Beets and your horse? Really? Yes, absolutely! Beetroot is one of the most powerful whole foods that you can come by which can dramatically impact your horse and their health, not to mention their soundness. Who would have thought, right? Well, whether if you had thought about beetroot and your horse before now doesn’t matter. Just start thinking about it from here forward. Beetroot packs a punch when it comes to horse health!
Whole foods are powerful and there have been many ‘superfoods’ noted in years past, but in truth, most whole foods are ‘superfoods’. There is no need to be exotic about the foods or spend tons of money importing some fruit from South America. Whole foods are readily available right there in your grocery store! Or at least in a powder form for use in the horse.
As I have discussed in countless articles, there are two main concerns when it comes to health and soundness in the horse. Those two concerns are chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. These two processes are responsible for over 90% of all disease and injury, which implies tissue weakness. Interestingly, for the most part, these two processes stem from or originate from an imbalanced digestive microbiome.
So, keep the digestive microbiome in balance and you will curb most situations of damaging free radicals (oxidative stress) and chronic inflammation. Whole foods are the way to do this, along with proper overall care of the horse and appropriate lifestyle.
Beetroot is just one of many ‘superfoods’ that we use in our Cur-OST formulas to supply whole food nutrition and other tremendous benefits.
Beetroot Packs A Punch for Horse Health
All whole foods have an energy to them and beetroot is deemed to be neutral to mildly warming in its property or influence upon the body of the horse. Beetroot is also viewed as being a ‘blood tonic’ or possibly a ‘yin’ tonic based on TCM viewpoints and usage.
Beetroot is a powerhouse of nutrition, carrying with it a low protein load, little to no fat, but a moderate load of carbohydrates, all of which are generally low-glycemic and complex in nature. These more complex carbohydrates are beneficial for the body of the horse compared to more simple sugar forms. The complex carbs are utilized by the gut microbiome to impact overall balance and are digested much slower, thus not a huge impact on blood sugar levels or even insulin. In fact, these more complex carbohydrates, which are found in many foods, help to reduce blood sugar levels, improve insulin function, balance the digestive microbiome, reduce inflammation, and impact immune function positively.
Beetroot is also very high in nutrient value, from beta-carotene to born and magnesium. They are very nutrient dense and readily available post digestion. Additionally, they are rich in soluble and in-soluble fiber, which is part of their carbohydrate content, which benefits digestion and the microbiome.
Aside from carbohydrate and nutrient content, beetroot contains two other factors of interest. These are betalains and nitrates. Betalains are very potent antioxidants and create the ‘red’ effect found in beetroot. They are rated as being one of the most powerful antioxidants available through food, demonstrating their power in research in the impact of health and disease. Nitrates are also powerful chemicals found naturally in beetroot, which are converted to nitrites and eventually to nitric oxide in the body. Nitric oxide is involved with blood flow, blood pressure, and overall blood circulation in the body. The healthier the blood circulation, the more nutrients and oxygen available for tissue health and healing.
In clinical research beet root has demonstrated:
- Potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties
- Anti-tumor or anti-cancer properties
- Benefits to metabolism, blood glucose, and insulin
- Enhanced physical performance and energy
- Protective benefits to the liver and kidney
- Improved mental function and cognition
- Positive impact on blood flow, heart health, and blood pressure
- Anti-bacterial effects
I recommend beetroot to almost every horse owner, whether if that horse is idle in the pasture, has metabolic ailments, an infectious disease like EPM, a tendon injury, or is competing or performing on any level. The impact can be tremendous, especially if other factors are modified like a reduction or elimination of grains, improved forage, and an improved lifestyle for the horse.
Ways to get your horse on beetroot:
- Cur-OST Beetroot Bulk Ingredient
- Cur-OST EQ Nitric Boost (blend of 3 superfoods)
- SV EQ Whole Food Reds
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Author: Tom Schell, D.V.M, CVCH, CHN
Hello ~ Can you give BeetRoot with a Magnesium supplement ~ or would it be an overload to their system? Thank You
Hi,
It depends on how mag deficient they are. I would definitely start with just the beet root first and see if you need to add in extra magnesium.
Can beet root be given to a horse on precend and previcox
Absolutely! Beetroot is a form of a whole food, very beneficial on many levels. If we ever start questioning whether if a food is going to interfere with a medication, then it is time to step back and evaluate whether if that medication is the correct choice. In reality, whole foods if used properly as a diet, could actually reduce the need for those medications.
Very interesting l myself
Take beetroot juice being 82 yrs old its healthy Improve ments ld like to have a TB weanling introduced to his future diet .as a race horse ..so can you please
Hello, what is a recommended dose of pure beetroot powder to give on a daily basis?
Hi. We do not provide dosing for the bulk or individual ingredients. The dose is entirely case dependent and up to the owner. I would recommend our herb book for further dosing guidelines. https://nouvelleresearch.com/index.php/product/herbs-whole-foods-repairing-horse
Thank you