How can you tell quickly if your horse is too thin, too fat, or in just the right body condition? Two body condition scoring systems were developed in the 1980s to address these questions. One is used in the United States and several other countries, and includes a scale of 1 to 9. A second system was created in Australia and features a scale of 0 to 5.

• U.S. Body Condition Score Chart (describes a system of scores from 1 to 9, based on research by Henneke and coworkers)
• Australian Body Condition Score Chart (describes a system of scores from 0 to 5)

Relationship Between Condition Score, Physical Measurements and Body Fat Percentage in Mares, the seminal paper by Henneke and coworkers at Texas A&M University, published in 1983 by the Equine Veterinary Journal.