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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 ]
The horse is considered a "thin animal" (with little fat), whose weight is divided into approximately 11 % bone, 50 % muscle and 9 % fat; [2] but a large number of factors influence its weight. Some breeds (draft horses) are naturally heavier than others , and differ in size and bone structure, so the weight range of horses is highly variable.
Whilst they are not as accurate as performing DEXA scans that measure true body fat percentage, Body Condition Scoring is quick, non-invasive and requires no specialist equipment, just the scoring charts and a clinician. Similar systems exist for livestock. [8] For horses there is the Henneke horse body condition scoring system.
A horse that has not previously had trouble maintaining weight that suddenly begins to lose weight for no apparent reason is not a hard keeper. This type of weight loss is usually a sign of a health problem. In most cases, the horse may require worming to remove internal parasites, or it could have a dental problem that requires floating of the ...
Obese horses are usually fed hay at a level of 1.5% ideal body weight, which may be dropped to 1% of body weight if no weight loss is realized after 30 days. However, feeding less than 1% of body weight in forage is not recommended, since secondary problems such as hyperlipemia and stereotypies can occur, and insulin resistance may actually be ...
Horses require substantial amounts of clean water every day. Water makes up between 62-68% of a horse's body weight and is essential for life. [14] Horses can only live a few days without water, [13] becoming dangerously dehydrated if they lose 8-10% of their natural body water. [14]
Compared to traditional metrics, such as the body mass index (BMI), (which uses weight and height), BRI may improve predictions of the amount of body fat and the volume of visceral adipose tissue. Despite its common use, BMI can misclassify individuals as obese because it does not distinguish between a person's lean body mass and fat mass ...
This is an accepted version of this page This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 9 February 2025. Relative weight based on mass and height Medical diagnostic method Body mass index (BMI) Chart showing body mass index (BMI) for a range of heights and weights in both metric and imperial. Colours indicate BMI categories defined by the World Health Organization ; underweight, normal ...