Flicka's Ranch & Rescue

A safe house for all abused and unwanted hooved animals.

Body Scoring Your Horse

Many physiological functions in horses are influenced by body condition including the horse's maintenance, reproductive and exercising requirements.  A system called Body Condition Scoring can be used to rate ideal body conditions.  This condition scoring system is based on visual appraisal and palpable fat cover on six areas of your horse's body.

The ideal body condition score is between 5 and 7.

 

 

1.  POOR  -  Animal extremely eciated; spinous prosesses, ribs, tail head, rubber coxae (hip joints), ischia (lower pelvic bones) projecting prominately; bone structure of withers, shoulders, and neck easily noticeable; no fatty tissue can be felt.

 

2.  VERY THIN  -  Animal emaciated; slight fat covering over base of spinous processes, transverse processes of lumbar vertebrae feel rounded; soinous processes, ribs, tail head, tuber coxae, and ischia prominent; withers, shoulders, and neck structure faintly discernible.

 

3.  THIN  -  Fat buildup about halfway on spinous processes; transverse processes cannot be felt; slight fat cover over ribs; spinous processes and ribs are easily discernible; tail head prominent, but individual vertebrae cannot be identified visually; tuber coxae, appear rounded but easily discernible; tuber ischia not distinguishable; withers, shoulders and neck accentuated.

 

4.  MODERATELY THIN  -  Slight ridge along back; faint outline of ribs descernible; tail head prominense depends on conformation, fat can be felt around it; tuber coxae not discernible; withers, shoulders and neck not obviously thin.

 

5.  MODERATE  -  Back is flat (no crease or ridge); ribs not visually distinguishable but easily felt; fat around tail head beginning to feel spongy; withers appear rounded over spinous process; shoulders and neck blend smoothly into body.

 

6.  MODERATE FLESHY  -  May have slight crease down back; fat over ribs spongy; fat around tail head soft; fat begining to be deposited along the side of the wither, behind shoulder, and along side of neck.

 

7.  FLESHY  -  May have slight crease down back; individual ribs can be felt, but noticeable filling between ribs with fat; fat around tail head soft; fat deposited along withers, behind shoulders, and along neck.

 

8.  FAT  -  Crease down back; difficult to feel ribs, fat around tail head very soft; fat area along withers filled with fat, area behind shoulder filled with fat, noticeable thickening of neck; fat deposited along inner thighs.

 

9.  EXTREMELY FAT  -  Obvious crease down back; patchy fat appearing over ribs, bulging fat around tail head; along withers, behind shoulders and along neck, fat along inner thighs may rub together; flank filled with fat.