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The body condition score developed by Dr. Don Henneke gives horse owners and trainers a fixed table of reference to assess a horse’s condition. Everyone has a different opinion of what looks good or poor when it comes to horses, for example what looks good to one person may look fat or obese to another.
The BCS gives numerical values to different stages of the horse’s fitness and health taking into account the balance between intake and expenditure of energy. The system uses fat deposition in different places on the horse’s body which can be seen and palpated in six different areas. Horses accumulate fat in these areas in a set order. This order of accumulation does not vary between breeds. Therefore a Thoroughbred horse that scores 7 will have the same amount of fat in the same areas as a Gypsy horse that scores 7. Fat is assessed in the following areas: - Back: This is one of the first areas to fill with fat when the horse puts on condition. A horse with a score of 1 to 3 will have a negative crease on the back where the spinous processes projects up. No fat can be felt along the back in a really emaciated horse, however when a horse puts on weight, fat is first laid out around body organs and then on the base of the spinous processes. As the horse gets fatter a crease forms along the back filling up with fat.
- Ribs: The next place to look is the ribs. On a score 1 the ribs will be easily discernible and felt with no fat deposits. A score 5 the ribs will not be seen clearly but upon palpation can be felt easily. At score 7 the ribs will be impossible to feel due to the fatty padding.
- Tailhead: Up to a score 3 the tailhead will be easily discernable. As the horse starts gaining weight fat starts filling up around the tailhead. A horse with a score of 7 to 9 will have a soft bulge where the tailhead is.
- Withers: The shape of the withers can affect the assessment of the score, for example the thoroughbred has higher, sharper withers than the gypsy. On a thin horse the underlying part of the withers is easily seen and palpated. As the horse puts on weight, the withers become rounded at score 5 and at score 9 the withers will be bulging with fat.
- Neck: The neck is used to refine the BCS evaluation. On a score 1, the bone structure is visible and easily palpable and the throatlatch is extremely trim. As the score goes up, the fat deposits along and above the neck. At a score 8 to 9 the neck is thick all around and fat is clearly seen on the crest and throatlatch.
- Shoulder: The shoulder is also used to refine the BCS evaluation. As a horse gains weight, fat is deposited around the shoulder to help it blend smoothly with the body. Scores from 5 to 9 have large amounts of fat around the shoulder in varying degree, especially behind the elbow.
Once you have applied the BCS to a horse you need to know what the optimal score is. The optimal score for a horse is 5; the horse has some fat but has not yet reached the fleshy point. Easy keepers might have a score of 6 or 7 and still be perfectly healthy. Getting a horse to the optimal score is done by regulating the feed and exercise schedule when the horse is not in a stressful situation. If this does not show results, the horse must be checked for problems with the teeth, stomach ulcers or the deworming schedule needs reevaluating. Fat deposits are important to a horse because they represent energy that can be used when the horse is stressed. A horse with a score of 3 or less has virtually no fat reserves, so in the case of stress the protein in the muscle is broken down for energy. Some of the situations that put stress on the horse are pregnancy, lactation, extreme cold, over strenuous exercise and preparing for competitions, etc. If a horse is exposed to these types of stress, a score of 6 to 7 is necessary so the horse can burn a great deal of fat quickly in these situations without damage to the overall body condition and degeneration of the muscles. Horses with a score of 3 and below should not be stressed to these levels as they have no fat deposits and can get permanent muscular damage. Therefore using the BCS we can accurately grade and improve the condition of a horse without using vague words like fair, good, poor, etc. which leave interpretation to the eye of the beholder. | BODY CONDITION SCORE CHART
| | 1 | | Extremely Thin | The horse is emaciated. The backbone, ribs, hipbones and tail head are all prominent. The neck is hollow and the bones of the shoulders, withers and neck are easily discerned. Individual vertebrae are clearly seen and easily palpated. No. fat can be palpated. | | 2 | | Very Thin | The backbone is prominent, ribs, tail head and pelvic bones stand out. Bone structures of the neck, withers and shoulders are evident. Individual vertebrae can be seen and are easily palpated. | | 3 | | Thin | The backbone is prominent but fat covers to the midpoint. A slight fat layer can be felt over the ribs, the tail head is evident, but individual vertebrae cannot be seen. Pin bones cannot be seen, but withers, shoulders and neck are emphasized. | | 4 | | Moderately Thin | A negative crease along the back. The outline of the ribs can be seen. Fat is palpable around the tail head. Hook bones cannot be seen. Withers, neck and shoulders are not obviously thin. | | 5 | | Moderate | Back is level. Ribs can be felt but not easily seen. Fat around tail head feels spongy. Withers are rounded and shoulder and neck blend smoothly into body. | | 6 | | Moderately Fleshy | A slight crease along the back. Fat on the tail head feels soft. Fat over the ribs is spongy. Small deposits of fat along the withers, behind the shoulder and along the neck. | | 7 | | Fleshy | A crease is seen down the back. Ribs may be felt but fat between ribs is obvious. Fat on tail head is soft. Noticeable fat along neck, behind shoulders and withers. | | 8 | | Fat | The crease down the back is prominent. Ribs are difficult to feel due to fat in between. Wither area is filled with fat and very soft fat over tail head. The space behind the shoulder is filled in and flush and there is fat along the inner buttocks. | | 9 | | Extremely Fat | The crease down the back is very prominent. Fat in patches over rib area, with bulging fat over tail head, withers, neck and shoulders. Fat along inner buttocks may rub together and flank is filled in flush. | |
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Comments
is that Kali in the pic?