How to Body Condition Score Your Horse

How to Body Condition Score Your Horse 

Start by observing your horse from a distance, both from the side and from behind. Compare your horse’s body shape with the illustrations in the chart and identify which horse most closely resembles your own. 

Next, approach your horse and use both visual assessment and touch. Body condition scoring is not only about what you can see, but also about what you can feel beneath your hands. 

Begin with the neck and crest. Feel whether the area is softly covered with fat. Pay particular attention to whether the crest feels firm or hard. A hard crest may be a sign of metabolic problems, and the horse should be evaluated further by a qualified professional. 

Continue to the withers and shoulder area. Assess whether there are fat deposits around these regions or whether the underlying bone structures can be easily felt. In thin horses, the bones may be clearlyvisible, while in overweight horses they may be difficult to feel because of excess fat. 

Next, feel along the back and over the ribs. Assess how visible the ribs are. Are they clearly visible, only slightly visible, or not visible at all? Also determine how easily they can be felt. Ideally, the ribs should not be visible, or only faintly visible, but they should be easy to feel without applying firm pressure. 

Examine the topline as well. Are the vertebrae visible, or are they covered by muscle and a layer of fat? In very overweight horses, a noticeable crease may develop along the spine as fat accumulates on bothsides. 

Finally, assess the hindquarters and the area around the tailhead. Are there obvious fat deposits around the tailhead, and do the hindquarters appear rounded and full? Or are they more angular, with visible bone structures and limited muscle and fat coverage? 

Step back once more and make an overall assessment of your horse’s body shape and fat distribution. Compare your observations with the scoring chart and select the body condition score that best matches your horse overall.