Horse Body Condition Scoring System

HORSE BODY CONDITIONS

Remember Goldilocks and the Tree Bears? 

Find the Right Score that Fits Your Horse

Horse Body Condition Scoring System

What is It?

Statistically more and more people are becoming conscious of their health and the importance food and exercise play in attaining a long healthy life. For a long time, I have been among those continuing to make efforts to improve the health and longevity of my family members, including our pets. I have devoted a lot of effort to applying concepts of proper balance with a routine exercise program, and the appropriate foods and portions they consume in their diet.

A moderate body condition with well balanced composition ratios is vital to one’s well being: despite the gene pool and early life conditions we were dealt with, maintaining it in maturity lies solely in the individual’s hands. No matter the race, sex or age, there is an abundant of shapes and sizes in the world and we have indefinite words describing the many forms (fat, skinny, looks good, looks bad, etc), which leave differences in interpretation. These circumstances of imprecise, subjective physical descriptions are relevant to properly assessing the body condition of a horse as well. Considering this concern, Dr. Don Henneke during his tenure at A&M University, developed a simple and consistent method of evaluating a horse’s body condition. His standardized scoring system is an objective method widely accepted in the equine industry and additionally in the courts of law in prosecuting cruelty cases. Today, an individual has a standard management tool through Dr. Henneke’s scoring system to assess relative body fat in horses.

The Body Condition Score (BCS) system is the process of analyzing set positions on the horse and then assigning a score of 1 (extremely emaciated) to 9 (extremely fat) for a particular body condition following certain descriptive criteria. The system is based on visual appraisal (what the horse looks like) and manual palpation (what the horse feels like) of fat cover on six set areas of the horse’s body. The BCS system evaluates only the amount of body fat covering skeletal markers on the six locations, not quality or conformation of the horse. However, just as with humans, there are variables amongst horses to reflect on while making the evaluation. The final score could possibly be altered if these variables are not considered. You need to analyze the “total” horse and take into account its individual differences to reach a score accurately.

Considerations

Considering the individual situation of the horse, do not disregard its differences from typical body types. Instead make concessions for them or the criteria within each score may be difficult to apply. Because of unique contours in horses, visual inspection maybe misleading in determining the actual situation. Recommendations to eliminate misinterpretation of decisive factors from the visual appraisal include issues such as prominent withers, weak top lines, injuries, and so forth. Next, consider external and internal factors that can impact appearance. Skeletal landmarks can be obscured by dirt, lighting, a winter coat, or just the way the horse is standing. Also, you must give appropriate regard to the changing conformation throughout the gestation period of pregnant mares. Additionally, a horse may look extended or condensed due to digestive contents, but the prominence of the skeleton will not change upon a closer palpation inspection.

Now, is it muscle or fat? The intensity of exercise will affect conformation. When examining a horse visually or by palpation, it is easily determined if the horse is extremely malnourished. Obviously, under conditions of malnourishment, fat content may have been significantly reduced, but with some horses, observation points like the hindquarters, shoulders, and around the tailhead can have unusual formations of muscle mass where fat may normally collect. Fat feels soft and spongy to the touch and muscle is hard and firm. A little practice with palpitation will allow the evaluation to easily differentiate between the two. When horses are difficult to evaluate visually, the amount of body fat in relation to musculature must be determined by feel. In all these described instances, as well as the remaining sites in the BCS diagram, the need of additional emphasis placed on palpation and visual evaluation is required. Score a horse according to its individual characteristics using both visual and palpation exams.

The Ideal Score

There is no doubt that you are what you eat and supplying the correct nutritional needs to your horse is essential to their overall health. Maintaining a healthy diet and exercise program is key to achieving the ideal body score between 5 to 7 for horses. These optimum scores exemplify a horse to have an appropriate fat reserve. Fat is stored energy. These reserves are energy to utilize when necessary, notably in stressful situations. The horse scoring a 3 or below will have practically to absolutely no fat reserve and will make use of vital protein from muscle for energy exacerbate. The deficiencies in their suboptimal condition even more. On the other hand, a score of 8 or above demonstrates an excess of fat that impacts the body adversely by weakening its normal efficiency causing a cascade of events also. These extreme cases are opposite ends of the spectrum and both have pressing issues, but the first more imminent and requires immediate attention.

Descriptions of the nine condition scores each have distinctive characteristics. The ideal median score for a horse is 5, which requires a visual and palpation examination, but the extremes, below 4 and above 7, are noticeable by just a visual evaluation. Still a palpation exam will be necessary to obtain an accurate score. Pictures of extreme cases are numerous all over the internet, especially in cruelty cases with scores below 4. A horse allowed to reach score 3 or below is an unjustifiable wickedness. Posting pictures of this malice is not the purpose of this blog, but if you are aware of horses suffering in this manner, notify authorities immediately. Horses above a score of 7 are not healthy either and the lasting effects can be detrimental. The owner needs to take action to rectify the problem as soon as possible.

Put the System to Work

As a horse gains weight, fat lays down in predictable patterns. First, it will cover to protect vital organs and then it forms in other sections of the body. BCS assigns a numerical value to fat deposition in six areas. Some people have added areas to Dr. Henneke’s original six, but only Dr. Henneke’s areas will be visited here (Figure 1):

A) crest of the neck
B) along the withers
C) crease down the back (loin)
D) at the tailhead, rump
E) over the ribs at mid-barrel
F) behind the shoulder

Figure 1

Evaluate and score each area individually through direct observation and manual palpation. Press each of the six parts of the horse using physical contact and moderate pressure with your hands rating each area. Press with your hand holding it flat, fingers together, feel the reference points, and notice the fat coverings. Be firm and gentle. Both gestures are necessary to score a horse properly. Continue this process on the other side of your horse and see if your observations are consistent. Assign the numerical score to each part of the horse from visual and manual exams that correspond with its condition (Figure 2). Compare the results and total the six numbers you have collected and divide by six giving a resulting number, which is the horse’s rating score on the Henneke Body Scoring Condition Chart.

Figure 2

Score 1: Poor

Horse is extremely emaciated with no fatty tissue felt

Neck – bone structure is easily visible
Withers - bone structure is easily visible
Loin – spinous processes project prominently, also in the hip joints and lower pelvic bones
Tailhead - spinous processes project prominently
Ribs – bones project prominently
Shoulder – bone structure is easily visible

Score 2: Very Thin

Horse is emaciated with slight fat tissue covering over base of spinous processes

Neck – bone structure is faintly discernible
Withers - bone structure is faintly discernible
Loin – transverse processes of lumbar vertebrae feel rounded
Tailhead - spinous processes prominent, also in the hip joints and lower pelvic bones
Ribs – very little fat cover with bones easily discernible
Shoulder – bone structure is faintly discernible

Score 3: Thin

Neck – bone structure is accentuated
Withers - bone structure is accentuated
Loin – fat buildup halfway on spinous processes but easily visible; transverse processes of lumbar vertebrae cannot be felt
Tailhead – prominent, but individual vertebrae cannot be identified visually, also the hip joints appear rounded but easily discernible and lower pelvic bones are not distinguishable
Ribs –slight fat cover with bones easily discernible
Shoulder – bone structure is accentuated

Score 4: Moderately Thin

Neck – not obviously thin
Withers – not obviously thin
Loin – slight ridge or negative crease
Tailhead – prominent depending on conformation, fat can be felt; hip joints not discernible
Ribs – faint outline of ribs discernible
Shoulders - not obviously thin

Score 5: Moderate

Neck – blend smoothly into body
Withers – appear rounded over spinous processes
Loin – back is flat/level with no crease or ridge
Tailhead – fat beginning to feel spongy
Ribs – not visually distinguishable, but easily felt
Shoulders - blend smoothly into body

Score 6: Moderately Fleshy

Neck – fat deposits beginning to form
Withers – fat deposits beginning to form
Loin – may have slight/positive crease
Tailhead – fat feels soft
Ribs – fat over ribs spongy
Shoulders - fat deposits beginning to form

Score 7: Fleshy

Neck – fat deposits
Withers – fat deposits
Loin – may have slight/positive crease down back
Tailhead – fat feels soft
Ribs – noticeable filling between ribs with fat, but ribs can be felt
Shoulders - fat deposits

Score 8: Fat

Neck – noticeable thickening of neck and fat deposits along inner thighs
Withers – filled with fat
Loin – positive crease down back
Tailhead – fat feels very soft
Ribs – difficult to feel ribs
Shoulders - filled with fat

Score 9: Extremely Fat

Neck – bulging fat and inner thighs may rub together
Withers – bulging fat
Loin – obvious positive crease down back
Tailhead – bulging fat
Ribs – patchy fat appearing and flank area filled with fat
Shoulders - bulging fat

Now What?

It is important to achieve and maintain a proper body condition in your horse. BCS is a clue to its overall health. It may be a more reliable indicator of nutritional status than live weight scales because BCS measures the balance between intake and expenditure of energy giving you an accurate evaluation to make adjustments in the horse’s diet, exercise and other programs. Body condition directly relates to the way a horse functions and there are factors that influence the horse’s body condition.

Following are some areas that may influence the horse’s body condition and here is where you will make the changes necessary to reach the ideal score for your horse:

Availability and amount of food and water
Reproduction Status
Weather Changes
Activity Demands
Parasite Load
Dental Abnormalities

Condition score is a helpful tool in determining the amount and type of forage, concentrate and supplement needed. Depending upon the area(s), adjust your programs slowly. To adjust scores safely either upward or downward, the regulation of energy intake is extremely important. Adjust feeding program to ensure adequate energy intake from a forage-based diet. For horses with a BCS below 5, provide higher quality forages and/or higher levels of energy supplements balanced with protein to increase weight or improve condition score. Research has shown that increasing or decreasing energy intake by 10 to 15 percent above or below the animal’s requirement will result in weight gain or loss and an appropriate adjustment in the condition score. This can be accomplished by increasing or decreasing the grain (concentrate) portion of the diet by 20 percent to move either up or down one condition score within a 2-week period (Ott and Asquith). For the obese horse that is maintained on pasture only, the horse may need to be put on dry lot part of the day to decrease its intake. An easy keeper on solely a hay diet and still carrying too much weight may benefit from more mature hay. This will provide the fill needed by the digestive tract while reducing caloric intake. Other than addressing intake, increasing the horse’s exercise program can also help with shedding added pounds. Always, provide horses with mineral supplements and free-choice seaweed meal year-round and control disease and parasites by developing an appropriate health program (consult your veterinarian). See... Spring Clean Your Barn, Disinfect Your Barn, Pest Control and Pest Control B.

BCS with a little time and practice can be used by anyone, anywhere at anytime. Under “normal” circumstances, perform BCS on a regular basis and hopefully with a regulated diet, exercise program and regular medical exams both you and your horse can enjoy a long healthy life.

Go Green Tips:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables fed to your horse as treats are healthy alternatives for him
• Add water to your horse's daily feedings, mix well until water is absorbed; fermentation occurs outside instead of inside the digestive system. Moisturizing helps reduce the amounts of dropped feed when eating too!

Any Go Green Ideas?

Email us: info@agreenhorse.com

My horse's feet are as swift as rolling thunder
He carries me away from all my fears
And when the world threatens to fall asunder
His mane is there to wipe away my tears.

Bonnie Lewis

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