#208 Feeding Performance Horses: What Most Riders Get Wrong with Rachael Haar
From Resilient Reiner by Nicole Burnett
May 12, 2026 · 1h 2m · Season 1 · Episode 208
About this episode
Rachael Haar simplifies equine nutrition for performance horses, addressing common misconceptions and essential feeding practices.
Equine nutritionist Rachael Haar joins me to simplify what actually matters when feeding performance horses — from forage and hay quality to supplements, gut health, hydration, hauling, recovery, and the nutrition mistakes well-meaning horse owners often miss. Because let’s be honest: horse nutrition can get confusing fast. One person says your horse needs electrolytes. Another says alfalfa makes horses hot. Someone else swears beet pulp changed their horse’s life. Then suddenly you’re standing there holding three supplements, questioning every feeding decision you’ve ever made while your horse licks the salt block and judges you. So today, we’re simplifying all of it. In this episode, I sat down with equine nutrition consultant Rachael Haar from BCS 5.0 Equine Nutrition, and we had such a good conversation about what actually matters when it comes to feeding western performance horses. We talk about hydration, gut health, hauling, showing, topline, supplements, forage, electrolytes, recovery, and how nutrition may be impacting horses that feel hot, dull, inconsistent, reactive, or flat under saddle. This episode felt like sitting in the barn aisle having a really practical…
People in this episode
Host: Nicole Burnett
Guest: Rachael Haar
Topics covered
- equine nutrition
- performance horses
- supplements
- gut health
- hydration
- feeding mistakes
Keywords
- horse nutrition
- forage
- hay quality
- electrolytes
- gut health
- supplements
- hydration
- recovery
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: BCS 5.0 Equine Nutrition
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