United States Equine Rescue League

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Henneke Body Condition Scoring Chart

Illustration Key: A. Along Neck B. Along the Withers C. Crease Down Back D. Tailhead E. Ribs F. Behind Shoulder

Condition		Neck	Withers	Loin	Tailhead	Ribs	Shoulder
1	Poor	Bone structure easily noticeable	Bone structure easily noticeable	Spinous processes project prominently	Tailhead (pinbones) and hook bones projecting prominently	Ribs projecting prominently	Bone structure easily noticeable
		Animal extremely emaciated; no fatty tissue
2	Very Thin	Faintly discernible	Faintly discernible	Slight fat covering overbase of spinous processes. Transverse processes of lumbar vertebrae feel rounded. Spinous processes are prominent.	Tailhead prominent	Ribs prominent	Faintly discernible
3	Thin	Neck accentuated	Withers accentuated	Fat buildup halfway on spinous processes but easily discernible. Transverse processes cannot be felt.	Tailhead prominent but individual vertebrae cannot be visually identified. Hook bones appear rounded, but are still easily discernible. Pin bones not distinguishable.	Slight fat cover over ribs. Ribs easily discernible.	Shoulder accentuated.
4	Moderately Thin	Neck not obviously thin	Withers not obviously thin	Negative crease along back	Prominence depends on conformation; fat can be felt. Hook bones not discernible	Faint outline discernible	Shoulder not obviously thin
5	Moderate	Neck blends smoothly into body	Withers rounded over spinous processes	Back level	Fat around tailhead beginning to feel spongy	Ribs cannot be visually distinguished but can be easily felt	Shoulder blends smoothly into body
6	Moderately Fleshy	Fat beginning to be deposited	Fat beginning to be deposited	May have slight positive crease down back	Fat around tailhead feels soft	Fat over ribs feels spongy	Fat beginning to be deposited
7	Fleshy	Fat deposited along neck	Fat deposited along withers	May have positive crease down back	Fat around tailhead is soft	Individual ribs can be felt, but noticeable filling between ribs with fat	Fat deposited behind shoulder
8	Fat	Noticeable thickening of neck	Area along withers filled with fat	Positive crease down back	Tailhead fat very soft	Difficult to feel ribs	Area behind shoulder filled in flush with body
		Fat deposited along inner buttocks
9	Extremely Fat	Bulging fat	Bulging fat	Obvious positive crease down back	Building fat around tailhead	Patchy fat appearing over ribs	Bulging fat
		Fat along inner buttocks may rub together Flank filled in flush