DEFHR uses Body Condition Scoring (BCS) to evaluate each horse upon arrival; this score is documented and used as evidence in court proceedings.

BCS is a system used to objectively evaluate a horse’s body condition. It is based on visually appraising the horse’s body and assessing six major points that are most responsive to changes in body fat:

• neck
• withers
• back
• ribs
• loins
• tail head

BCS uses a 1 – 9 scale to rate a horse’s overall body condition. A horse with a score of 1 is emaciated and in most cases in danger of starving to death, while a horse with a score of 9 is extremely obese.

Click here for a downloadable guide to Body Condition Scoring.