This time of year, we start paying extra attention to body condition, topline, and overall nutrition.
As we transition from late summer into fall, pasture and forage quality can begin to change. Your horse may still have plenty of grass in front of them, but that doesn’t always mean they’re receiving the same amount of digestible energy and quality nutrition they were earlier in the growing season.
Add in training, hauling, competing, growing, aging, or maintaining a heavy workload, and some horses can begin falling behind before we realize it.
Winter is not the time to play catch-up with equine nutrition.
When temperatures drop, horses use additional calories simply maintaining body temperature. We would much rather help a horse enter winter in good condition than wait until ribs and topline become more noticeable.
So what do we recommend?
Healthy weight gain starts with adequate, good-quality forage. Evaluate your hay, how much the horse is actually consuming, and whether its overall feeding program provides enough calories and quality protein for its workload. If they’re cleaning up what you feed them daily, then you need to add more.
Then we look at ways to support the rest of the nutritional program.
CEP Vitality Oil - Add Quality Calories
Vitality Oil provides a calorie-dense fat source from flaxseed oil, making it an easy way to increase dietary energy without simply adding larger and larger grain meals.
It also provides natural d-alpha vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids, giving you more than just extra calories.
We especially like it for hard keepers, performance horses, seniors, broodmares, and horses whose calorie requirements increase with workload.
CEP Gut Check - Support the system that has to use that nutrition
You can put together a great feeding program, but the horse’s digestive system still has to process and utilize what you’re feeding.
That’s why we like incorporating Gut Check as digestive support when we’re working on overall condition and nutrition.
The goal isn’t simply to feed MORE.
It’s to help support a healthy digestive environment as part of the horse’s total nutritional program.
CEP Hoof RX - Because we want more than just pounds
There’s a difference between making a horse heavier and helping support a horse that looks healthy, strong, and well-conditioned.
Hoof RX provides all 20 amino acids, along with 5,000 IU of natural d-alpha vitamin E, 75 mg of biotin, vitamins, and minerals.
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and are important for muscle development, maintenance, recovery, and soft tissue. That’s one reason we like Hoof RX when we’re trying to improve more than just the number on the scale—we’re also thinking about muscle and topline.
CEP Protect-It - support immunity and overall health
Made with a natural blend of kelp, sea salt, and colostrum—three ingredients selected to help support your horse’s overall health from the inside out.
- Kelp is one of nature’s richest sources of vitamins, trace minerals, and natural antioxidants. It provides nutrients such as iodine, zinc, magnesium, potassium, and iron that help support normal metabolism, immune function, healthy skin and coat, hoof quality, and overall wellness. Kelp also helps fill nutritional gaps that may exist in the everyday diet.
- Sea salt supplies naturally occurring electrolytes and trace minerals that play an important role in hydration, muscle and nerve function, and maintaining normal fluid balance. These minerals help support horses during daily work, training, travel, and hot weather.
- Colostrum contains naturally occurring bioactive compounds that help support gut integrity, digestive health, nutrient absorption, and normal immune function. A healthy digestive tract is essential because that’s where your horse absorbs the nutrients needed to thrive.
A healthy horse starts with a strong nutritional foundation. That’s exactly what CEP Protect-It is designed to provide—daily support for horses of all ages, in training, breeding, competing, or simply enjoying retirement.
Here is the Big Picture
- Forage provides the foundation.
- Vitality Oil helps add calorie-dense energy and nutritional omega 3 fats.
- Gut Check helps support digestive health as part of the overall feeding program.
- Hoof RX supplies amino acids, vitamin E, biotin, vitamins, and minerals to support muscle, soft tissue, hooves, and overall condition.
- Protect-It supports immune health and the overall wellness at any stage.
Equine athletes need clean, consistent, and reliable nutrition year-round. Here in the Midwest, the winter “off-season” is an opportunity to evaluate your horse’s nutritional program and build a strong foundation for the season ahead.
If your athletes come back in the spring with nutritional gaps, a loss of condition, decreased performance, or difficulty getting back into their routine, it may be a sign that something is missing from their current feeding program.
Don’t wait until spring to address your horse’s nutritional needs. Use the winter months to evaluate their ration, identify potential gaps, and make adjustments that support their individual needs. A well-planned nutrition program doesn’t just support performance during competition season; it helps keep your horse healthy, balanced, and ready for the work ahead.
At Breaking Bad Performance, we believe that success in the arena starts long before competition day. Let’s make the off-season count and set your equine athletes up for a stronger season ahead!
Let's discuss your equine athletes nutritional needs today: Submit an Nutrition Intake Form