The saga of spring and horse ownership… brisk mornings, fresh horses, and getting covered in shedding hair during grooming sessions. With all the time spent grooming for a lustrous coat, it is an opportunity to check in on your horse’s current health and wellness status. Taking a multifaceted approach to your horse’s wellness can lead to a better understanding of areas your horse might be struggling with and bring to light appropriate areas that need adjustment. Some methods of scoring a horse’s body composition that complement Body Condition Scoring (BCS) are Cresty Neck Scoring, Muscling Evaluation, Muscle Atrophy Scoring System (MASS), evaluating their topline, and reassessing their activity level.
Figure 1: J. Ross Photography, LLC.
Body Condition Scoring
The Henneke Body Condition Scoring system is considered the industry’s golden standard for monitoring the development of adipose tissue in 6 key areas on the horse’s body: crest of the neck, withers, behind the shoulder, rib cage area, the loin area, and tailhead. Once you have evaluated all 6 areas on a scale of 1-9, you add them all together and divide by 6, averaging the overall BCS score.
The reason we want to monitor a horse’s BSC is to ensure that it stays at a healthy or ideal score. Too much fat accumulation can begin to have detrimental effects on the horse’s health status. It is important to note that this Henneke system strictly focuses on adipose tissue; it doesn’t define actual body weight, nor does it define quality muscling or topline.
Weight
The breed, environment, feeding program, and management practices are some factors that can affect a horse’s weight. A true weight can be achieved with a scale, or guestimates can be acquired with methods like weight tapes or specific measurements. While a guestimate is handy information, it does not give a full indication of the horse’s health or wellness status. Pairing this information with the horse’s BCS and other key factors gives some trajectory to creating an appropriate diet plan for the horse.
Activity Level
Understanding the horse’s activity level is important to know when choosing the right feeds for them. We also need to know when this activity level changes, so we can make proper adjustments. If horses are going into training, or going on layup, we have a change in nutrition requirements to adjust for.
The National Research Council (NRC) defines activity levels for horses at maintenance, or working/in training at light, moderate, heavy, or intense activity levels.
Figure 2: Diamond R Quarter Horses head trainer, Brandt Ross with their stud, Togo, and pup, Tuck.
Elk Grove Milling, Inc. has been manufacturing high-quality horse feeds since 1982 and is best known for their feed line called Stable Mix. Now, Elk Grove Milling, Inc. is proudly launching its new equine feed line, Stable MAX. Formulated with the active performance horse in mind, these new feeds target gut health and immune support, promote healthy skin, coat, hoof integrity, connective tissue, reproductive function, and promote feed efficiency. Enhancing overall health and performance, allowing your horse to thrive to its natural potential. Check at a local feed store near you and request Stable MAX feeds for your horse.
