What is the Henneke horse body condition scoring system?
Devised by Dr. Henneke from Texas A&M University back in the early 1980s, the scoring system is the now used the world over to measure a horse’s condition. It measures certain areas along the horse’s body to get an overall score that gives the horse’s condition. The official characteristics of the scoring from Dr. Henneke’s paper are:
1 – Poor
- Neck – Bone structure easily noticeable, animal extremely emaciated, no fatty tissue can be felt.
- Withers – Bone structure easily noticeable.
- Loin – Spinous processes project prominently.
- Tailhead – Spinous processes project prominently.
- Ribs – Tailhead (pinbone) and hook bones project prominently.
- Shoulder – Bone structure easily noticeable.
2 – Very Thin
- Neck – Faintly discernible, animal emaciated.
- Withers – Faintly discernible.
- Loin – Slight fat covering over base of spinous processes. Transverse processes of lumbar vertebrae feel rounded. Spinous processes are prominent.
- Tailhead – Tailhead prominent.
- Ribs – Slight fat cover over ribs. Ribs easily discernible.
- Shoulder – Shoulder accentuated.
3 – Thin
- Neck – Neck accentuated.
- Withers – Withers accentuated.
- Loin – Fat buildup halfway on spinous processes but easily discernable. Transverse processes cannot be felt.
- Tailhead – Tailhead prominent but individual vertebrae cannot be visually identified. Hook bones appear rounded but are still easily discernable. Pin bones not distinguishable.
- Ribs – Slight fat cover over ribs. Ribs easily discernible.
- Shoulder – Shoulder accentuated.
4 – Moderately Thin
- Neck – Neck not obviously thin.
- Withers – Withers not obviously thin.
- Loin – Negative crease along the back.
- Tailhead – Prominence depends on conformation; fat can be felt. Hook bones not discernable.
- Ribs – Faint outline discernable.
- Shoulder – Shoulder not obviously thin.
5 – Moderate
- Neck – Neck blends smoothly into the body.
- Withers – Withers rounded over spinous processes.
- Loin – Back level.
- Tailhead – Fat around tailhead beginning to feel spongy.
- Ribs – Ribs cannot be visually distinguished but can be easily felt.
- Shoulder – Shoulder blends smoothly into the body.
6 – Moderate Fleshy
- Neck – Fat beginning to be deposited.
- Withers – Fat beginning to be deposited.
- Loin – May have a slight positive crease down back.
- Tailhead – Fat around tailhead feels soft.
- Ribs – Fat around tailhead feels soft.
- Shoulder – Fat beginning to be deposited.
7 – Fleshy
- Neck – Fat deposited along the neck.
- Withers – Fat deposited along the neck.
- Loin – May have a positive crease down back.
- Tailhead – Fat around tailhead is soft.
- Ribs – Individual ribs can be felt, but noticeable filling between ribs with fat.
- Shoulder – Fat deposited behind the shoulder.
8 – Fat
- Neck – Noticeable thickening of the neck, fat deposited along inner buttocks.
- Withers – Area along withers filled with fat.
- Loin – Positive crease down back.
- Tailhead – Tailhead fat very soft.
- Ribs – Difficult to feel ribs.
- Shoulder – Area behind shoulder filled in flush with the body.
9 – Extremely Fat
- Neck – Bulging fat. Fat along inner buttocks may rub together. Flank filled in flush.
- Withers – Bulging fat.
- Loin – Obvious positive crease down back.
- Tailhead – Building fat around tailhead.
- Ribs – Patchy fat appearing over ribs.
- Shoulder – Bulging fat.
From Henneke et al. Equine Vet J. (1983) 15 (4), 371-2.
Common mistakes
There are a few common mistakes that people make when checking a horse’s vital signs but luckily they’re all pretty easy to avoid.
- Make sure you follow the guidelines for how long to leave the thermometer in for, if you don’t you’ll end up with a false reading.
- If the horse is nervous you’ll get higher than normal TPR readings, instead wait until he’s more relaxed.
- If you don’t check your horse’s vital signs regularly you won’t know what’s normal for him. You don’t need to check them every day, once a month is fine.
- Make sure you count your horse’s heartbeat properly. The heart will make a ‘lub-dub’ sound, this is one beat so make sure you don’t count it was two.
- If you don’t have a watch make sure you count the seconds properly, it’s easy to count a few seconds for everyone. Try adding a bumblebee to every second, for example, one bumblebee, two bumblebees, three bumblebees, etc. It might sound silly but it helps you to count the seconds properly.
Page 1 – Your horse’s vital signs
