b'NUTRITION KATIE NAVARRATheHorse.com/NutritionWhat Body Condition Score Is Your Horse?Correctly assess body fat regularly to detect shiftsnumber correlates to the amount of fat stores on the horses body. Originally, Henneke developed the sys-tem as a method for evaluating fat levels in broodmares and to determine the ideal body condition for reproductive efficien-cy. It quickly became a valuable way for horse owners to assess how their horses were doing related to energy consump-tion and use, says Bob Coleman, PhD, PAS, an associate professor and equine extension specialist at the University of Kentucky, in Lexington.Much like a scale weight, this number reflects stored body fat, says Coleman. As horses gain and lose body condition score (BCS), their weight also will fluctu-ate, but the BCS does not translate to pounds of weight. The system allows users to assess rela-tive body fat with nothing more than a set of eyes, a pair of hands, and a little practice. Henneke identified six areas on the horse that are responsive fat deposits: the crest of the neck, the withers, behind the shoulder, across the rib cage, over the FRANK SORGE/ARND.NL With the 1-to-9 body condition scoringback in the loin area, and the tailhead. scale, each number correlates to theThese areas change depending on a amount of fat stores on the horses body. horses stored fat levels; palpating them during a BCS evaluation can yield valu-able information.U nless you take your horse to a vet- A horses weight can be very subjec- It is also a more subjective measure of erinary clinic or high-end trainingtive, says Taylor Fabus, MS, an extensionbody fatness rather than, My horse is fat facility to weigh him on an equineeducator in Michigan State Universitysor thin,Coleman says. scale, gauging his weight is an inexactanimal science department, in East Lan- With a little practice, every horse science; most horse owners must relysing. Factors such as height, breed, andowner can evaluate his or her horses on other methods for monitoring theirreproductive status will affect weight, andbody condition using the Henneke sys-horses body condition.you cant identify a healthy weight rangetem. Here, Fabus and Coleman offer tips Weight tapes are popular and inex- that can easily be applied to all horses. for conducting an evaluation and advice pensive options. When you wrap the softInstead, veterinarians and nutritionistson using those results to create a feeding measuring tape around the horses heartencourage horse owners to use the Hen- plan that suits your horses age, breed, girth, inches get translated into pounds.neke Body Condition Scoring system. Inand activity level.But most weight tapes are designedthe 1980s Don Henneke, PhD, developed only for light breeds and dont alwaysthe system as part of his doctoral studiesThat Ideal Conditionreflect the full picture of a horses overallat Texas A&M University. He devised aA horse thats above or below his ideal system based on a scale of 1 to 9. Eachbody condition score is less likely to wellness.40February 2020The Horse|TheHorse.comNutrition_Feb.indd 40 1/3/20 10:44 AM'