Condition scoring help

[Jane&Ziggy]

Here's a picture of the Zigster walking up our track.



I would like to condition score him but I need some help!

He hasn't got a crest at all. I can feel his ribs, but I can't see them (they were visible a month ago). He doesn't have a gully on his bottom or fat on his tail head. The front of his shoulder looks pretty clean but I am not sure about behind the shoulder - could there be a fat pad there? I am not sure where they generally appear.

Would he be about a 3 at present? Or does the lack of ribs mean he is a 3.5?

 

[popularfurball]

I like this

http://www.habitatforhorses.org/the-henneke-body-condition-scoring-system/

If you score each section and average it out from total scores

I would say he has a fat pat at the base of withers/behind shoulder but it's difficult to tell xx

 

[Jessey]

Yeah you really need to get hands on to BCS I like the 1-9 scale too as feel its more precise

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

Yes I think that's where he keeps it. If he only has one fat pad - oh I think probably a 6 or a 5.5

 

[Jessey]

If he's all 5's elsewhere and one 6 the average would be (5+5+5+5+5+6)/6=5.16 so not far above the ideal at all

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

Gotta keep that weight off!!!

 

[Mary Poppins]

It is very hard to say without touching him, but I would be having a good feel around his shoulder area as it looks to me as there could be some fat pads lurking. I was prodding Bens this morning and thinking how an earth I am supposed to get rid of them.

I am very confused about crests at the moment. My instructor and grooms on the yard all tell me that Ben is developing lovely muscles and that I should be really proud. He is working for 2 hours per day most days doing a mixture of schooling, jumping and hacking, so he certainly should be building himself up. He is working into an outline now and his back end is much more powerful. However, I still think that the 'muscle' building on his neck, is infact fat and his neck is cresty. No-one else agrees with me and thinks that I am obsessively worrying about his weight, but I just cannot get my vets words of warning of his weight out of my head. It's like a voice that follows me around constantly telling me 'Ben is too fat, has EMS and will probably get laminitis'.

 

[KP nut]

From my highly inexpert eye, he looks totally fine. You aren't supposed to be able to see ribs - feeling but not seeing is fine. No apple bum, no crest, ribs that can be felt. That;s a lot more than can be said for me!!

 

[Jessey]

@Mary Poppins the best advice I received re crests is to find and follow the nuchal ligament, anything above it is fat because there are no muscles above it, the muscles are below it, so its easy to clearly define what you have