b'NUTRITIONbe able to perform at his peak. Fabus says low body condition can also lower a horses reproductive efficiency, while excessive condition can potentially cause metabolic problems. On the 1-to-9 scale, a horse scored as a 1 is considered in poor condition. A horse scored as a 9 is classified as extremely fat. A score of 5 is considered ideal, but 4 and 6 are also considered healthy for most performance horses. This range was noted in research at Texas A&M University, where they found less than 4 or greater than 6 horses showed signs of fatigue sooner, Cole-ALEXANDRA BECKSTETT/THE HORSEman says. He says horses scoring below 4 showed fatigue due to a lack of available energy, while the over-6 horses werent able to thermoregulate as easily and got hot.Horses kept outside in colder climates, however, might require a BCS of 6 or 7 in winter, because more body conditionWhile some veterinary clinics and high-end training facilities have equine scales, most horse owners provides some insulation against the cold,must rely on other methods for monitoring their horses body condition.he adds. In hotter climates, keeping a horse at a BCS of 4 or 5 might help himacross all breeds and in horses older thanWarmbloods might also have more fat better deal with the higher temperatures2, as it was developed to use on maturedeposits in certain areas. Bottom line: and allow for easier cooling. horses, says Coleman. There are someFollow the system, and score the different Think about a human athlete, andvariations in assessing different breeds,areas to come up with a composite score, a horse is no different, Fabus says. Adue to how certain ones accumulate moreColeman says. In addition to breed, a marathon runner at their peak physicalfat over the tailhead or in the neck area.horses age and activity level factor into condition would likely consider a lowerFor example, Thoroughbreds often havehis body conditionother reasons its body condition score to be ideal, whilesharper withers than Arabians. Quarterimpossible to identify a healthy weight your average, healthy adult may aim for aHorses tend to be fleshier in their hipsrange you can easily and accurately ap-different, higher body condition score. than most fine breeds.ply to all horses, he says. The system works reasonably wellMorgans, Mountain Horses, and some Learning to Use BCSIts impossible to determine a horses BCS with a visual evaluation alone, espe-cially in horses with long winter coats. An accurate score requires a combination of observation and physical evaluation. Feel-ing the density of fatty tissue in the six key body areas provides a good indication of a horses overall condition.When palpating these areas, start at the horses neck, and move across his body to the tailhead. Use a firm but gentle touchsimilar to the amount of pressure Six areas on the horsea massage therapist would apply. After are responsive fatfeeling each location for fat, assign the deposits: the crest ofarea a score from 1 to 9. You can refer to the neck, the withers,the chart on page 43 (which you can also behind the shoulder, across the rib cage,download at TheHorse.com/137703) for over the back in the loindetailed descriptions of each category. area, and the tailhead. Add the scores and divide by six to obtain an accurate BCS.ISTOCK.COM Once youve determined a horses body 42February 2020The Horse|TheHorse.comNutrition_Feb.indd 42 1/3/20 10:44 AM'