Whinny’s Wisdoms

Hey everyone, Whinny here! I recently wrote a blog on how to estimate your horse’s weight using a tape measure and an easy calculation. Well today I’m adding on to that with a related topic, body condition scoring! Getting an estimate of the actual weight is great, since you can monitor the trends of weight gain or loss and be more accurate in dosing of medications such as dewormers. But how do you know if that weight is healthy and correct for him? My docs use a visual scoring system called the body condition score.

The body condition score (BCS) allows you to assess whether your horse is too thin, too fat, or just right. The BCS ranges from 1 to 9, with 1 being extremely thin and 9 being extremely fat. Your horse can develop health problems if he is too far in either direction! The scores in the middle – 4, 5, and 6 – are the moderate weights and the healthiest place for your horse to be.

To score your horse, all you need are your eyes and your hands. You’re going to look at and feel six areas where horses store fat – his neck, withers, back, tail head, ribs, and behind the shoulder. Most of these terms are pretty obvious but a couple new terms for you may be the spinous processes (the part of back vertebrae that projects upwards to form the bumps on the top of his spine) and the transverse processes (the part of the vertebrae that projects out to the side). You will see these areas best on a horse that is too thin.  Here are the descriptions and examples of horses in various body conditions.

Body condition score 1

• This horse is emaciated and in critical condition. No fat can be felt. His ribs, tailhead, hips, pelvic bones, and the bones of his spine (spinous processes and transverse processes) are prominent. The bones of his withers, shoulders and neck are easily noticed. 

Body condition score 2

• An extremely thin horse. There is a very small amount of fat covering the base of the spinous processes. The transverse processes of the lower back can be felt but are slightly rounded. The spinous processes, ribs, tailhead, hip joints, and pelvic bones are prominent. The withers, shoulders and neck structure are faintly discernable.

Body condition score 3

• A thin horse without enough body fat to be healthy. There is fat buildup about halfway up the spinous processes but they are easily discernable. The transverse processes can’t be felt. Slight fat covers the ribs but you can still easily see them. The tailhead is prominent but individual vertebrae can’t be seen. The hip joints appear rounded but are easily discernable. The pelvic bones are not distinguishable. The withers, shoulders and neck are thin. 

Body condition score 4

• A mildly thin horse. Sometimes a very fit athlete like a racehorse or endurance horse can be a BCS of 4. He is lean but in good condition. There is a slight ridge along the back and the faint outline of ribs are discernable. The tailhead prominence depends on the horse’s conformation, but fat can be felt around it. The hip joints not discernable. The withers, shoulders and neck are not obviously thin.

Body condition score 5

• For most horses this is the ideal body condition. The back is level, without either a ridge of backbone or a crease down the back. The ribs can be felt if you lightly press the horse’s sides but can’t be seen. The fat around the tailhead feels a bit spongy. The withers are round over the spinous processes. The shoulders and neck blend smoothly into the body.

Body condition score 6

• This is a mildly overweight or fleshy horse. Broodmares have an improved chance of getting pregnant at a BCS of 6. There may be a slight crease down the center of the back. The fat over the ribs and tailhead feels spongy and soft. There are small fat deposits behind the shoulders and along the sides of neck and withers.

Body condition score 7

• This is an overweight horse. There may be a moderate crease down the back. There is more fat covering the ribs, tailhead, neck, and shoulders. Individual ribs can be felt if you press a bit, but there is noticeable filling between the ribs with fat. The fat around the tailhead is soft. There is fat deposited along the withers, behind the shoulders and along the neck. This horse’s weight is concerning for causing negative health effects.

Body condition score 8

• This is a very overweight horse and is well into the danger zone for laminitis. There is a crease (aka the rain gutter!) down the back and it is difficult to feel the ribs. The fat around the tailhead is very soft. The areas along the withers and behind the shoulder are filled with fat. There is noticeable thickening of the neck. There is fat deposited along the inner thighs.

Body condition score 9

• This is an extremely overweight, or obese horse. There is an obvious crease down back. Patches of fat appear over the ribs. There is bulging fat around the tailhead, along the withers, behind the shoulders and along the neck. The flank is filled with fat.

Be sure to ask my docs about your horse’s body condition score when you next see them for wellness exams!

Until next week!

~Whinny

P.S. Wanna learn more about body condition score? Check out this video my humans made! They will guide you through the process of assessing your horse, step by step!