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Body Condition Score in Danish Horses Related to Type, Use, and Training Level: Patterns, Risk, and Protective Factors

Authors :
Mette Uldahl
Jan Dahl
Hilary Mary Clayton
Source :
Animals, Vol 13, Iss 7, p 1219 (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2023.

Abstract

Body condition in horses is a growing concern that has different patterns of development in horses that are above and below the ideal range. This study used professional and para-professional evaluators (veterinarians, farriers, trainers, Danish Equestrian Federation (DEF) officials) who were trained and certified in the use of a modified Henneke scoring system to assign a body condition score (BCS) on a scale of 1–9. Scores of 5–6 are regarded as ideal, and 78.6% of the evaluated horses were in these groups. Only 4.8% of horses were below ideal BCS but 16.5% were above ideal BCS, and this was influenced by type, age, and training. A significant protective effect towards above ideal BCS was shown for horses trained at higher intensities. Cold-blooded horses and traditional ponies had increased risk for being above ideal BCS. Although BCS increased with age, a large proportion of geriatric horses were both above and below ideal BCS. Discipline was not related to BCS. Patterns of BCS distribution for horses attended by different professionals were investigated. Veterinarians attended more horses with BCS above and below ideal values, farriers mostly saw horses that were above ideal BCS, and officials at competitions mainly saw horses with ideal BCS.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20762615
Volume :
13
Issue :
7
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Animals
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.f06a93fb83dc4a3591949dc74c2ff76a
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13071219