is then pressed and dried at high temperatures before being formed into pellets or shreds.
By the end of this process, much of what made the original plant nutritionally valuable has already been removed.
THE GOOD
Beet pulp does contain digestible fibre and is relatively low in starch compared with many grain-based feeds.
As a result, it is sometimes used to help horses maintain body condition. Some horses that struggle to hold weight may benefit from the energy produced when this fibre is fermented in the hindgut.
THE BAD
Despite these uses, beet pulp is not natural forage.
It is a highly processed feed ingredient, and it does not provide the nutritional diversity found in grass and hay. Some products also contain added molasses, which increases sugar levels.
THE UGLY
Beet pulp exists because the sugar industry extracts the sugar first.
What remains is the fibrous residue of that process, dried and sold as horse feed.
NUTRITION
Beet pulp is largely fibre remaining after the sugar extraction process. While this fibre can be fermented in the hindgut to produce some energy, it provides far less nutritional diversity than natural forage.
Beet pulp can also be relatively high in iron, a mineral horses rarely require additional amounts of in their diet.
Reported levels commonly range from around 200 to over 400 mg of iron per kilogram of dry beet pulp, depending on where the beets were grown.
Most horses already receive more iron than they require from grass, hay, soil contamination on forage, and water sources. Additional iron in the diet may interfere with the balance of other important minerals such as copper and zinc.
POSSIBLE CONCERNS
Residues of agricultural chemicals may be present, depending on the farming practices used during crop production.
Processing and drying methods vary among manufacturers, so the final product is not always consistent.
In some cases, elevated aluminium or other heavy metal levels have been reported, depending on soil conditions and processing.
THE REALITY
Beet pulp may be used in some feeding programs as a fibre extender, but it should never replace the true foundation of a horse’s diet.
THE FOUNDATION OF EVERY HORSE DIET
Grass -preferably not faming species
Hay-mixed meadow is best for diversity
Natural whole foods, unprocessed or as minimally processed as possible
Everything else should support that foundation.
If you would like personalised support in assessing your horse’s diet or working toward a more forage-first feeding approach, Natural Horse offers consultation services to help guide owners through practical, horse-centred nutrition decisions.
Disclaimer: This article is intended for general educational discussion about horse feeding practices and does not replace individual nutritional advice tailored to your horse’s specific needs.
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