How can you tell whether your horse is too thin, too heavy, or in just the right body condition? This free downloadable chart prepared by Kentucky Equine Research uses pictures and directions to guide horse owners through the easy steps to match their horses to body condition scores from 1 (poor) to 9 (extremely fat).

Most healthy horses have body condition scores between 4 and 6. Healthy horses can be thinner or heavier, and certain life stages may prompt scores outside this range. As researchers study metabolic issues that influence body weight, it is becoming obvious that maintaining horses in moderate body condition may be much healthier than keeping them […]

Hindgut acidosis is a common problem in horses consuming large quantities of either grain or fructan-rich forages. This dietary regimen may lead to shifts in hindgut acidity when a portion of the grain starch is not digested in the small intestine. Passing into the cecum and colon, the starch is rapidly fermented, changing the environment […]

Several metabolic disorders are common in modern breeds of horses. Many of these disorders such as
equine Cushing’s disease (ECD), equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), osteochondritis dissecans (OCD), recurrent
equine rhabdomyolysis (RER), and polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) can be managed
nutritionally by careful regulation of caloric intake with particular attention paid to the source of energy provided.

Nutritional Management of Mares – The Foundation of a Strong Skeleton PJ Huntington, E Owens, K Crandell and JD Pagan NZ Eq Vet Pract Dec 2007 p 14 – 35

Lawrence, L. A. and J. D. Pagan. 2005. Nutritional management of developmental orthopedic disease in the equine. In: Proc. 3 rd Mid-Atlantic Nutrition Conf. Timonium, MD. March 23 -24. pp. 7 – 184.

Size Matters at the Sales; JD Pagan, A Koch and S Caddel NZ Eq Vet Pract June 2005 p 7 – 14.

Although the majority of horses can be managed using methods that group them based on age, activity level, or stage of production (i.e., pregnant mares or weanlings), some horses fall outside of the “norm.”

Feeding Management of Horses under stressful conditions JD Pagan NZ Eq VET Pract March 2004 p 4-14.

Crandell KM. 2001. The pros and cons of pasture. Trail Blazer Magazine, April. p. 45-47.