We all know that a balanced diet with essential nutrients will improve your horse’s performance but often overlook the impact of nutrition on our own performance and mindset.  

We have all heard the famous quote, “You are what you eat,” and what we consume truly impacts how we look, feel, and think, as well as our stress management, energy levels, and immune system. Not only does the right diet make us healthier and happy overall — it also makes us better equestrians.  

“There are simple things people can do to care for themselves in a way that makes us better partners for our horses,” said Karen Mitchell, a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach and Certified Functional Nutrition Lifestyle Practitioner, who is also an amateur equestrian and USEF member. “Horses are a mirror to our nervous system, so when we turn up at the barn or go to compete while anxious or under-fueled, it directly impacts them.” 

Mitchell advises her clients on what to eat, when to eat, and how to eat, which helps to bring their nervous system into balance and allows their bodies to move more efficiently.  

“There's so much noise these days from social media influencers and advertising, you don't know who to trust or what is real,” she said. “We make it so complicated when it is really quite simple. Eat real food — the closer it is from the ground, the better. We receive more nutrients from these foods and then we feel better and we can be more connected to our horses. If we are in shape, we are going to be more effective riders. It’s that easy.” 

We have all heard jokes or read memes about “horse show diets.” Our horses have carefully prepared, portion-controlled meals packed with supplements and a constant supply of fresh water (sometimes brought from home!), while we can fall into the trap of subsisting on coffee, candy, chips, and whatever fried food is easily available from on-site. A competitive swimmer, runner, or cyclist would likely not treat their body like that on a competition weekend, so why do some equestrians put their nutritional needs low down on their list of priorities?  

“I think some riders aren’t aware of how they can improve themselves in simple ways like eating for steadier energy, strength and balance, or how their own health can help or hinder their horse’s performance,” said Mitchell.  

For horse show weekends, Mitchell recommends stocking up on healthy snacks for the whole barn ahead of time, selecting options that have a balance of protein and fiber, and less sugar. If there are protein bars, low-sugar trail mix, and vegetable trays available, then your fellow riders are more likely to reach for them than always opting for muffins or donuts.  

“It is important to shift that mentality without being preachy,” Mitchell explained. “If we can help each other, then everyone benefits.” 

The biggest mistake most people make is consuming too much sugar or caffeine, which causes them to rely on cortisol and other stress hormones for energy. When this pattern repeats, it creates large blood sugar spikes and crashes, and each drop in blood sugar triggers the nervous system to enter a stress response.  

“If you ride or handle a horse on the ground in that stress response, you can easily put the horse into a dysregulated state,” Mitchell said.  

Another mistake people make is not eating enough — or neglecting to eat altogether!  

“Often, fuel is an afterthought. When that happens, they usually grab whatever is closest when they get hungry, or they go for really long periods of time without eating at all, which creates the body to think that they're in a famine state,” Mitchell explained. 

“I look at everything from the nervous system perspective — sympathetic fight, flight, or freeze — to parasympathetic rest, digest and heal. When we wake up and don’t eat, that makes cortisol rise quickly, which is a stress hormone that can cause jitteriness, hangriness, irritation, and moodiness,” she continued. “If people wake up and they are not hungry, it's usually because they already have so much cortisol going through their system that it blunts that hunger response. Then if they have black coffee on an empty stomach, that stimulates more cortisol production and they won't be hungry for a while, but their moods and everything else will be all over the place and they'll be running on empty.” 

Trainers and staff who spend the whole day at the barn are particularly susceptible to under-fueling because they are always on the go. Then when they do eat, they often reach for the nearest available food item rather than making a nutrition-conscious decision 

“Boarders or other people might bring special or high-sugar treats to the barn because it is their fun time. Then the trainers eat whatever less-nutritionally beneficial food is there because they have been working all day,” Mitchell said.  

To avoid reaching this point, she advises starting every day with a balanced breakfast that contains fiber, fat, and protein, with a focus on anti-inflammatory foods. “Eggs, whole grain bread, and vegetables ... or grab something like an egg sandwich, which is better than a donut,” she said. “Oatmeal is also a good choice as long as it doesn't have too much sugar, as are overnight oats and chia seed puddings.”  

For those of us who enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning, she suggests adding half and half because the protein and fat will make cortisol levels rise slower.  

While eating at the barn, Mitchell recommends having nutritionally balanced snacks on hand, such as cut carrots and hummus, celery and peanut butter in the fridge, or noodle bowls that can be heated up in a microwave.  

“The most important aspect of functional nutrition is that it is individual to the person. I typically start with three meals a day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” she said. “Sometimes a person might need a 3 p.m. snack because as they get on track with eating, they can naturally intuitively understand what works for them. An afternoon crash usually calls for protein and fiber as fuel.” 

Mitchell said equestrians should prepare for horse show weekends like a runner would a marathon, focusing on preload and recovery. “The week before the show is a great time to double down on eating three meals a day with fiber, fat, and protein, sleeping well and making sure that you don't show up at the show with your batteries completely empty,” she said. “Then the same on the flip side after the show. At our barn, we give the horses the week off when we get back and they just hang out in the pasture. We need to do that for ourselves, too. When we are at a horse show all weekend and we're doing extra work with our bodies, then we need that recovery space at the other side where we reconnect to our sleep and eating, so we can fill our batteries back up. Long-term imbalance comes when we just run on a chronically low battery,” she warned.  

Another issue, especially at shows, is dehydration. Once again, we always ensure our horse’s water bucket is filled and then let our Yeti bottles go empty all day!  

“A good rule of thumb for how much water to drink is to take your weight in pounds, then that's the number of ounces you need to drink at a minimum each day,” Mitchell said.  

The U.S. contains many climate zones with different demands on hydration, so you may have to adjust that if you are in Palm Desert, Calif., where it is super dry, compared to Wellington, Fla., where it is humid.  

Mitchell warned that there is such a thing as overhydration, which is when a person drinks way more water than is recommended for their body weight and individual situation (e.g. the amount they sweat, what type of climate they are in, the season) and they dilute their trace minerals and electrolytes. This is rare, however, and dehydration is a more common issue.  

“If you are already thirsty when you drink, you are already dehydrated,” she said. Also, you can't drink all your daily water requirements at one sitting, it has to be spread out throughout the day.  

“The more we can regulate our nervous system, the calmer and more connected we will be with our horses, and the better off they will be,” Mitchell concluded. “You can make big gains simply by paying attention to meal timing and what's in your food, and balancing blood sugar levels.”