Concentrates

What Exactly Are Concentrates?

Most owners call anything in a bag “grain.”

Cute, but wrong.

Concentrates are a whole category of feeds designed to add what forage can’t always provide.

1. Fortified Feeds — the “standard bag”

What they are: Pelleted or textured feeds with added vitamins, minerals, protein.

Why they matter: Forage alone rarely covers higher calorie or nutrient needs (don’t come for me all of you grain-free lovers!!! I am still down with your program if it works too).

Best for: Performance horses, growing horses, seniors, horses needing more than hay can give.

“Hay is the foundation. This is the boost.”

2. Ration Balancers — the tiny-but-mighty scoop

What they are: Nutrient dense pellets fed in smaller amounts-usually 1-2 lbs.

Why they matter: Fill the gaps in protein, vitamins, and minerals without adding calories.

Best for: Easy keepers, metabolic horses, overweight horses, forage only diets.

“If it takes more than a scoop, it’s probably not a balancer.”

3. Complete Feeds — forage + concentrate in one

What they are: Fortified feeds that can also replace hay entirely.

Why they matter: Some horses can’t chew or access enough forage to meet their fiber needs.

Best for: Horses with dental issues, limited forage access, those who have trouble with long stem forage, and even growing horses can benefit from a complete feed

“Senior feed isn’t automatically complete — be sure you read the tag...or ask ME!”

4. Performance / High Fat Concentrates

What they are: Feeds with added fat sources for slow burn energy.

Why they matter: Fat = calories without the starch rollercoaster. It’s an efficient and economical way to add calories.

Best for: Endurance horses, hard keepers, horses needing cool calories.

“Fuel without all of the fireworks.”

5. Traditional Grain Mixes — oats, corn, barley

What they are: Old school grain blends, don’t attempt this diet without some input from yours truly.

Why they matter: High calorie, high starch — great for few, risky for most. Oats carry one of the highest NSC values.

Best for: Horses in heavy work-think Kentucky Derby contender.

“High octane… but not for every engine.”

6. Specialty Concentrates — low‑starch, metabolic‑friendly

What they are: Feeds designed for medical or metabolic needs.

Why they matter: Calories + nutrients without triggering issues.

Best for: IR/PPID horses, ulcer‑prone horses, horses needing controlled NSC.

“Not all calories play nice.”

The Real Takeaway

Concentrates aren’t “grain.”

They’re tools — and the right tool depends on:

• calorie needs

• workload

• metabolic status

• forage quality

• dental health

Owners don’t need more bags.

They need better understanding.

That’s why I’m here! Set up a FREE discovery call with me and I’ll make the feed store aisle a breeze!