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How to estimate the body condition scoring of your horse
Body Condition Scoring is an objective system of evaluating a horse’s level of body condition (amount of stored fat) and
assessing a numeric score to facilitate comparisons between horses. Many owners fail to recognize significant variations in
the weight of horses or variations due to age and breed types. This often results in overfeeding or underfeeding.
Body condition scoring involves the palpation and visual assessment (Table 1) of the degrees of fatness of various areas of the
horse, such as: over the ribs, loin, tailhead area, neck and withers, and behind the shoulders (Figure 1). Fat reserves in these
areas depend on the balance between energy intake and energy loss, for various activities.
Along the
neck
Along the
withers
Crease
down loin
Tailhead
Ribs
Behind
the
shoulder
Figure 1: Important areas for assessing a horse’s
body condition score.
You should always make physical contact with these parts, and the kind of touch you use is important. Simply stroking the
animal lightly won’t provide an accurate idea of the horse’s condition; you have to apply pressure to each part in turn. The
pressure you apply should be much like that of a massage; if you press a horse’s side with your hand, you’ll be able to feel
the fat covering his ribs, and get an idea of how much fat is present. Likewise, when checking the withers, feel all around the
area, as if you were squeezing firm clay. It is possible to be firm and gentle at the same time, and both traits are necessary
to properly score a horse.
Areas
Neck
Withers
Loin
Tailhead
Behind the shoulders
Ribs
Visual
yes
yes
yes
≈ no
≈ no
yes
Palpation
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
yes
Table 1: Summary of the examination
You then assign each area of the body the numerical score that corresponds with the horse’s condition (Table 2) and you make
the mean. When a horse has a long haircoat it is imperative that you use your hands to feel the horse. The horse’s long haircoat
will hide the protrusion of bones, all except in the most extreme cases. Conformational differences between horses may make
certain criteria within each score difficult to apply to every animal. In these instances, those areas influenced by conformation
should be discounted, but not ignored when determining the condition score. Conformation also changes in pregnant mares as
they approach parturition (birth). Since the weight of the foetus tends to pull the skin and musculature tighter over the back and
ribs, emphasis is placed upon fat deposition behind the shoulder, around the tailhead and along the neck and withers in these
cases. However, when properly applied, the scoring system is independent of size or conformation of the horse.
For practical purposes
The horse has to be quiet and relaxed, straight and on a flat level. You need to appreciate:
* the fat extent under the skin * the fat thickness (by applying pressure)
* the fat mobility (with circular movement with your hand)
Condition
0 Very thin
Neck
bone structure
easily felt- no
muscle shelf
where neck
meets shoulder
Withers
bone structure
easily felt
Back & Loin
vertebrae easily
felt
Ribs
each rib can be
easily felt
Hind Quarters
tailhead and hip
bones
projecting
1 Thin
can feel bone
structure- slight
shelf where
neck meets
shoulder
can feel bone
structure
slight fat
covering, but
can still be felt
can feel hip
bones
2 Fair
fat covering
over bone
structure
fat deposits
over withers dependent on
conformation
spinous process
can be easily
felt
- transverse
processes have
slight fat
covering
fat over spinous
processes
can't see ribs,
but ribs can still
be felt
hip bones
covered with fat
3 Good
neck flows
smoothly into
shoulder
fat deposited
along neck
neck rounds out
withers
back is level
layer of fat over
ribs
fat padded
around withers
positive crease
along back
bulging fat
bulging fat
deep positive
crease
fat spongy over
and between
ribs
pockets of fat
can't feel hip
bones, tailhead
covered with fat
can't feel hip
bones, tailhead
covered with fat
pockets of fat
4 Fat
5 Very fat
Table 2: Body condition scoring evaluation
To help you in your horse’s body score estimation, examples of «typical» condition scores are presented below.
Score 0
Score 1
Score 2
Score 3
Score 4
Score 5
A consistent method of body condition scoring is a useful management tool. It will improve communication between
riders, owners, stable employees and veterinarians by providing a method allowing consensus for changes in nutrition,
physiological level of activity, or environmental conditions.
References
1. Carroll C.L., and Huntington P. J., Body Condition Scoring and Weight Estimation
of Horses, Equine Veterinary Journal (1988) 20 (1), 41 - 45.
2. Henneke D. R., Potter G.D., Kreider J. L. and Yeates B. F., Relationship Between
Condition Score, Physical Measurements and Body Fat Percentage in Mares, Equine
Veterinary Journal (1983) 15 (4), 371 - 372.