Concentrates
Concentrates is the collective term for energy-rich supplementary feed such as grains and mixed pellets or mueslis. It supplements the roughage but never replaces it.
General information, not individual feeding or ration advice. For your own horse, consult your vet or a nutritionist.
How does it work?
Concentrates include grains such as oats, barley and maize, and compound pellets or mueslis. They are energy-rich and low in fibre, and are meant as a supplement for horses that cannot meet their energy needs on roughage alone, for example when in hard work. Large, starch-rich meals are risky, because the small intestine can only digest a limited amount of starch at a time.
Why it matters
Feeding concentrates wrongly or too generously is a major cause of digestive problems. So it is not a question of whether concentrates are needed, but of how much and how they are spread across the day.
Common misconceptions
- More concentrates does not automatically make a horse healthier or more energetic; often the opposite is true.
- Not every horse needs concentrates: many horses do just fine on good roughage plus a balancer.
What to watch for
Never give large starch meals in one go. As a guideline, about half a percent of bodyweight in concentrates per meal is mentioned, so roughly 2 kg or less for a 500 kg horse. Surplus starch that reaches the large intestine upsets the gut flora and increases the chance of colic and laminitis. Spread concentrates over several small meals.
Discover more
Sources: Merck Veterinary Manual · Kentucky Equine Research.