Horse Body Condition Score Chart(BCS)

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Diagram showing key focus areas for equine body condition assessment, including neck, back, ribs, behind the shoulder, flank, tailhead, tuber sacral, tuber coxae, tuber ischii, inner thigh, and loin, with red highlighting specific areas.

Areas of Focus for Horses

1. Neck

2. Withers          

3. Back

4. Tailhead        

5. Ribs

6. Behind the shoulder

How to Check Your Horse’s Body Condition

A horse body condition score uses the Henneke 1–9 scale to estimate body fat at specific locations. It helps you decide whether to adjust feed and exercise.

Scores range from 1 (emaciated) to 9 (obese). For most pleasure and light-work horses, an ideal BCS is ~5 (some disciplines prefer 4–6). Always judge by sight and touch—long hair can hide changes.

Stand back and look at the whole horse, then feel each region. Focus on fat cover over the neck/crest, withers, behind the shoulder, ribs, loin (back), and tailhead. Compare what you see and feel to a standard Henneke chart.

  • Too thin: easily seen ribs and backbone; hollow behind shoulders; sharp hips/tailhead
  • Ideal (~5): ribs easy to feel but not obvious; level back (no crease); slight fat at tailhead
  • Overweight/Obese: ribs hard to feel; spongy fat on neck crest/behind shoulders; crease along back; fat pads at tailhead
Key Areas to Evaluate
  • Neck / crest (firm or “cresty” fat)
  • Withers (flat vs. padded)
  • Behind the shoulder (fat shelves)
  • Ribs (palpable without digging)
  • Loin / back (level vs. crease)
  • Tailhead (soft, bulging fat pads)

This Equine Body Condition Score (BCS) chart is based on Dr. Don Henneke’s original work from 1983. It provides a framework for assessing a horse’s overall health based on fat distribution.

Other helpful tools include the Cresty Neck Score, which visually evaluates fat along the neck to identify horses at risk for metabolic disorders, and a Muscle Condition Score to identify areas of muscle loss or imbalance.

Horse Body Condition Score (BCS) Chart (1–9) Descriptions

1 Emaciated

Extremely emaciated with very poor

body condition

Neck - Noticeable bone structure

Withers - Noticeable none structure

Loin - Spinous processes project prominently

Tailhead & Hookbones - Project prominently

Ribs - Project prominently

Shoulders - Noticeable bone structure

2 Very Thin

Very thin and emaciated with a slight fat covering over base of spinous processes

Neck - Faintly discernible

Withers- Noticeable bone structure

Loin- Transverse processes of lumbar vertebrae feel rounded; spinous processes project prominently

Tailhead - Prominent

Ribs - Prominent

Shoulders - Faintly discernible

3 Thin

Neck - Accentuated

Withers - Accentuated

Loin - Fat buildup halfway on spinous processes but easily discernible; cannot feel transverse processes

Tailhead - Prominent but individual vertebrae cannot be felt; hookbones appear round and are discernible. Pin bones are not distinguishable.

Ribs - Discernible with light fat cover over the ribs

Shoulders - Accentuated

4 Moderately Thin

Neck - Not overtly thin

Withers - Not overtly thin

Loin - Slight crease along the back

Tailhead - Hookbones not discernable; fat can be felt, but prominence varies between horses

Ribs - Faint outline discernable

Shoulders - Accentuated

5 Moderate

Neck-The back is flat with no ridge

or crease

Withers - Rounded over spinous processes

Loin - The back is level

Tailhead - Area feels spongy

Ribs - Easily felt but not visible

Shoulder - Blends smoothly into the body

6 Fleshy

Neck - Some fat accumulation

Withers - Some fat accumulation

Loin - May have a slight positive crease along back

Tailhead - Area feels soft

Ribs - Area over the ribs feels spongy

Shoulders - Some fat accumulation

7 Overweight

Neck - Fat accumulation

Withers - Fat accumulation

Loin - May have a positive crease along the back

Tailhead - Feels soft

Ribs - Individual ribs can be felt; noticeable filling between the ribs with fat

Shoulders - Fat accumulation

8 Obesity

Neck - Noticeable thickening

Withers - Area filled with fat

Loin - Positive crease along the back

Tailhead - Feels very soft

Ribs - Difficult to feel

Shoulders - Area is filled in, flush with the body

9 Extreme Obesity

The horse has a very rounded

appearance with pronounced fat deposits

Neck - Bulging fat

Withers - Bulging fat

Loin - Positive crease down the back

Tailhead - Bulging fat

Ribs - Patchy fat over the ribs

Shoulders - Bulging fat

Illustration of a tan horse viewed from the side and from the rear, showing detailed anatomy and coat texture.