Whole Horse Hoof Care

The information below has been taken from the Blue Cross website. More information can be found here.....https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/how-body-score-your-horse

It is easiest to split the horse into three areas:

• The neck and shoulders
• The middle
• The quarters

Many horses carry their fat unevenly on their bodies, so you will often have to average the scores of the different areas. For example, you may see a horse that looks ‘ribby’ but is actually overweight because it carries a lot of fat on its neck and quarters.

• Fat will feel spongy under your fingers and muscle more firm.
• Dangerous crest fat will harden when it has been there for a while and often rocks from side to side when the horse walks.

           What to look and feel for

• Fat forming a crest and thickening the neck; you should be able to see muscles and feel where the bones are. 
• Fat covering the withers and backbone (the spinous processes of the spine). There should be barely any - you should be able to feel the bones underneath a supple covering of skin. Fat will build up either side of the spine until it is higher than the spine itself creating a 'gutter'.
• Fat behind the shoulder and where the shoulder blends into the neck. There should be clear defi nition around the shoulder blade; fat will fill in the hollow in front of the shoulder and build up a pad behind the shoulder.
• Fat over the ribs - there should be a little fat between the ribs but not over them. This way you can feel but not see them.
• The definition of the bony points of the pelvis (croup and point of hip) - a healthy layer of fat under the skin will not cover up the bones; you should be able to see where they are and certainly feel them.
• From behind - the quarters should slope down away from the croup. An 'M' shape with a gutter along the backbone will be due to a large layer of fat. Fat builds up on the inner thighs too – lift up the tail to look.

           Horse body scoring

 

                                                               

0 = Emaciated **No fatty tissue can be felt – skin tight over bones Shape of individual bones visible **Marked ewe-neck **Very prominent backbone and pelvis **Very sunken rump **Deep cavity under tail **Large gap between thighs

 

                                                                 

1 = Very thin **Barely any fatty tissue – shape of bones visible **Narrow ewe-neck **Ribs easily visible **Prominent backbone, croup and tail head **Sunken rump **Cavity under tail **Gap between thighs

 

                                                                   

2 = Very lean **Very thin layer of fat under the skin **Narrow neck – muscles sharply defined **Backbone covered but still protruding **Withers, shoulders and neck accentuated **Ribs just visible **Hip bones easily visible but rounded **Rump sloping from backbone to point of hips, only rounded if very fit

 

                                                                  

3 = Healthy weight **Thin layer of fat under the skin **Muscles on neck less defined **Shoulders and neck blend smoothly into body **Back is flat or forms only a slight ridge **Ribs not visible but easily felt **Rump beginning to appear rounded **Hip bones just visible

 

                                                                      

4 = Fat **Muscles hard to determine **Spongy fat developing on crest **Fat behind shoulders **Ribs and pelvis difficult to feel **Rump well rounded – apple shaped from behind **Spongy fat around tail head **Gutter along back

 

                                                                         

5 = Obese **Blocky, bloated appearance **Muscles not visible **Pronounced crest with hard fat **Pads of fat; ribs cannot be felt **Deep gutter along back and rump **Lumps of fat around tail head **Very bulging apple shaped rump **Inner thighs pressing together