Equine Body Condition Scoring Developed by Don Henneke, Ph.D. at Texas A & M University. It is based on both visual appraisal and palpable fat cover of the six major points of the horse that are most responsive to changes in body fat. The Henneke Chart is a standardized scoring system, instead of using subjective terms that have different meanings to different people. The Henneke Scoring System is a scientific method of evaluating a horse's body condition regardless of breed, body type, sex or age. The Henneke System of Body Condition Scoring uses a 1-9 scale to rate a horse's overall body condition. A horse with a body condition score of 1 is emaciated and, in most cases, in danger of starving to death, while a horse with a body condition score of 9 is extremely obese. Normal healthy horses have a body condition score from 4-7. The Scoring System is now widely used by law enforcement agencies as an objective method of scoring a horse's body condition in horse cruelty cases. The Chart is accepted in a court of law. Six parts of a horse are checked in this system: the neck, withers (where the neck ends and the back begins), shoulder, ribs, loin, and tailhead. 0 Very thin - bone structure easily felt; no muscle shelf where neck meets shoulder; bone structure spinous process can be easily felt; 3 points of vertebrae and each rib can be easily felt; tailhead and hip bones projecting. 1 Thin - can feel bone structure; slight shelf where neck meets shoulder; spinous process can be easily felt; transverse processes have slight fat covering, but can still be felt; can feel hip bones. 2 Fair - fat covering over bone structure; fat deposits over withers dependent on conformation; fat over spinous processes; can't see ribs, but ribs can still be felt; hip bones covered with fat. 3 Good - neck flows smoothly into shoulder; neck rounds out withers; back is level; layer of fat over ribs; can't feel hip bones. 4 Fat - fat deposited along neck; fat padded around withers; positive crease along back; fat spongy over and between ribs; can't feel hip bones. 5 Very fat - bulging fat; deep positive crease; pockets of fat. For other charts and more detailed information, visit http://www.habitatforhorses.org/rescues/bodyscoring.html