Body condition scoring

Whether you have a horse that is prone to weight loss or weight gain it is crucial that you are able to keep an eye on his condition so that you know when to take action.

The most accurate way of doing this is to use a weigh bridge but as there are not many of us that have easy access to one of those, scientists and nutritionists have devised ways by which the horse owner can estimate his horse’s body weight and condition. Weigh tapes are currently the easiest way to estimate your horse’s weight, and whilst they are not completely accurate, they do allow an assessment of whether the horse is losing or gaining weight. These should be used fortnightly, preferably by the same person and at the same time of day.

Condition scoring system

Body condition scoring (BCS) or body fat scoring was set up to help owners, vets and other interested parties to better assess what condition a horse or pony is in. It is easy to identify a horse at either extreme, ie emaciated or obese by looking, but generally it is notoriously difficult to make an assessment of how much body fat a horse is carrying without getting in there for a proper feel! This system allows the owner to assess if his horse is too fat or too thin.

Unfortunately there are in existence three body condition scoring systems (0-5, 1-10 and 1-9). The UK standard is the 0-5 scoring system, where 0 is emaciated and 5 is obese (USA literature will generally refer to the other scales). This system basically involves assessing set, strategic positions on the horse’s body for the amount of fat present, and this is done by feeling with a flat hand (fingers closed). This is a vital skill for horse owners to master, particularly if you have an animal that is prone to weight gain.

Information and help is available

BCS charts and videos on how to fat score can be found on the World Horse Welfare’s web page on their Right Weight page (www.worldhorsewelfare.org/information/right_weight_advice) and on the Blue Cross web page on their Fat Horse Thin page. It is definitely worth taking some time out to watch these videos and get yourself familiar with how to use this system effectively. There is also nothing that can replace experience so try to score as many horses as you can (not just your own), so that you can feel the difference between different horses. Look out for the Right Weight road show as this could give you a chance to be taught how to do it by an expert with a willing model. Obviously when body fat scoring it is vital to be able to tell the difference between fat and muscle. Generally speaking muscle is firm and fat is wobbly. Have a go on yourself by lifting your arm up and without flexing the muscle feel the difference between the top of your arm (muscle) and the bottom of your arm which will be wobbly (fat), this will let you feel the difference, unless you are a finely honed athlete of course! The only exception to this is in horses that have Equine Metabolic Syndrome, where the crest fat can become hard. Again this is where experience is important to be able to tell the difference.

Weight gain or loss takes time

Once you have assessed your horse you may decide that he is either too fat or too thin and that action needs to be taken. The most important thing to realise is that this will not be a quick process, when adjusting a horse’s body condition it is best to think in months, not weeks. Too many horse owners think that they will see a difference within a fortnight or two, and consequently will be chopping and changing feeds and strategies in a vain attempt to get a quick response. This is generally the problem when trying to get a horse to gain weight, and all it succeeds in doing is upsetting the horse’s gut due to many changes in feed. It can take three months to get a thin horse (score of 1-1.5) up to a healthy 2.5-3 score. This allows for safe weight gain without upsetting the gut etc.

Obesity

It takes even longer to get an obese horse down to the correct weight. The obese horse, as WHW knows to their cost, can take up to nine months to get to the correct weight if the obesity was due to overfeeding. Compare this with the three months it takes for the emaciated horse to achieve the correct weight! As mentioned in previous articles these horses must not be starved to achieve the desired weight loss but limit their access to grass and instead feed them with hay that has been soaked for 12 hours so that it is really just gut-fill. Make sure they receive a broad spectrum mineral and vitamin premix as they still require this for overall health. The owner needs to find the motivation to want to help their horse lose weight, as it requires a great deal of commitment and discipline on behalf of the owner. In general if the horse is fit and healthy then it may be hard to find the motivation. Generally once the horse has had a bout of laminitis then the motivation kicks in hard (but not always), and by then it is too late.

The benefits of exercise

Exercise is the most important part of beating obesity in horses and it is most often over-looked. Even if the horse can’t be ridden, perhaps it can be walked in hand, loose schooled or given more space at turnout to allow it to run-around. Most obese ponies and horses are couch-potatoes and won’t self exercise. Horses that are used to a decent level of work generally exercise themselves in the field if they are given any time off; the couch potato horse won’t do this so you have to help him out in whatever way you can. An experiment to show the benefits of exercise in obese horses showed that with just 10 minutes of exercise a day they had already lost significant weight after only two weeks. It should be pointed out however that 8 minutes of this was cantering so was a very intensive exercise session, but even 20-30 minutes at a slower pace will help enormously.

Equip yourself

It is a worthwhile skill to be able to body condition horses correctly; make it one of your goals this year to master this skill. Use it fortnightly along with weigh taping and you should never be in a situation where you have a horse at either extreme of the scale. Remember that changing a horse’s weight takes time in either direction and should be done safely and slowly. Use the help that is available from the feed companies and equine charities to keep your horse fit, healthy and the ‘right weight’.