Regarded in many equine circles and with nutritionists as a super fibre, sugar beet feed provides many beneficial qualities, and can offer a versatile and good value feed ingredient for horse rations, providing a high-energy feed option for horses and ponies when fed as part of a balanced ration.

“All of the energy is coming from highly digestible fibre, with an energy value more akin to cereals, without the risks associated with those high-starch cereal feeds,” said Charlotte Ward, technical manager at Trident Feeds.

Sugar beet feed provides everything horses need in terms of fibre, but as it is high-energy, it is also good for those horses that need sustained energy supply, or that need energy to build condition, without overloading on starch.

“Once it is soaked, sugar beet is bulky, so you can feed relatively small amounts, while also increasing water intake. Equally, you can safely feed higher quantities to those horses that need high energy supply but require starch or sugar-controlled diets,” said Ms Ward.

As sugar beet feed is soaked for horses, it is also good for those older horses, with poor teeth, that may struggle chewing chopped fibre like hay, so it can replace some of the forage.

“Research has also indicated that sugar beet feed has prebiotic properties, as it has been shown to improve the microflora in the hindgut, because of the highly fermentable fibre,” she added

Once molassed, sugar beet feed has a relatively high sugar content, so it is key to understand the individual requirements of the horse.

Ms Ward said: “Supabeet, a molassed sugar beet feed, can be particularly useful for fussy eaters as long as they don’t require a sugar-controlled diet.”

Sugar beet feed can provide an economical way of feeding horses and ponies, when balanced with minerals. It can be fed alongside oils and other ingredients, making it versatile, allowing the option to tailor feeds to individual horse needs, rather than relying on expensive complete feed.

It is also about the only feed available to horses that has come back in price this year.