Recipe: Horse's Holiday Mash

For the holidays, I like to give my horse friends special treats, different from they're normal variety of things. So for Thanksgiving, I tried a "mash" for Sonny and Apache. They absolutely loved it, so I thought I would share it with you. It's fairly simple.
This recipe can be duplicated for Christmas, birthdays, etc.
I will note that I would not feed this mixture daily as it does provide more sugar than desired for a daily diet due to the apples and juice. This mash is also not a replacement for regular feed.

Horse's Holiday Mash

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of Shredded Beet pulp (I used the kind that did not have molasses in it and added my own molasses, you can skip that step by purchasing Beet pulp that already has molasses mixed in.)
• 1 cup of chopped carrots
• 1 small Granny smith apple, chopped.
• 1 Tablespoon of Molasses (to add taste, optional)
• 1 Tablespoon of Coconut oil (optional)
• Organic Unsweetened Apple juice and/or water (for soaking the Beet pulp)

Some notes about the measurements.....
If you're horse has never had beet pulp, I am a firm believer in making small adjustments to feed at a time. So start with the 1 cup of Beet pulp. If you feed Beet pulp to your horses regularly/weekly and they are already accustomed to it, the measurement can be increased. 2 to 5 cups of beet pulp is considered a serving for a standard (full sized) horse.

I only add the coconut oil to Sonny's mash. He is aging and the additional fat is good for his joints and adds extra calories for him.

The shredded beet pulp can also be substituted with alfalfa cubes if a higher protein mash is desired.

Steps:

1. I chopped my carrots and apples the night before I planned to feed this snack to the horses. I placed them in a tub and left them in the fridge overnight.
2. I measured out my desired molasses and coconut oil mixture and placed it in the tub with the carrots and apples as well.
3. 15-30 minutes prior to feeding, I soak my beet pulp in a mixture of Organic unsweetened apple juice and water in a feed bucket. The apple juice adds some additional taste. I like my beet pulp to not be sloppy, but moist and expanded. (If possible, heating the juice/water mixture prior to pouring it over the beet pulp makes the soaking process faster, however be sure to let it cool prior to serving.)
4. Mix in the apples, carrots, molasses, and oil.
5. Serve to your hungry hungry hippo of a horse.

This is a great snack to feed in the winter time as the fluids added to it can help hydrate your horse during the cold season, when they may be less inclined to drink. Beet pulp is not very expensive. It can be found at most feed stores, and at Tractor Supply. This is also a great way to administer meds if needed, just slip them into the bucket with the mash and they should be eaten up in no time.