BCS is a tool to estimate the amount of body fat contained in a horse. Body fat is a form of energy that the horse can mobilize to meet its energy requirements if fed an energy-deficient diet. The BCS system used in horse management scores horses in a range of 1 (starved) to 9 (obese) with an initial score of 5.5 - 6 for performance horses, 7 - 7.5 for broodmares at parturition, etc. Body fat content is estimated visually and/or by palpating the following areas:
* Side of the neck
* Top line (withers to tailhead)
* Rib cage
* Behind the shoulder
* The hook and pin bones
* Point of the shoulder
* Inner buttocks
The BCS is actually a measure of how effective the energy content of a diet is in meeting a horse's energy requirement. Underfeeding energy will cause a horse to mobilize or convert body fat to energy to meet its needs for activity, body maintenance, and work. The result is a lowering of BCS. Horses that consume a high-energy diet that exceeds their energy requirement will convert the dietary energy into body fat, resulting in an increased body condition score. The BCS can be adjusted up or down by increasing the concentrate intake by ±20%. Using this method, the BCS will be adjusted in approximately 2 weeks, assuming adequate quality and amounts of forage are fed.
