EWA Welfare Corner: Body Condition Scoring

 Ever heard about body condition scoring but unsure of what it is and how to use it?

Here is a little run down of the Henneke Horse Body Scoring System used by FEI.

 What is Body Condition Scoring?

Body condition scoring is a way to obtain a simple and reliable estimate of the body fat reserves independently of size, making it more reliable than liveweight alone. It is a good indicator of the suitability of a horse’s diet and health.

What is the Henneke Horse Body Condition Scoring System?

Henneke Horse Body Condition Scoring System is an assessment of horse body weight.
The six major sites assessed for “fatness” are along the neck, along the withers, the loin, tailhead, ribs and behind the shoulder as shown here

What are the score and their criteria?

1 - POOR:

• Extremely emaciated

• No fatty tissue

• Vertebrae, ribs, tail head and bone of withers, shoulder, and neck are visible

2 - VERY THIN

• Emaciated

• Slight tissue cover over bones

• Vertebrae, ribs, tail head and bone withers, shoulder and neck are visible

3 - THIN

• Slight fat cover over body

• Individual vertebrae and ribs no longer visibly discernible

• Withers, shoulders and neck do not appear overly thin

4 - MODERATELY THIN

• Ridge of spine and outline of ribs are visible

• Tail head may or may not be visible depending on breed

• Withers, shoulders and neck do not appear overly thin

5 - MODERATELY

• Spine and ribs cannot be seen however ribs can be felt

• Tail head is spongy

• Withers, shoulders and neck are rounded and smooth

6 - MODERATELY FLESHY

• Slight crease down spine

• Ribs and tail head feel spongy

• Fat deposit along withers and neck and behind the shoulders

7 - FLESHY

• Crease down spine

• Ribs have fat filing between them

• Tail head spongy

• Fat deposits along withers, neck and behind shoulders

8 - FAT

• Apparent crease down spine

• Ribs difficult to feel

• Soft fat surrounding tail head

• Fat deposits along withers, behind shoulders and on inner thighs

• Neck is large

9 - EXTREMELY FAT

• Obvious crease down spine

• Patchy fat on ribs

• Bulging fat on tail head, withers, behind shoulders and on neck

• Fat fills in flank and on inner thighs


Lack of feed is not always the reason for a poor body score, it could also be:

• parasite infestations.

• poor dental health

• chronic injury or illness

• advanced age

• lack of mobility affecting the horse’s ability to forage