English
Shop Performance Supplements for Horses
Explore Mad Barn’s performance supplements for horses in training or competition – designed to support athletic performance, muscle function, post-exercise care, and competition-readiness.
“With research-backed formulations and top-tier support, Mad Barn translates to real-world results for the horses we serve.”
— Dr. Fran Rowe, DVMVeterinary Nutritionist
Supporting Athletic Performance in Horses
Performance horses are expected to compete with strength, stamina, and agility while staying mentally composed. From high-level dressage to barrel racing, eventing, and show jumping, success in competition requires the optimal function of multiple systems: muscular, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, metabolic, and immune.
No matter the discipline, all performance horses face similar challenges: physical stress from training, frequent travel, exposure to unfamiliar environments, and the risk of strain or injury from demanding work.
Supporting performance starts with a balanced, forage-based diet that provides the energy, protein, and micronutrients required to sustain workload and recovery. From there, targeted supplements can help address individual goals and support long-term conditioning, stamina, and resilience.
Nutritional Support for Optimal Performance
A long, successful career starts with thoughtful training and a nutrition program that supports the horse’s workload, recovery, and overall health.
Mad Barn offers a range of research-backed formulations to meet the demands of horses in regular work or competition. All products are competition-safe and formulated by equine nutritionists and veterinarians.
- Advanced Digestive Support Performance horses are more likely to experience digestive challenges due to stress, travel, and high-starch feeds. Stomach issues can interfere with focus, energy levels, and overall performance. Visceral+ supports both stomach and hindgut health by helping maintain the integrity of the gastrointestinal lining and promoting normal digestive function. Visceral+ is trusted by elite athletes to help horses stay focused and ready to perform their best throughout the competition season.
- Respiratory Health & Aerobic Capacity: Respiratory function has a significant impact on physical performance, especially in horses working at high intensity. NOCR is an herbal supplement that supports respiratory efficiency and oxygen delivery in horses, while protecting against seasonal respiratory challenges. NOCR also supports physical stamina and helps horses adapt to the demands of training and competition.
- Omega-3 Enriched Fat Supplement: Performance horses often require more energy than forage alone can provide. w-3 Oil is a DHA-enriched fat supplement that provides cool, concentrated calories to support body condition and performance without adding starch to the diet. It also supplies omega-3 fatty acids for joint health and natural vitamin E to support normal muscle function and antioxidant status in horses under work.
- Optimal Amino Acid Blend: Horses in regular training require a steady supply of amino acids to support muscle repair and development. Lysine, methionine, and threonine are considered limiting amino acids because they are most often lacking in forage-based diets and are critical for muscle protein synthesis. Three Amigos provides these three essential amino acids in an ideal 5:3:2 ratio to support lean muscle mass, topline development, and adaptation to training.
- Stamina & Energy Metabolism: Performance horses rely on aerobic metabolism to sustain effort during prolonged training and competition. Acetyl-L-Carnitine supports this process by helping transport fatty acids into the mitochondria, where they are converted into usable energy. This allows horses to conserve glycogen, delay fatigue, and maintain stamina and power through demanding work.
- Post-Exercise Antioxidant Support: Intense exercise increases oxidative stress, which can impair recovery and muscle function. Natural E/Organic Se provides natural vitamin E and organic selenium to support antioxidant status and help maintain normal muscle physiology in working horses, particularly those with limited pasture access.
Principles for Enhancing Athletic Performance
Progressive training is the foundation of performance, but exercise alone is not enough. For horses to adapt and improve, they need time to recover and the right nutrients to support tissue repair and metabolic function.
After exercise, horses rely on several nutrient-driven processes, including muscle repair, glycogen restoration, and antioxidant activity to support recovery and drive adaptations to training. They also need to replenish fluids and electrolytes lost through sweat. Without adequate recovery and nutritional support, horses may lose condition, experience fatigue, or struggle to progress in their training program.
Workloads should be progressive and tailored to the discipline, with rest days, regular turnout, and careful attention to saddle fit, shoeing, and soundness. When paired with a properly balanced diet, these practices help support winning performance.
If you're looking to improve your horse’s performance and competition-readiness, request a free diet evaluation to get expert feedback on your current program and identify opportunities to improve nutritional support.
Mad Barn products are safe to use in competition based on current FEI guidelines. Always review the rules of your specific discipline before introducing new supplements to your program.
The first step to support your horse’s athletic performance is to start with a balanced, forage-based diet that supplies adequate energy, protein, and micronutrients. A complete vitamin and mineral supplement like Omneity® or AminoTrace+ provides essential nutrients required to maintain overall health, energy metabolism, and recovery in horses in work.
Additional supplements can be added based on your horse’s specific needs. Performance horses often benefit from:
- Essential amino acids to support muscle development and recovery (Three Amigos)
- Added calories from fat to support condition, coat quality, and joint health (w-3 Oil)
- Digestive support to maintain gastric and hindgut health under stress (Visceral+)
- Respiratory support to maintain oxygen delivery and exercise adaptation (NOCR)
- Antioxidant nutrients to support post-exercise care and reduce oxidative stress (Natural E/Organic Se)
Each horse has different demands depending on their workload, discipline, and metabolism. Submit a free diet evaluation to get a personalized plan and ensure your horse’s nutrition is supporting their performance goals.
Not all performance horses need grain, but those in heavy work often have increased calorie and protein requirements that go beyond what forage alone can provide. In some cases, grains such as oats can be a useful way to provide additional energy. However, feeding excess amounts of high-starch grain can cause digestive and metabolic concerns.
Many horses can meet their needs with a combination of forage, fat, and fiber-based feeds without relying heavily on grain. High-fat supplements like w-3 Oil and high-quality forage sources can provide the necessary calories and support sustained energy for work.
Whether grain is appropriate depends on the horse’s individual workload, discipline, body condition, and metabolic health. Forage should always remain the foundation of the diet. If you’re unsure whether grain is necessary in your horse’s feeding program, submit a free diet evaluation to get personalized recommendations from our nutritionists.
Performance horses have higher vitamin and mineral requirements due to increased workload, metabolic activity, sweat loss, and oxidative stress. Meeting these needs is essential to support muscle function, energy metabolism, recovery, immune defense, and overall performance.
Vitamins and minerals required in greater amounts include vitamin E, selenium, zinc, copper, and manganese. Horses in training also need higher levels of sodium, chloride, and potassium to replace electrolytes lost in sweat and to support hydration, muscle contraction, and nerve function.
Equine diets are often low in sodium, copper, zinc, selenium, and iodine. Horses in regular work may also fall short on vitamin E, magnesium, and B-vitamins. Feeding a complete vitamin and mineral supplement like Omneity® or AminoTrace+ helps ensure these nutrients are consistently provided in the right balance to meet the needs of performance horses.
Performance horses are at greater risk of digestive issues due to frequent travel, training stress, confinement, and high-starch or grain-based diets. These factors can disrupt the balance of the gut microbiome and compromise the gastrointestinal lining, leading to reduced feed intake, weight loss, changes in behavior, and inconsistent performance.
You can support your horse’s gut health by feeding a forage-first diet, providing constant access to fresh water and plain loose salt, minimizing starch and sugar intake, and maintaining a consistent feeding routine. Avoid exercising your horse on an empty stomach, as this can contribute to gastric ulcers.
Visceral+ is a comprehensive gut health supplement that supports both stomach and hindgut function. It provides nutrients that help maintain gastrointestinal lining integrity, support normal digestive function, and maintain immune health. Visceral+ can help performance horses maintain focus, comfort, and consistency in their training and competition routines.
The best energy supplement depends on your horse’s individual needs, workload, and current diet. Most horses in light to moderate work can meet their energy requirements with unrestricted access to good-quality forage.
For horses in heavier work, or those struggling to maintain weight or stamina, additional energy sources may be helpful. Fat supplements are a popular choice because they provide concentrated, slow-burning calories without increasing dietary starch levels. w-3 Oil is a DHA-enriched fat supplement that provides cool, calorie-dense energy along with omega-3s and vitamin E to support muscle and joint health.
For other horses, adding controlled amounts of grain such as oats can help meet energy demands, particularly for horses that require quick-release energy or have limited appetite. The optimal energy supplement depends on your horse’s training program, metabolism, and current diet. To determine the best option, submit a free diet evaluation for personalized guidance from our equine nutritionists.
After intense exercise, your horse’s body repairs damaged muscle fibers, replenishes energy stores, and clears metabolic byproducts like lactate. Supporting these processes is essential for helping performance horses rebuild and adapt to training over time.
Feeding a balanced diet that provides adequate vitamins, minerals, and amino acids can help support post-exercise recovery. Amino acids are required for muscle protein synthesis. Horses also lose electrolytes like sodium, chloride, and potassium through sweat, which must be replaced to maintain hydration, nerve function, and muscle contraction. Antioxidants such as vitamin E and selenium help neutralize free radicals produced during exercise, reducing oxidative stress and supporting muscle recovery.
In addition to nutrition, you can support recovery with an active cool-down, rest days, turnout to promote circulation, and consistent access to fresh water. A structured conditioning program and careful workload management help reduce the risk of overtraining and improve recovery between sessions.
All horses working toward high-level performance can benefit from targeted nutrition strategies to support energy metabolism, recovery, and long-term soundness. Optimizing the diet helps ensure that training leads to consistent performance gains.
Signs that a horse's current feeding program may not be meeting their needs include:
- Loss of topline or poor muscle development
- Fatigue or lack of stamina during work
- Delayed recovery after training
- Digestive discomfort, inconsistent appetite, or weight fluctuations
- Stiffness or muscle soreness post-exercise
- Changes in attitude, focus, or work ethic
If you’re seeing any of these issues or want to ensure your program supports your horse’s performance goals, submit a free diet evaluation for personalized recommendations.
Yes, Mad Barn products are formulated to comply with FEI competition guidelines. All ingredients are clearly listed, and our products are free from prohibited substances. However, you should always confirm with your sport’s governing body before introducing new supplements during competition season.
