Copra, lupins and beet pulp are the three "straights" Australian horse owners search for most when they want energy or condition without grain, and each has a real trade-off. This guide lays out what the makers themselves say about each one: what it delivers, what it does not, how it is fed, and which product in our range it maps to. Nothing here replaces a ration check with your vet or a nutritionist, but it should stop the guesswork.
The idea behind all three
Oats, barley and corn supply energy mostly as starch. Copra, lupins and beet pulp supply it mostly as oil and digestible fibre, which is why feed makers describe them as cool or non-heating and why they keep coming up for horses prone to laminitis, tying up or excitable behaviour. The catch is that none of the three is a balanced feed on its own: every maker below says to feed with roughage, and copra and lupins in particular need a vitamin and mineral source alongside them.
Copra meal
What it is. Stance Equitec's CoolStance Copra Meal is made from the white part of the coconut, dried, baked and ground; Stance describes it as a totally natural product, chemical and GMO free.
Pros, per Stance. Typical analysis of 12 percent oil, at least 20 percent crude protein, 11 percent non-structural carbohydrate, virtually no starch and 15 MJ of digestible energy per kilogram of dry matter. Stance's copra article puts the case simply: low starch with a high content of oil and digestible fibre has made copra meal a non-heating feed, useful for weight gain, conditioning and a glossy coat, with no risk of starch-related disorders such as laminitis or tying up. Stance lists it as suitable for horses prone to laminitis, insulin resistance, tying up and excitable behaviour, and for condition in aged horses.
Cons and cautions. Stance is candid that not all copra meal is the same: poor-quality Asian copra meal can contain high levels of aflatoxins, which is the argument for buying a branded, tested product rather than bulk copra of unknown origin. Copra is a straight, not a complete feed: Stance's feeding protocol pairs it with hay or pasture for long fibre and a balanced trace mineral and vitamin supplement. Soaked, it swells to at least three times its volume, so measure it dry.
How to feed it. Stance's guide for a 500 kg horse in light to medium work is 0.5 to 2 kg morning and evening, wet or dry (one scoop of water to one scoop of copra if wet), introduced gradually over 14 days. A 20 kg bag lasts roughly 20 days for a 500 kg horse in light work.
Lupins
What they are. Australian sweet lupins, a legume. We stock them plain as Green Valley Lupins and Green Valley Lupins, cracked, and processed as Mitavite Extru Lupins (steam extruded), Hygain Micrlupin (micronised flakes), Pryde's LupinPak (extruded lupin and canola oil cube) and, for the hulls only, Iron Horse Fibrewell.
Pros, per the makers. Mitavite puts lupin protein at 34 percent and calls it high quality and rich in essential amino acids, extremely low in starch and high in the digestible kind of fibre, which it says supports muscle development without the heat or fizz associated with cereals. Hygain lists Micrlupin at 31 percent crude protein with very low starch and sugar, and says its low NSC makes it a suitable protein and energy option for horses prone to laminitis. Mitavite notes the low starch in Extru Lupins suits grain-sensitive and laminitis-prone horses.
Cons and cautions. Lupins are a protein feed first and an energy feed second; a horse in light work on good pasture does not need 34 percent protein, so they suit horses building topline, in work, or on poor roughage, which is exactly how Hygain frames Micrlupin. Processing matters: Mitavite says steam extrusion breaks down proteins and starches to lift small-intestine digestibility above 90 percent, and Hygain says micronisation reduces naturally occurring anti-nutritional factors and improves palatability. Plain whole lupins are the cheapest option and the least digestible; if you feed them, feed them cracked. Lupins carry no added vitamins or minerals, so they need a balancer alongside.
How to feed them. Every maker says introduce gradually and feed with ample forage. Pryde's gives a useful swap rate for LupinPak: 1 kg of oats can be replaced with up to 850 g of LupinPak. For the others, follow the rate on the bag for your horse's weight and work.
Beet pulp
What it is. The fibre left after sugar is extracted from sugar beet. The beet product in our range is Hygain Tru Beet, steam-extruded beet pulp nuggets that soak almost instantly rather than the 5 to 20 minutes traditional beet pulp needs.
Pros, per Hygain. Hygain's beet pulp article calls it a true super fibre: soluble, highly digestible fibre with digestible energy between good quality hay and grain, a lower glycaemic index than any grain, and a soaked form that helps restore and maintain fluid balance. Tru Beet is listed as low sugar and low starch with a controlled NSC level, rich in pectin and fermentable fibre for the hindgut, and Hygain says the mash encourages water intake and mixes easily with supplements and other feeds.
Cons and cautions. Beet pulp is fed soaked; Hygain frames it as suited to horses with poor dentition because of its soft consistency once soaked, which is the same reason it is not fed dry. Tru Beet expands to four times its weight at four parts water to one part nuggets, so a small dry measure becomes a large feed. Like copra and lupins it is a straight: Hygain says to feed it as part of a forage-based ration, and it does not bring a full vitamin and mineral profile with it.
Side by side
| Copra (CoolStance) | Lupins (Extru / Micrlupin) | Beet pulp (Tru Beet) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main contribution | Oil energy, condition, coat | Protein, topline, low-starch energy | Digestible fibre, hydration, hindgut |
| Starch | Virtually none (NSC 11%) | Extremely low | Low sugar and starch |
| Protein | At least 20% | 31 to 34% | Low |
| Fed how | Wet or dry, 14-day intro | Dry, gradual intro, processed preferred | Soaked, 4:1 water |
| Needs alongside | Roughage + vitamin and mineral supplement | Roughage + balancer | Roughage + balancer |
Which one for which horse
- Needs condition without fizz: copra first, or beet pulp if the horse is a poor drinker or has poor teeth.
- Needs topline or is on poor hay: processed lupins.
- Laminitis-prone or metabolic: all three are positioned as low-starch by their makers; keep the whole ration low-NSC and check with your vet, because the straight is only one part of what the horse eats.
- Older horse that cannot chew: soaked beet pulp or copra, not whole lupins.
Frequently asked questions
Is copra good for horses with ulcers?
Stance positions CoolStance as a low-NSC, virtually starch-free feed, and low-starch feeding is the standard advice for ulcer-prone horses. It is not an ulcer treatment; see our ulcer feeding guide and your vet for that.
Can I feed lupins whole?
You can, cracked, but the makers' case for extrusion and micronising is digestibility and palatability: Mitavite quotes over 90 percent small-intestine digestibility for its extruded lupins.
Do I have to soak beet pulp?
Yes. Hygain's Tru Beet is designed to soak almost instantly at four parts water to one part nuggets; traditional beet pulp needs 5 to 20 minutes.
Are these complete feeds?
No. All three are straights. Each maker says to feed with roughage, and copra and lupins need a vitamin and mineral supplement or balancer to make a balanced ration.
Which is best for weight gain?
Copra is the most energy-dense of the three per kilogram of dry matter at 15 MJ, and Stance lists weight gain and conditioning among its uses. Our weight gain guide covers the complete feeds and fat supplements as well.
Shop next: Horse Feed · CoolStance Copra Meal · Mitavite Extru Lupins · Hygain Tru Beet · Horse Health & Supplements
Sources
Product facts in this guide are taken from the manufacturers' own pages listed below and from the product listings on this site; general care points are given as practical guidance, not veterinary advice. Last reviewed 17 September 2026.
- Stance Equitec: CoolStance Premium Copra Meal
- Stance Equitec: Copra or coconut meal as a horse feed
- Mitavite: Extru Lupins
- Mitavite: Why sweet lupins are a popular horse feed ingredient
- Hygain: Micrlupin
- Hygain: Tru Beet
- Hygain: Beet pulp, a true super fibre