Super Fibres - What Are They?

Super fibres are more highly digestible than other fibre sources, and provide a higher level of calories, which makes them very efficient at supporting weight gain and weight maintenance. For example, hay can be 40-60% digestible whereas beet pulp and soya hulls are 80 and 75% digestible. Super fibres are a good source of slow release energy that also help to support a healthy digestive system in the horse.

Super fibres used in our feeds include:

Alfalfa – alfalfa supplies a moderate level of energy (calories) whilst being low in starch and sugar. Alfalfa is also an excellent source of quality protein. Protein is made up of building blocks called amino acids. Some amino acids the horse can make themselves, but others must be provided in the diet, these are called Essential Amino Acids. Alfalfa has an excellent amino acid profile and is especially high in the most important essential amino acid Lysine making it a great ingredient in performance feeds. Alfalfa is also a good source of calcium which helps to support a healthy digestive system as calcium helps to buffer excess stomach acid.

Beet pulp - Dried (Sugar) Beet pulp is a what is left of the beet once the sugar has been removed. Contrary to popular belief beet pulp is naturally very low in sugar (<5%) and the sugar level only increases if molasses is added back into the product.><5%) and the sugar level only increases if molasses is added back into the product. The Dried (Sugar) Beet Pulp used in Saracen products is unmolassed and therefore does not greatly increase the sugar levels of the finished feed. Sugar beet is a ‘Super-Fibre’ and is approximately 80% digestible, compared to 40 – 50% digestibility of hay. This makes it a great low starch, low sugar, high calorie feed for horses needing weight gain or slow-release energy for performance. Beet pulp is also natural high in pectins, an easily fermentable fibre, which can act as a gel-like substance in the stomach helping to maintain optimal stomach health.

Soya Hulls - Soya Hulls are made from the fibrous hull of the soya bean. They have around 30% more digestible fibre than most hays with a very low starch (5%) and sugar (2.5%) level. They provide an excellent level of energy (calories) whilst not increasing the risk of excitable, stressy and anxious behaviours. They are readily fermented in the caecum and produce high levels of volatile fatty acids, aiding in meeting the energy requirements of the horse. In addition, like beet pulp soya hulls are high in pectin helping to support a healthy digestive tract.

Both the Re-Leve and Condition-Improver formulation are based on highly digestible super fibres and oil sources, to help reduce the reliance on starch, but still provide the energy (calories) necessary for weight maintenance and condition, as well as slow release energy needed for work.