Post by animalexpert on Sept 9, 2005 21:34:50 GMT
The most common method of telling this, is the system called "body condition scoring" has been developed to determine just how fat or thin an animal is (commonly used in livestock markets).
To a large extent it is based on common sense, looking at the amount of flesh on the ribs, on the base of the tail, between the hips and on the bony prominences. These are the bones that stick out from the spine behind the rib cage.
In a horse carrying ideal weight, the ribs have a slight fat covering but you can feel them. The base of the tail has a smooth shape with slight fat covering. The neck is firm but, except for stallions, has no crest.
Note: You can learn more about body condition scoring by searching online, try searching under 'Horse Health Care' or 'Horse Body Condition Scoring'. You'll find lots of information on cattle and sheep as mentioned above that the technique is more often used on the farm livestock.
To a large extent it is based on common sense, looking at the amount of flesh on the ribs, on the base of the tail, between the hips and on the bony prominences. These are the bones that stick out from the spine behind the rib cage.
In a horse carrying ideal weight, the ribs have a slight fat covering but you can feel them. The base of the tail has a smooth shape with slight fat covering. The neck is firm but, except for stallions, has no crest.
Note: You can learn more about body condition scoring by searching online, try searching under 'Horse Health Care' or 'Horse Body Condition Scoring'. You'll find lots of information on cattle and sheep as mentioned above that the technique is more often used on the farm livestock.