Why does he look like this? Need answers!

Since I've had him he's always looked like this. I do deworm regularly. He's not usually turned out with other horses or animals.

You may consider having him checked for ulcers. Usually horses with ulcers have a poor coat which yours does not. But I owned one who was fed very well and had gorgeous hair but had difficulty keeping weight on. It turned out to be ulcers. Just a thought.

Alright. I think I'm going to have the vet to just give him a check up just to be safe. Maybe I'm worrying over nothing but I just would rather be safe than sorry.

If your vet is checking him out already it would pay to let him take a fecal test.....just to rule out anything

God bless!

P.S. Some horses are just built like that too.

Unfortunately the angle the pic is taken from is not ideal to see much of anything really and in addition his body is bent as he tries to face the camera. Do you have a pic taken from the side where he is looking straight ahead? That will give us a much better vantage point to see what is going on with his topline/weight.

I think Anabel made a great point about muscle atrophy, even from the dodgy camera angle, his back muscles do appear to be weaker than I would expect even in a horse that is lacking topline. That's great that you have a new saddle that fits but it may be well worth your while to look into some chiro and/or massage therapy if there has been a poor saddle fit previously.

Cute boy.

Protien does not cause hoof issues sugars and starches do

What is he eating now?? Weights please not scoops or flakes :)

I'll try and get some more pics of him from the side. I'm not too familiar with massage therapy but sounds like something worth looking into.

Protein did cause hoof damage for him and my farrier said he is getting better.
Right now he gets straight alfalfa, beet pulp, and Diatomaceous Earth. The beet pulp is soaked all day and I just mix the diatomaceous earth in it and make it sloppy enough so he doesn't choke on anything.

When you ride him do you make sure his is working properly and rounding his back and "sitting" down on his bum? My arab looked a lot like this when I got him (except thinner too), and now his back and butt are getting nicely rounded. It isn't how much you work them, but how correctly you work them.

If you don't know how to do this, then I would second anebel's comment about getting a good dressage instructor to help you. Also keep in mind that working correctly takes more energy and muscle than just going along, so expect shorter rides and build up to it. Trying too much too soon can just make them sore and create resistance down the road. Good luck! I hope this helps.

ScharmLily, thanks for your input. I know just making him go up hills isn't going to do anything like some people have told me because the fact that whenever I ride I usually ride up and down hills. What you said makes sense and I won't over work him because I don't want to make him resistant when I go to ride him. Thanks