fitting a yearling

so my question is im halter fitting up my yearling and hes doing fine. i sweat his neck. but what i want to know is should i lounge him or should i pony him? which is going to more effective? ive been lounging, long trotting him 5 mins each way every other day or should i be doing this daily? plus i dialy groom him.
let me know what u all think!
thanks

lounging him will be hard on his legs eventually that would be my concern if he will pony you have the ability to do long and straight which will be better for his developing joints.

I agree with Lynn, It really can be hard on their legs. So if you have an arena straight lines are a plus.

yep i have an arena so ill start that tonight!
everyone at the place i board at thinks im nuts because of the way i sweat down the neck. lol half of these people just have a horse and know nothing LOL

Long trotting is good to tone those muscles & build his topline,but I would work him every day,1-2 days off week.
Practicing your setting up & instilling the meaning of the word whoa & some backing up excercises should also be part of your workout. Continue on with the neck sweating & daily grooming.You can add an oil to his feed to help his coat & it will help with the weight gain too. He needs to be on a good feed program & regular deworming shedule.Everyone has their own ideas of how to feed,so won't get into that,as we would need to start a whole new thread on that .You may have to increase his feed as needed once he starts working more & to get the weight needed for halter.Also Keep him blanketed to keep his coat nice.How long till his first show??

I can tell you came to the right place for help. In a round pen I would wrap the legs but I don't think you will need to in the arena since its not tight circles. I think you guys should put your feeding advice out there for ideas. I use DAC products and love them. Not that mine are going into the Halter ring. But a friend of mine shows Halter and does very well, she is the one that turned me onto the DAC. I would also like to hear some of the feeding ideas. Beet Pulp is a good weight gain along with oats. I even like that Super 14 for their hair coats. And the stuff does help put weight on. Just watch the legs with a close eye for any problems. And I know lots and lots of grooming. Take a before and after picture. Heck take a picture every week and share it with us. We will be there to cheer you on!!

thank you so much every one. at night i blanket him wiht a nylon sheet, its still pretty warm at night, and betime i get to feeding 7am hes warm. i tried ponying tongiht with one of my horses and that was a disaster lol. so back to the round pen for me. i dont trust my one paint horse.
ill take pictures this weekend! tomorrow i have to work my 2nd job so that will be the day off for Pete.
now for the feeding, i give 2 scoops of pellets, once scoop of DAC colt grower, DAC bloom, and a scoop of oats, i do this twice a day.
now he is a little ribby should i bump his feed up to 2 and half scoops or 3 scoops? or should i bump it up to 3 feeds a day? with a scoop of oats along with it?
thanks!!

i dont have a set time time to take him to a show. im trying actually the end of april. its an open show but not a big deal. im going slow. lol. i want to make sure i do this right. i do not want him out in the arena looking like crap LOL.

Do you have a four wheeler or golf cart you could pony him with?

no i dont.
i board my horses.

I would add some high quality hay before I upped a grain ration. You don't want him getting too hot on you or blowing his legs.

I would say he needs more feed but what to increase I would not advise not knowing what he is getting.A scoop of this .....Means nothing how big a scoop what kind of pellets.When I start a horse on a feed regime I WEIGH the food so I know how much they are getting. I try keep things simpler too, not feeding alot of this & that so if they do start to exibit joint trouble It is easier to figure out & regulate the cause. I like personally like using beet pulp it is good for weight gain,safer feed easier to adjust feed amounts without upseting your balance. My pelleted feed supplement I weigh & feed as amounts direct,I do not adjust that.{have been feeding Calf manna}. I also feed Oats ,high quality hay & have been known to use alfalfa cubes. If I am looking for more weight gain I generally start by increasing their beetpulp before The hay Or Grain.I tend to be pretty generous in my hay feeding that much more would probably end up not all eaten. They Tend to make more room for whats in the Grain feeder

I don't know the DAC products but is DAC bloom a fat supplement? that should be helping and if you are working him will help with keeping the extra calories going where you want them. I highly support going with fat if you need more weight and they are getting plenty of hay. I also support weighing food we keep a scale in the barn so we know exactly how much grain each horse gets. Also a good mineral block free choice.

Yearlings are tough. They are growing so much to have to keep your eye on them...

Ponying a horse is a new way of doing things.. And, it works.. The small round pen is not good. You can accomplish the same thing in a nice big arena by walking the middle when you loung so the horse gets the full length. I do not have a means to pony. And, I find you get better shoulders if you are not going in a staight line all the time. The forearms build up better as well..

Feed is a huge issue. You really have to over feed and stay away from fat or you just get a fat neck. Good luck. And a shot of how the horse looks now would help us with what we all think you need to work on..

i wrap his legs and any other horses legs any time i work them. the round pen is pretty big but i like your idea of going in the arena and walking wiht him while he trotts. i actually use to do this to get my horses use to me going with them for SMS. lol. ill try that tomorrow.

ill weigh his feed tomorrow pellets then oats then with the scoop of DAC stuff. ive been thinking of either bumping up to 3 scoops of pellets morning and night or doing a feeding at lunch time!

i will get pictures tomorrow. mind oyu now i have not clipped him in a month or so. ( running out of day light and being the only person kinda doesnt help) but when the boyfriend comes out next weekend ill get this done!

What kind of pellets are you feeding? With all this help I just cant see how you could possibly lose

I just don't have the means to pony. Our arena is 60 x 120. When I am doing this I think, someone should run by butt around here and sweat me and I might loose a pound or two..

You also have to keep in mind that some horses do not have the make up to halter. Yearlings are also growing so fast you walk a very fine line if you over feed them. You gotta know when to push and when to back off. Or, you may end up with a horse that is no good for anything. Those legs can go on you over night.

Would be nice to know more about the feed you are giving him. Pellets is pretty broud. I have a scale in my barn and weigh every thing. And use measuring cups and spoons so I know exactly what I am giving them.

I use DAC producta as well and they are good. But, they will not save the horse if you cross the line with them.

heres some pictures

This is a good thing to do is post a picture every week so we can see the change. What a cutie, OK Halter people help her out.

wow he has sure changed alot! could use some more weight but he is cute.