Body Condition Scoring Flashcards
what is the industry ideal BCS? where does Schobert like her horses?
Industry: 5
Schobert: 6
where is evaluated first when looking for BCS? where do you look last?
ribs and loin first
behind the shoulder last
areas emphasized in BCS
loin
ribs
tail head
whithers
neck
shoulder
where is the first place a horse will grow weight
loin
T/F at a BCS of 5 the ribs should not be visual but should be palpable with approximately 5 lbs of force
TRUE
how is the tailhead used to evaluate BCS
as horse gains weight fat fills in around tailhead and area will start to bulge
which breed of horse generally have prominent withers? which generally doesn’t?
Prominent: TB
non prominent: QH
where is fat deposited along the neck
crest
side of neck
throatlatch
why is the amount of fat on a horses neck important
fat horses will have trouble collecting, or breathing while collected
how will heavy horses look in their shoulder
smooth around the shoulder
no expression of muscling
physical look of BCS 1(poor)
-extremely emaciated
-neck and shoulder structure easily noticeable
-hips, hooks, and pins projecting prominently
-no fatty tissue can be felt
physical look of BCS 2(very thin)
-emaciated
-slight amount of fat over spinous processes
-hips, hooks, and pins prominent
-neck and shoulder structure faintly noticeable
physical look of BCS 3(thin)
-fat build up about halfway on spinous processes
-transverse processes cannot be felt
-prominent tailhead, but not individual vertebrae
-rounded but discernable hooks
-pins not noticeable
physical look of BCS 4(moderately thin)
-slight ridge along back
-faint outline of ribs
-neck and shoulder not obviously thin
-hooks not discernable
physical look of BCS 5(moderate)
-back is flat
-ribs not distinguishable
-shoulder and neck blend smoothly into body
physical look of BCS 6(moderately fleshy)
-slight crease down back
-spongy fat on ribs and tailhead
-fat along neck, shoulder, and withers
physical look of BCS 7(fleshy)
-crease down back
-fat depostit along shoulders, and neck
-noticable filling of fat between ribs
physical look of BCS 8(fat)
-crease down back
-difficult to feel ribs
-soft fat around tailhead, withers
-shoulder and inner thigh fat deposition
physical look of BCS 9(extremely fat)
-obvious crease down back
-patchy fat over ribs
-bulging fat on tailhead, withers, behind shoulder, and along neck
-inner thighs may rub together
-flank filled with fat
T/F as BCS increases above a 5 in horses reproductive performance goes down
FALSE
reproductive effect of BCS less than 4
-delayed first ovulation
-require more cycles per conception(2.6-3.6)
-reduced pregnancy rates(55%-75%)
-increased early embryonic loss
at what BCS will horses have no energy stores and resort to muscle breakdown for energy
3 or less
above what BCS does the horse become more prone to lameness
above 7
weight estimation equation
W=(HG^2 x BL)/330
