Right now my Belgian warmblood yearling is on triple crown growth and the supplement SOURCE. I would like to know what you Hunter breeding handlers prefer to feed your yearlings/two year olds that gets them to optimal body condition but is safe. Also, many of the two year olds in the Hunter breeding look muscled. Is there a regimen to achieve this? I don’t want to be over feeding. Just curious to what these young horses are on. I understand that yes some horses mature much faster than others also so certain lines will look more filled out than others.
Far too many of them are plain fat.
How much does he weigh and how much Growth are you feeding?
Is your hay all grass, or is there any alfalfa?
Nothing puts on weight better than good hay.
You need to be more concerned about the proper weight for a healthy growing yearling and less about weight for the hunter breeding ring…they do not go hand in hand. And as far as the muscling…lunging, lots of lunging.
A good ribbon in hunter breeding should be less sought after than a good ribbon as a 6 yr old. But it IS a wonderful way to get experience shipping, braiding, patience, etc
Or a treadmill, these days. 
I have one who won a lot, with no forced exercise at all. OK, he got lunged for 10-15 minutes in the morning at the 3 overnight horse shows/year he attended, but that’s all. It can be done.
I was lucky my youngster’s turnout had a slope so he trudged up & down a hill 8+ hours a day. He also loved to play with his jollyball so he did a lot of moving & I’d go play with him or just walk around. I started him lightly as a 2 yo where I would get on & walk around for 15 minutes maybe twice a week during the summer when he showed. Looking back at pictures I see where he developed more muscle then.
Diet wise he was never overweight squishy fat. He liked to eat especially during his growth spurts. For the shows coming up we might feed a little more, but then backed off after the show. Luckily he lived at home mostly so we could easily monitor & change his meals each feeding as needed.
