The Body Condition Scoring (BCS) system is a method to assess a horse's body weight and level of fat present on its body. The most effective way to evaluate body condition is by individually assessing six locations: withers, shoulder, ribs, back, tailhead and neck. This method involves both visually assessing as well as palpating the areas to determine degree of fatness. The optimal BCS for horses are 4-6.

The Cresty Neck Score (CNS) assesses fat accumulation along the top of the neck and should be used in conjunction with the BCS. It is the best indicator for insulin resistance. A CNS ≥3 indicates your horse may have insulin resistance (diabetes) and is at greater risk for developing laminitis. This system however is not adequate in draft horses since they have a naturally thick neck.

Figure 1. Six areas of emphasis when scoring a horse's body condition (Modified from Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2023)

The descriptions for each location are found below:

Withers

Score 1: Wither is very noticeable and protruding out significantly Score 2: The wither bone is still protruding Score 3: Bone is faintly visible with slight fat deposition on each side of the wither bone Score 4: Enough fat is visible that the wither is no longer protruding prominently Score 5: Wither is rounded and blends smoothly into the body Score 6: Wither bone is slightly hidden under a layer of palpable fat Score 7: Greater fat deposition along withers and fat feels spongy Score 8: Area along and over withers is completely covered with fat and feels soft and spongy Score 9: Fat is now bulging along withers

Shoulder

Score 1: Bone is very noticeable and is protruding out Score 2: Bones are noticeable, no fat seen or felt Score 3: Bones faintly noticeable, some fat can be felt but not obviously seen Score 4: Minimal fat deposit around shoulder Score 5: Shoulder covered in a thin layer of fat and blends smoothly into the body, no clear distinction of shoulder bones Score 6: Pocket of fat beginning to accumulate between shoulder and ribs Score 7: Pocket of fat between shoulder and ribs is palpable and is beginning to feel spongy Score 8: Larger pocket of fat between shoulder and ribs, feels very soft and spongy Score 9: Bulging fat is significant enough to grab and jiggle

Ribs

Score 1: Ribs project out prominently and we can visually count each rib Score 2: Ribs are slightly rounded and are easily visible, each rib can be felt Score 3: Slight fat over a few ribs but all are still visible Score 4: Very faint outline of ribs visually Score 5: Ribs are not visible but can still be easily felt Score 6: Thin layer of fat over ribs, ribs can be felt with light pressure Score 7: Individual ribs can be felt with pressure but noticeable fat filling between ribs Score 8: Excessive pressure is required to feel ribs, fat accumulating over and between the ribs Score 9: Pockets of fat appear over and between the ribcage, can no longer feel the ribs

Back

Score 1: Spine is projecting out prominently with no fat present, skin is also sunken on both sides Score 2: Skin is protruding out but there is slight fat covering both sides Score 3: Fat buildup halfway on spine is visible but not palpable Score 4: Fat can be felt on the spine but slight bony ridge is still visible Score 5: Back is now level and flat with no bone protruding out Score 6: Horse may have slight fat accumulation along the spine but still relatively flat Score 7: Noticeable fat accumulation along and on top of spine that feels soft Score 8: Extensive fat deposits causing a bulge above the spine Score 9: Back is broad with obvious fat deposits on both sides that rise above the spine

Tailhead

*Assess your horses tailhead by standing from behind Score 1: Hip and pelvic bones are sharp and projecting out, rump is sunken, deep cavity under tail Score 2: Bones are slightly covered in fat and less prominent, outline of hind area dips inwards on both sides Score 3: Tailhead is prominent but individual vertebrae are not visible, hip bones are easily detectable but less sharp Score 4: Hip bones are not visible, palpable fat is present Score 5: Hips are level and rounded, fat around tailhead feels spongy Score 6: Hips are level but greater fat deposition on both sides Score 7: Cannot feel hip bones, tailhead has a rounder shape Score 8: Fat feels very soft and spongy, rump has an apple shape Score 9: Significant amount of fat bulging, fat deposition along inner thighs

Cresty Neck Score

*Please note that heavy breed horses have a naturally thick and muscular neck which is different from a fatty neck. Score 0: No crest or fat present, neck slightly dips down Score 1: Slight layer of fat is palpable but crest is still not visible Score 2: Crest is visible and a layer of fat is depositing equally along the neck, crest can be grabbed and moved from side to side Score 3: Middle of the neck is accumulating majority of fat, giving a mounded appearance, harder to move the crest side to side Score 4: Crest is thicker and more dense, no longer flexible and moveable, wrinkles may be apparent perpendicular to crest Score 5: Crest is very large and mounds up in a peak confirmation, will permanently droops to one side

Once you have determined a score for each location, add up the values (excluding CNS) and divide by 5 to determine your horse’s overall body condition. If the calculated score value has a 0.5 decimal or higher, round up but if the decimal is less than 0.5, round down. A horse with a score value of BCS ≥7 is considered overweight and has increased risks of developing insulin resistance and laminitis. For more information on these conditions, please view our video here: Obesity, Insulin Resistance and Laminitis

Authors: Kerra Boyko, Eunice Kwok, Neshani Gunendra, and Hannah Dixon are fourth-year Animal Health Capstone students at the University of Alberta who created the Body Condition Scoring blog post, pamphlet, score card and video under the mentorship of Brittany Davis as part of their Animal Science 499 Capstone course requirements.

References

Allen & Paige. (2023). Monitoring weight [image]. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.allenandpage.com/monitoring-weight/

Baileys Horse Feeds. (n.d.). Body condition scoring. Retrieved March 20, 2023, from https://www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk/body-condition-scoring

Carroll, C.L., & Huntington, P.J. (1988). Body condition scoring and weight estimation of horses. Equine Vet. J., 20(1), 41-45.

Carter, R.A., Geor, R.J., Burton Staniar, W., Cubitt, T.A., & Harris, P.A. (2009). Apparent adiposity assessed by standardised scoring systems and morphometric measurements in horses and ponies. Vet. J., 179(2), 204–210.

Encyclopædia Britannica. (2023). American quarter horse [image]. Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://www.britannica.com/animal/American-Quarter-Horse

Henneke, D. R., Potter, G. D., Kreider, J. L., & Yeates, B. F. (1983). Relationship between condition score, physical measurements and body fat percentage in mares. Equine Vet. J., 15(4), 371–372. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2042-3306.1983.tb01826.x

Martin-Gimenez, T., Aguirre-Pascasio, C. N., & de Blas, I. (2018). Beyond scoring systems: Usefulness of morphometry considering demographic variables, to evaluate neck and overall obesity in Andalusian horses. Animal, 12(3), 597–605.

Merck Manual. (2023, March 9). Table: Body condition scores for horses. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/multimedia/table/body-condition-scores-for-horses

Shuffitt, J.M., & TenBroeck, S.H. Body condition scoring of horses. University of Florida. https://extadmin.ifas.ufl.edu/media/extadminifasufledu/cflag/image/docs/fl-equine-institute/2003/EquineBCS.pdf

The horse. (2011, Apr 12) What’s you horse’s body condition score? [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq0ZXnSlsNQ

Williams, K. (2022, Jan 17). How to body condition score your horse. Dengie. https://dengie.com/news-articles/feed-advice/how-to-condition-score-a-horse/

Wright, B., Rietveld, G., & Lawlis, P. (1998). Body condition scoring of horses. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. https://robertcausey.github.io/AVS196_303/AVS303_Lecture_Material/037_BCS.pdf

Body Condition Scoring of Horses

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