The Henneke Body Condition Scoring System was developed by Don Henneke, PhD, during his graduate study at Texas A & M University. The chart and illustration are based on the original article, which appeared in the Equine Veterinary Journal in 1983. Six parts of a horse are checked in this system—the neck, withers, shoulder, ribs, loin, and tailhead. When using the Henneke system, you should always make physical contact with these parts, and the kind of touch you use is important. Simply stroking the animal lightly won't provide an accurate idea of the horse's condition; you have to apply pressure to each part in turn. The pressure you apply should be much like that of a massage; if you press a horse's side with your hand, you'll be able to feel the fat covering his ribs, and get an idea of how much fat is present. Likewise, when checking the withers, feel all around the area, as if you were squeezing firm clay. It is possible to be firm and gentle at the same time, and both traits are necessary to properly scoring a horse. Download the  Body Condition Scoring System chart (requires the free Adobe Reader software). | 
