The Body Condition Score (BCS) for horses is designed to score a horse from 1 (on death's door step) to 9 (the horse has enough fat to float in a pond like a fishing bob) with the middle score of 5 being ideal. Most horse diseases and lameness come to horses in the 7, 8, and 9 scores while horse thst are 5 or 4 are looked down upon by society as being thin, even though they are healthier.
As much as the pictures of a BCS of 1 horrify viewers, the pictures of BCS 8 and 9 should be just as disturbing.
[wpanchor id="bcs1"]BCS 1 - Poor - Extremely emaciated with no fatty tissue anywhere. Skin covering bones. "On death's doorstep."
BCS 1
BCS 1
BCS 1
BCS 1 - Penny - a story of love of owners and horse. This is a 35 + year old horse in the best of care. She has less than half of her teeth and I have done the dental work on her for at least 10 years. She is just fading away and will be missed terribly. Her head hangs out of the end stall to let her owners know that she is still alive.
BCS 1
BCS 1
BCS 1
BCS 1
BCS 1
BCS 1
[wpanchor id="bcs2"]BCS 2 - Very Thin ~ Emaciated. The skeleton is clearly visible.
BCS 2
BCS 2
BCS 2
BCS 2
BCS 2
BCS 2
BCS 2
[wpanchor id="bcs3"]BCS 3 - Thin - Slight fat covers the body so the skeleton is still discernible but doesn’t pop out. There is a narrow space between the inner thighs.
BCS 3
BCS 3
BCS 3
BCS 3
[wpanchor id="bcs4"]BCS 4 - Moderately Thin - Spine ridge and rib outline are visible. The tail head may be visible.
BCS 4
BCS 4
BCS 4
BCS 4
BCS 4
BCS 4
BCS 4
BCS 4
BCS 4
BCS 4
BCS 4
BCS 4
BCS 4
BCS 4
BCS 4
BCS 4
BCS 4
BCS 4
BCS 4
[wpanchor id="bcs5"]BCS 5 - Moderate ~ The spine and ribs cannot be seen but can easily be felt with a light touch. The withers, shoulders, and neck are smooth and rounded. Fat can be felt at the tail head. This is ideal.
BCS 5
BCS 5
BCS 5
BCS 5
BCS 5
BCS 5
BCS 5
BCS 5
BCS 5
[wpanchor id="bcs6"]BCS 6 - Moderately Fleshy ~ A slight trough above the backbone but not the tail head. Fat can easily be felt over the ribs and tail head and fat deposits can be seen along the withers, neck, and shoulders.
BCS 6
BCS 6
BCS 6
BCS 6
BCS 6
BCS 6
BCS 6
BCS 6
BCS 6
[wpanchor id="bcs7"]BCS 7 - Fleshy ~ A moderate trough along the backbone and more fat covering the ribs, tail head, withers, neck, and shoulders.
BCS 7
BCS 7
BCS 7
[wpanchor id="bcs8"]BCS 8 - Fat ~ Discernible crease down spine and ribs difficult to feel. The neck is large for the horse. Fat is deposited on the tail head, withers, shoulders, neck, inner thighs.
BCS 8
BCS 8
BCS 8
BCS 8
BCS 8
BCS 8
BCS 8
BCS 8
BCS 8
[wpanchor id="bcs9"]BCS 9 - Extremely Fat ~ Very discernible crease down the spine; patches of fat on the tail head, shoulders and neck; fat dimples on the flanks and buttocks. This horse could float on water like a fishing bob.
BCS 9
BCS 9
BCS 9
BCS 9
You must be logged in to post a comment.