Body Condition Scoring App

Body condition scoring or BCS is a necessary tool for horse owners to learn. Estimating body condition, which is how much fat the horse has on its body, is very important to help maintain a healthy weight.  It is very useful to determine the overall well being of your horse.  You can watch some very informative videos to learn how to body condition score at this link:  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLS_j7MIcs2AE9of8ZJGrD4B-CiLvcSJjW  

It is easiest to learn how to body condition score with a large herd of horses with various body conditions.  You can then pick out the fattest one in the herd and the thinnest one in the herd and start comparing the others in between.  Although looking at pictures and animals themselves is useful to learn, you must feel the different parts of the horse to really master how to do it properly.  

There is a new application that you can use on your phone or computer to track and record the body condition score of all your horses.  You can view a video to learn how the application works at this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThO-tZ9MEWY  The application is very useful to horse owners, horse business owners, and even law enforcement for neglect cases.  It will teach you how to body condition score the different areas of the horse as well as allow you to take a picture of each horse and store it for future reference.  You may download the application to your phone or computer by going to this link:  http://www.extension.org/pages/71173/body-condition-scoring-apps-for-horses#.VVnxFVVVikr