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Henneke horse body condition scoring system
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Henneke horse body condition scoring system is a numerical scale used to evaluate the amount of fat on a horse's body. It was developed in the early 1980s by Don Henneke at Texas A&M University with the goal of creating a universal scale to assess horses' bodyweight,[1] and was first published in 1983.[2] It is a standardized system that can be used across all breeds without specialized equipment; condition is assessed visually and by palpation.[3] Scores range from 1 to 9 with 1 being poor and 9 being extremely fat; the ideal range for most horses is from 4 to 6.[3] The system is based on both visual appraisal and palpable fat cover of the six major points of the horse. The system is used by law-enforcement agencies as an objective method of scoring a horse's body condition in horse cruelty cases.[4]
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The concept of a body condition score (BCS) has been adapted for other livestock, especially cattle.[5] Obesity in cats and dogs can be relatively easily diagnosed this way.[6]