Henneke horse body condition scoring system

[3] The system is based on both visual appraisal and palpable fat cover of the six major points of the horse.

The energy demands of milk production for a foal are very high, so most mares lose condition while lactating.

Higher body condition scores have not been shown to affect reproduction, but are unhealthy for the horse.

[10] Horses with a very high body condition score carry too much weight, which interferes with stamina and biomechanics.

The authors discuss for their first study the role of substrate depletion at sub-maximal exercise levels, but also the possibility that horses had a negative energy intake before the race due to their high exercise levels, possibly also leading to a decrease in muscle mass.

On extremely cold days, a horse cannot eat enough feed to balance the energy requirements of maintaining body heat, so condition is often lost over winter.

Body condition score can be affected by a variety of factors such as feed intake, weather, exercise, metabolic diseases such as equine metabolic syndrome, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, illness, tooth issues, parasitic infections, reproduction, and many others.