The Henneke Horse Profile Rating
Texas A&M College invented a method to score a horse’s body condition in 1983, the Henneke System, which calibrates how much fat is spread over the animal’s body. The System concentrates usually on the neck, withers, shoulder, ribs, loins and the tailhead.
Fat on a pony is identifiable and simply palpated. You guage the pony by getting real close and probing the fat deposits. You use the chart to give the horse a score: you can use half ranges while scoring.
The chart enables you to give a precise picture of the horse’s condition to a veterinarian or a prospective buyer, presuming that they are also familiar with the chart.
1. The Poor Rating
The animal is cadaverous. The ribs, tailhead, pelvic hooks and pins and the spinous processes (the prominent part of the spine vertebrae) are sharply defined, as are the bones of the withers, neck and shoulders. Fat isn’t to be seen anywhere in any way.
2. The Very Thin Rating
The horse is noticeably scrawny. There could be some fat to be seen at the spinous processes base. There’s a rounded feeling to the lumbar transverse (the parts of the vertebrae that stand out). You can make out the spinous processes, ribs, neck and shoulders structures.
3. The Thin Rating
There is fat to be seen part of the way up the spinous processes. You can’t feel the transverse processes. The ribs are lightly layered over with fat. You can barely make out the spinous processes and ribs. While the tailhead is noticeable, individual vertebrae aren’t identifiable. You can easily make out the hook bones (the pelvic girdle bulge in the higher front hip); they appear to be rounded. You can’t make out the pin bones (the pelvic girdle bulge towards the middle rear of the hip). The withers, shoulders and neck are highlighted.
4. The Moderately Thin Rating
The spinous processes rise a bit over neighboring tissue, and the ribs are apparent in outline only. The tailhead is surrounded by some fat. You can not make out the hook bones; you can’t see any visible thinness to the withers, shoulders, and neck.
5. The Moderate Rating
The horse has a level back, and while the ribs are not observable, they are present to the touch. The tailhead seems to be set in spongy fat. The withers round out over the spinous processes. There is a continual shift of shoulders and neck into the body.
6. The Moderate to Fleshy Rating
You’ll see a tiny crease at the back, spongy fat over the ribs and soft fat surrounding the tailhead. The sides of the withers, areas back of the shoulders and sides of the neck show fat deposits.
7. The Fleshy Rating
You'll see a crease down the back. The ribs seem to be set in a fat layer. The tailhead is set in soft fat, as are the withers and the areas back of the shoulders and along the neck.
8. The Fat Rating
You will find a crease down the back. The ribs cannot be felt easily, and the tailhead is set in soft fat, as are the withers. The neck leads seamlessly to the body, and is clearly thick. The inside buttocks show fat deposits.
9. The Highly Fat Rating
The back shows a notable crease. The ribs are set in uneven fat. Protuberant fat is identifiable round the tailhead, withers, shoulders and neck. Inner buttocks may be set in fat that rubs together. The flank leads seamlessly to the rest of the body.
Henneke developed their chart with these same nine classes, and now this chart has become highly regarded with horse pros around the United States. This chart has the distinction of probably being the sole horse measure that is free from dispute and is accepted as a serviceable standard. While this chart is superb for defining horse body condition, it might not work best with mules and donkeys, as these breeds have fat in strange body areas.