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Henneke Body Condition Scoring System

Don Henneke, PhD, developed the Henneke Body Condition Scoring System during his graduate study at Texas A & M University . It is based on both visual appraisal and palpable fat cover of the six major points of the horse that are most responsive to changes in body fat. The Henneke Chart is a standardized scoring system, whereas the terms, "skinny", "thin", "emaciated" or "fat" are all subjective terms that have different meanings to different people.

The Henneke Scoring System is a scientific method of evaluating a horse's body condition regardless of breed, body type, sex or age. It is now widely used by law enforcement agencies as an objective method of scoring a horse's body condition in horse cruelty cases. The Chart is accepted in a court of law.

Six parts of a horse are checked in this system—the neck, withers (where the neck ends and the back begins), shoulder, ribs, loin, and tailhead. When using the Henneke system, you should always make physical contact with these parts, and the kind of touch you use is important. Simply stroking the animal lightly won't provide an accurate idea of the horse's condition; you have to apply pressure to each part in turn.

The pressure you apply should be much like that of a massage; if you press a horse's side with your hand, you'll be able to feel the fat covering his ribs, and get an idea of how much fat is present. Likewise, when checking the withers, feel all around the area, as if you were squeezing firm clay. It is possible to be firm and gentle at the same time, and both traits are necessary to properly score a horse.

After pressing each part of the horse with your hands to feel for body fat. You then assign each area of the body the numerical score that corresponds with the horse's condition. When a horse has a long haircoat it is imperative that you use your hands to feel the horse. The horse's long haircoat will hide the protrusion of bones, all except in the most extreme cases. The scores from each area are then totaled and divided by 6. The resulting number is the horse's rating on the Henneke Body Scoring Condition Chart.

Conformational differences between horses may make certain criteria within each score difficult to apply to every animal. In these instances, those areas influenced by conformation should be discounted, but not ignored when determining the condition score.

Conformation also changes in pregnant mares as they approach parturition (birth). Since the weight of the conceptus tends to pull the skin and musculature tighter over the back and ribs, emphasis is placed upon fat deposition behind the shoulder, around the tailhead and along the neck and withers in these cases.

The Chart rates the horses on a scale of 1 to 9. A score of 1 is considered poor or emaciated with no body fat. A 9 is extremely fat or obese. Horse veterinarians consider a body score of between 4 and 7 as acceptable. A 5 is considered ideal.
CONDITION
NECK
WITHERS
SHOULDER
RIBS
LOIN
TAILHEAD
1
POOR

Bone structure easily noticeable

Bone structure easily noticeable

Bone structure easily noticeable

Ribs protruding prominently

Spinous processes projecting prominently

Tailhead, pinbones, and hook bones projecting prominently
2
VERY THIN

Bone structure faintly discernible

Bone structure faintly discernible

Bone structure faintly discernible

Ribs prominent

Slight fat covering over base of spinous processes. Transverse processes of lumbar vertebrae feel rounded. Spinous processes are prominent

Tailhead prominent
3
THIN

Neck accentuated

Withers accentuated

Shoulder accentuated

Slight fat cover over ribs. Ribs easily discernible

Fat buildup halfway on spinous processes, but easily discernible. Traverse processes cannot be felt

Tailhead prominent but individual vertebrae cannot be visually identified. Hook bones appear rounded, but are still easily discernible. Pin bones not distinguishable.
4
MODERATELY THIN

Neck not obviously thin

Withers not obviously thin

Shoulder not obviously thin

Faint outline of ribs discernible

Negative crease (peaked appearance) along back

Prominence depends on conformation. Fat can be felt. Hook bones not discernible
5
MODERATE

Neck blends smoothly into body

Withers rounded over spinous processes

Shoulder blends smoothly into body

Ribs cannot be visually distinguished, but can be easily felt

Back is level

Fat around tailhead beginning to feel soft
6
MODERATELY FLESHY

Fat beginning to be deposited

Fat beginning to be deposited

Fat beginning to be deposited

Fat over ribs feels spongy

May have a slight positive crease (a groove) down back

Fat around tailhead feels soft
7
FLESHY

Fat deposited along neck

Fat deposited along withers

Fat deposited behind shoulder

Individual ribs can be felt with pressure, but noticeable fat filling between ribs

May have a positive crease down the back

Fat around tailhead is soft
8
FAT

Noticeable thickening of neck

Area along withers filled with fat

Area behind shoulder filled in flush with body

Difficult to feel ribs

Positive crease down the back

Fat around tailhead very soft
9
EXTREMELY FAT

Bulging fat

Bulging fat

Bulging fat

Patchy fat appearing over ribs

Obvious crease down the back

Bulging fat around tailhead

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