Top Bar Equine Services

Top Bar Equine Services Top Bar Equine Services | Cassidy Russell
Equine Nutrition Advisor specializing in performance horses
On-farm and online nutrition consulting

Getting a recommendation from one of my instructors means a lot.Dr. Rachel Mottet is a PhD Equine Nutritionist, owner of...
06/18/2026

Getting a recommendation from one of my instructors means a lot.

Dr. Rachel Mottet is a PhD Equine Nutritionist, owner of Legacy Equine Nutrition, and has been part of my equine nutrition education journey. I’m incredibly grateful for the knowledge she’s shared and for her support as I continue building Top Bar Equine Services.

Thank you for the recommendation, Dr. Mottet. ❤️

Figured it was probably time to properly introduce myself. Thanks for being here. 🤍
06/17/2026

Figured it was probably time to properly introduce myself. Thanks for being here. 🤍

This was one of the most overweight horses on my client list.No grain. No high-calorie performance feed. Just free-choic...
06/15/2026

This was one of the most overweight horses on my client list.

No grain. No high-calorie performance feed. Just free-choice forage, limited pasture, a quarter pound of beet pulp, and salt.

One of the biggest misconceptions I see is that grain is what makes horses fat. Horses gain weight when they’re consuming more calories than they’re burning, regardless of where those calories come from.

It was that despite carrying all that extra weight, his diet still wasn’t meeting several of his nutrient requirements. Sometimes the horse that needs to lose weight is also the horse whose diet needs the most work.

One of my favourite parts of what I do is helping horse owners cut through all the noise around nutrition.I got into equ...
06/13/2026

One of my favourite parts of what I do is helping horse owners cut through all the noise around nutrition.

I got into equine nutrition because I was that performance horse owner who just wanted to do the best thing for my horses. Everywhere I turned, I was getting different advice. Feed this, don’t feed that, add this supplement, try that product. The more questions I asked, the more I realized how much there was to learn.

What started as wanting to better understand nutrition for my own horses eventually turned into a passion for helping other horse owners do the same.

Nutrition shouldn’t be based on what’s trending. It should be based on the horse in front of you, the forage available to you, and the goals you’re trying to achieve.

After reviewing many equine diets, these are three feeding mistakes I encounter again and again.1️⃣ Not feeding products...
06/11/2026

After reviewing many equine diets, these are three feeding mistakes I encounter again and again.

1️⃣ Not feeding products at the recommended rate

Many feeds, ration balancers, and supplements are formulated to provide specific nutrients when fed according to the manufacturer’s recommendations.

When they’re significantly underfed, horses may not receive the intended nutritional benefits.

2️⃣ Not feeding enough salt

Salt is one of the most overlooked nutrients in the equine diet.

Yet it plays an important role in hydration, electrolyte balance, nerve function, and muscle function.

Many horses simply aren’t receiving enough.

3️⃣ Blindly adding supplements

A new supplement isn’t always the answer.

One of the most common things I see during diet reviews is multiple products with overlapping ingredients and purposes.

Before adding another supplement, it’s important to evaluate whether the foundation of the diet is actually meeting the horse’s nutritional requirements.

The best nutrition programs aren’t usually the most complicated. They’re the ones built on a strong foundation.

One of the biggest misconceptions I encounter is that hiring an equine nutrition specialist means you’re about to be sol...
06/09/2026

One of the biggest misconceptions I encounter is that hiring an equine nutrition specialist means you’re about to be sold a long list of supplements.

In reality, my goal is the exact opposite.

The first thing I do is evaluate the horse’s current diet, management, workload, body condition, and overall goals.

From there, I determine whether the diet is meeting the horse’s nutritional requirements and identify any deficiencies, excesses, or imbalances. Sometimes that means adding something. Sometimes it means changing something. And quite often, it means removing things.

Many horses are already receiving multiple supplements that overlap in purpose or provide nutrients that are already being supplied elsewhere in the diet.

My job isn’t to recommend more products. My job is to build a nutrition program that makes sense for the horse standing in front of me.

A balanced diet should do most of the heavy lifting. Supplements should be used strategically, not because they’re trendy, but because they’re needed.

At the end of the day, nutrition isn’t about feeding more. It’s about feeding smarter.

Most horse owners think a topline comes from a supplement. This horse is proof that it doesn’t. He gained a significant ...
06/06/2026

Most horse owners think a topline comes from a supplement.

This horse is proof that it doesn’t. He gained a significant amount of topline in just 60 days.
We didn’t add a topline supplement, muscle builder, or magic powder.

Instead, we focused on the fundamentals:

• Balancing the diet to meet his nutritional requirements

• Ensuring adequate protein and essential amino acids

• Supporting his workload appropriately

• Implementing exercise targeted toward topline development

Within 60 days, the difference was obvious. The reality is that supplements don’t create muscle. Muscle is built when a horse receives the nutrients required to support muscle growth and is then given the correct stimulus through exercise.

A balanced diet combined with appropriate training will outperform a poorly balanced diet and an expensive supplement every time.

Before you spend money on another topline supplement, ask yourself:Is your horse’s current diet actually meeting their nutritional requirements?

06/05/2026

Your horse’s stomach is producing acid 24/7.

It doesn’t stop when the hay is gone.

That’s one of the reasons forage is so important.

As your horse chews hay, it forms a fibrous mat in the stomach. This mat helps keep acid in the lower portion of the stomach and can reduce acid splash onto the more sensitive upper portion during exercise.

Now think about how many horses:
• Stand for hours before being ridden
• Haul to competitions without forage
• Get worked on an empty stomach

A flake of hay before you ride is one of the simplest things you can do to support your horse’s gastric health.

Sometimes the biggest improvements come from the smallest management changes.

Hay first. Ride second. 🤝

Did you know hay creates a protective mat in the stomach?

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