Released August 20, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Md. – An overweight horse may be a happy horse, but it’s certainly not a healthy horse. Research from the University of Maryland and other universities in Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky all point towards a certain level of fatness associated with a higher risk of horses and ponies developing insulin resistance and/or laminitis.
That level of fatness is a score of equal to or greater than 7 on the Henneke 1-9 body condition score (BCS) system. A horse with a BCS of 7 will have a modest amount of fat deposited along the neck, withers, and behind the shoulder. Individual ribs can be felt but they have noticeable filling of fat in between ribs. Fat around the tailhead will feel soft and they have fat on either side of their spine causing a crease to form down their back.
The ideal level of fatness in a horse varies with their use, but tends to be between a 5 and 6 for most horses. Consult a veterinarian or nutritionist for weight loss strategies for an overweight horse and be sure to read the fact sheet “Trimming the Fat: Weight Loss Strategies for the Overweight Horse” which also outlines how to body condition score horses, http://extension.umd.edu/publications/PDFs/FS843.pdf
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http://www.agnr.umd.edu/news/article.cfm?id=dc9246c70a5a5a8f0063f7c75a7a5c6e
Contact: Amy Burk, amyburk@umd.edu
