Managing Your Horses Body Condition & BCS CHART

Body Condition

Obesity is becoming a major health concern in horses (and people) all around the world, and is increasingly recognised as an equine welfare issue because it compromises both health and performance, but can you recognise if your horse is too fat or, for that matter, too thin? In this article, Dr Jennifer Stewart, an equine veterinarian and researcher who specialises in equine nutrition, discusses in detail the importance of keeping horses in a healthy condition, how the body condition scoring system is used to assess the state of each animal, and the steps you can take to successfully control the weight of your horse or pony. Read more…

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Body Condition Score Chart

Score 0 - Very Poor Condition

Girth: Noticeable
Ribs: Prominent
Neck: Noticeable
Withers: Noticeable
Back: Slight fat cover
Tailhead: Prominent

Score 1 - Poor Condition

Girth: Thin
Ribs: Noticeable
Neck: Thin
Withers: Slight fat cover
Back: Slight fat cover
Tailhead: Prominent

Score 2 - Moderate Condition

Girth: Blends smoothly
Ribs: Cannot see but felt
Neck: Blends smoothly
Withers: Rounded
Back: Level
Tailhead: Feels spongy

Score 3 - Good Condition

Girth: Slight fat deposit
Ribs: Cannot see but felt
Neck: Slight fat deposit
Withers: Slight fat deposit
Back: Slight crease
Tailhead: Feels soft

Score 4 - Fat Condition

Girth: Fat
Ribs: Difficult to feel
Neck: Thickening
Withers: Fat
Back: Crease
Tailhead: Feels very soft

Score 5 - Very Fat Condition

Girth: Bulging fat
Ribs: Cannot feel
Neck: Bulging fat
Withers: Bulging fat
Back: Obvious crease
Tailhead: Bulging fat

Managing Your Horse's Condition

Dr Shannon Lee talks with Dr Jennifer Stewart about Body Condition Scoring and how you can this tool to keep your horse in top condition.

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Dr Jennifer Stewart CEO BVSc BSc PhD Dip BEP Equine Veterinarian and Consultant Nutritionist

Dr Jen Stewart has been an equine veterinarian for more than 40 years and an equine nutritionist for more than 20 years. Jen has been developing premium formulas for studs, trainers and feed companies - such as Mitavite - in Australia and around the world. Consulting to leading international studs and trainers in various countries while working on research projects and being involved in nutritional management of a variety of equine clinical conditions, including colic, tying-up, laminitis, performance problems, developmental orthopaedic diseases and post-surgery.

Dr Jen is currently the only practicing equine veterinarian and clinical nutritionist in Australia and was also an official veterinarian at the Sydney Olympics 2000. Jen’s passion for nutrition along with her extensive experience and knowledge strives to continue to BRING SCIENCE TO YOUR FEED BIN