To much withers?

My horse is a 5 year old quarter horse that I bought about a year ago. When I first got him in was very skinny and had little muscle mass, so my trainer sujested putting him on feed and giving wheat germ oil.
Anyways, he's still filling out but has filled out a lot except around his withers.. I find it odd that this is the one place he isn't gaining muscle and he's only 5yrs so shouldn't he's withers be fairly flat? I just want to know if this is just a gene thing? Or the muscle develops slower in this area or what?
-thanks!
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Could you post some pictures?

Welcome to the forum :)
Pictures would help. But I have to say, most horses I know who are underweight and gain it back - the last place they gain is their topline. It takes some exercise to help that come back - good nutritious food and exercise.

Withers depend on the conformation of the horse, and the skeletal build not how much the horse is filled out tbh.
Ok, you can fill around the withers, but if they are high, you can't make it flat!
Plus - space around withers usually doesnt fill by just feeding, lots of low/long trot & canter work is needed to encourage the horse to round his back and build the back muscles - if that work issnt done, the muscles on the back never get to fill the space near withers.

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Using the 80/20 rule, the Taller the QH is the higher the withers.

We had a border with a 17.1 had registered QH and his withers were very tall, another border with a 15.3 hand QH had slightly taller than average withers

My little 14.3 hand QH has almost no withers, our 15.1 hand has about average withers.

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I do alot of western pleasure and hunter under saddle so his head is always low. I think it may just take some time.

Before (sorry I know you can't see very well..)



Now (Few months ago)


I guess there isn't much difference in his withers but in the rest of him I think so.
NOTE: I've only had him for a year so I know theres still more to change.

It looks to me like his confirmation too, because his back looks a little lower. I think he looks pretty good, the topline will develop in time through riding.

Low head doesn't immediately mean round back. In the recent pictures its clearly visible, that his withers are a part of his conformation, however the drop of the back can be improved by lots of "round work" This means he really needs to engage his hindquarters and learn to lift his back.

By the way, there is a thread here somewhere too, about stretching exercises and one where you scratch their belly and they learn to raise their backs - this is easily done on the ground and should be fun, plus builds more muscles :)
The back will look better with time and work - but it doesnt look bad now either. For a 5 yr old he looks very good.

Would draw reins help him round out his back? And yes me and my trainer have been trying to get him to stay under himself more. I do stretches with him and message him sometimes, but he doesnt really like the tummy tuck thing. :/ And thank you. :)
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