Yearling Halter conditioning

Question
hi,
I recently bought a beautiful Stallion that has has amazing bloodlines. He is built like a halter horse. He just lacks muscle tone. He is groomed 3x daily and lunged 1 per day. and I cannot seem to get him to bulk up any. He has a nice chest and large hind quarters. He has fairly lean muscle. Is there anything i can do or feed him that will help him bulk up for spring shows? He maintains his weight well he gets alfalfa, oats and vitamin sup twice a day. I am not concerned about fat he doesnt really have any in excess..but he just looks tall and lean. should i give him more protein?

Answer
Dear Anna,
YIKES!I would strongly urge you to consult with a nutritionist  (or at least your vet) about feeding this youngster. He is getting far too much protien if you are feeding him straight alflafa and along with the carbs and suagrs in those oats you are in danger of causing epiphicitis.
You say he is build like a halter horse but then what you describe is not like a halter horse (personally, I think this is a good thing). Many of these hulking yearling and two year olds completely fall apart as performance horses because they have been pushed so far beyond normal bounds with steroids, supplements and mega protien. They are bulky allright but their bones grow faster than the connective tissues and their feet can't support the weight - as soon as they are expected to enter a training program and support the weight of a rider- BOOM!
You colt may have a high % of thoroughbred blood in his lines- this lends itself to a leaner body type. As long as your colt isn't under weight I wouldn't try to change his body type. DO however check those calcium/phosphorus levels- this is a pretty hi-test feed schedule for a baby.
S. Evans