Introduction

In a world where millions of people are taking steps to improve their own physical condition in order to live healthier lives, it only stands to reason that this same concept would be applied to other aspects of their lives and businesses. Horses are a multi-billion dollar industry and their health and welfare (condition) are of utmost importance to their owners. The ability to accurately assess a horse’s body condition, which is vital to its welfare, weighs heavily on the industry.

The old saying “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” has never been more appropriate than in the body condition of horses. Beauty in one owner’s eye is fat in another’s. Hence the problem: What is the appropriate body condition of a horse, and what would be acceptable to the industry? A body conditioning scoring system developed by Dr. Don Henneke has served to provide a standard scoring system for the industry. This system can be used across breeds and by all people. The system assigns a score to a particular body condition (1 to 9) as opposed to vague words such as “good,” “fair,” or “bad,” which leave differences in interpretation to the eye of the beholder.

The horse’s body condition measures the balance between the food he eats and the amount of enregy burns. Body condition can be affected by a variety of factors such as: food availability, reproductive activities, weather, performance or work activities, parasites, dental problems, and feeding practices. The actual body condition of a horse can also affect its reproductive capability, performance ability, work function, health status, and endocrine status. Therefore, it is important to achieve and maintain proper body condition. In order to do this, one must evaluate body fat in relationship to body musculature.