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AQHA HORSE HEALTH
TABLE 1 . THE HENNECKE BODY CONDITION SCORING ( BCS ) SYSTEM
CRESTY NECK SCORE ( CNS ) ‘ The CNS a similar tool , however it assesses the neck . This is not to be confused with a fit horse that has developed the muscles of the top-line of the neck and back . Increased fat deposits along the neck of horses and ponies are associated with insulin resistance and equine metabolic syndrome . A CNS of 2 is ideal . A score of 3 or greater is a cresty neck and the horse is likely to be overweight and prone to metabolic disorders .
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Accuracy of both the BCS and CNS depends on knowledge of the scoring system , and repeated assessment of the horse by the same , trained person . If you ’ re not sure about your horse ’ s neck score , consider taking photos and discussing with your vet .
https :// extension . tennessee . edu / publications / Documents / SP782 . pdf
https :// agriculture . vic . gov . au / livestock-and-animals / horses / health-and-welfare / conditionscoring-and-weight-estimation
IS MY HORSE JUST FAT , AN ‘ EASY-KEEPER ’ – OR IS SOMETHING ELSE GOING ON ? Excess body weight may be due to simple overfeeding for the amount of exercise or it may be due to an actual disease condition . Insulin resistance is increasingly recognized as a problem in horses , as well as humans . People and horses that have insulin resistance become less sensitive to insulin ’ s effects . You ’ ll recognize these horses as ‘ easy keepers ’ - you know , the ones that you don ’ t have to feed very much . Anytime a horse or pony has a higherthan-normal blood insulin there is a risk for developing
AUSTRALIAN QUARTER HORSE ASSOCIATION - WWW . AQHA . COM . AU