Body Condition Resources for Horse Owners

Many horse owners struggle to determine if their horse is the correct weight. Should you be able to feel your horse’s ribs? What is the optimal amount of fat on a horse going into winter? The questions surrounding nutrition and healthy weight are endless. To make assessing body condition easier, Kentucky Equine Research has created the Body Condition Resources Center. Horse owners can access in-depth information on a variety of topics such as body condition scoring, managing hard and easy keepers, ways to safely feed malnourished horses, tips on feeding for reproductive health, and more.

According to researchers, assessing body weight and recognizing a healthy weight continues to be challenging, even among seasoned owners. “In one study, 37% of owners reported a horse was in moderate body weight, whereas researchers reported that 45% of those same horses were not simply overweight but obese. On the flip side, 28% of owners considered a horse overweight while researchers reported those same horses as having a normal body weight,” explained Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., a Kentucky Equine Research nutritionist.* “In other words, it is just as easy to miss an overweight horse as a thin horse and, importantly, both extremes have consequences.”

While the articles and videos in the Body Condition Resources Center are a great place for horse owners to begin, it’s important to take the knowledge and apply it to their horses or herds at home. Understanding how to use body condition scoring will give horse owners the tools they need to ensure the nutritional requirements of their horses are being met through feed and forage. “Owners will be most successful at designing optimal nutrition plans for their horses based on BCS if they work with an equine nutritionist, use online calculators to determine digestible energy, and consider having their feeds and forages analyzed. Knowing a horse’s BCS will help the horse owner, veterinarian, or professional make informed energy management decisions for the horse,” advised Crandell.

*Catalano, D.N., R.J. Coleman, M.R. Hathaway, et al. 2019. Estimation of actual and ideal bodyweight using morphometric measurements of miniature, saddle-type, and Thoroughbred Horses. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 78:117-122.