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Equine veterinary journal2023; doi: 10.1111/evj.13975

Development of a body condition index to estimate adiposity in ponies and horses from morphometric measurements.

Abstract: There is a high prevalence of obesity in ponies and pleasure horses. This may be associated with equine metabolic syndrome and an increased risk of laminitis. Body condition scoring (BCS) systems are widely used but are subjective and not very sensitive. Objectives: To derive a body condition index (BCI), based on objective morphometric measurements, that correlates with % body fat.
© 2023 Mars Horsecare UK Ltd and The Authors. Equine Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of EVJ Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2023-08-04 PubMed ID: 37537987DOI: 10.1111/evj.13975Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

Many ponies and pleasure horses are obese, which can lead to health problems like equine metabolic syndrome and laminitis. Currently, people often use body condition scoring (BCS) to assess a horse’s fat levels, but this method can be inconsistent and not very accurate.

Objective:

The study aimed to create a more objective measure called the body condition index (BCI), which uses specific body measurements to estimate a horse’s percentage of body fat.

Study Design:

This was a retrospective study involving a group of ponies and horses.

Methods:

Measurements were taken from 21 ponies and horses of varying body conditions. Their body fat percentage was determined using a method involving deuterium (a form of hydrogen). From this data, the BCI was created to best match the observed body fat percentages. This BCI was then tested on other groups of horses to see how well it worked in different settings and compared to traditional scoring methods.

Results:

The BCI did a good job estimating body fat, though it wasn’t perfect. When used in the field, the relationship between BCI and the traditional BCS was inconsistent, especially for certain breeds like Shetland and miniature ponies.

Limitations:

The BCI might need adjustments to be more accurate for certain breeds.

Conclusions:

The BCI is a promising tool that might be more reliable than traditional methods, especially for people who aren’t experts. It could be especially helpful for tracking weight changes in individual horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Potter SJ, Erdody ML, Bamford NJ, Knowles EJ, Menzies-Gow N, Morrison PK, Argo CM, McIntosh BJ, Kaufman K, Harris PA, Bailey SR. (2023). Development of a body condition index to estimate adiposity in ponies and horses from morphometric measurements. Equine Vet J. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.13975

Publication

Equine veterinary journal
ISSN: 2042-3306
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English

Researcher Affiliations

Potter, Samantha J
  • Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Erdody, Madison L
  • Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Bamford, Nicholas J
  • Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Knowles, Edward J
  • Royal Veterinary College, Hertfordshire, UK.
Menzies-Gow, Nicola
  • Royal Veterinary College, Hertfordshire, UK.
Morrison, Philippa K
  • Scotland's Rural College, Aberdeen, UK.
Argo, Caroline McG
  • Scotland's Rural College, Aberdeen, UK.
McIntosh, Bridgett J
  • Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.
Kaufman, Katelyn
  • Virginia Polytechnic and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.
Harris, Patricia A
  • Equine Studies Group, Waltham Petcare Science Institute, Leicestershire, UK.
Bailey, Simon R
  • Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.

Grant Funding

  • LP100200224 / Australian Research Council
  • MARS Petcare UK

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This article includes 35 references
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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Ali A, Derar DR, Alaeyeari AA, Alharbi YM. Fetometry in Arabian horses. Front Vet Sci 2025;12:1689769.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1689769pubmed: 41209474google scholar: lookup
  2. Ward AB, Harris PA, Argo CM, Watson CA, Burns NM, Neacsu M, Russell WR, Grove-White D, Morrison PK. Confidence does not mediate a relationship between owner experience and likelihood of using weight management approaches for native ponies. PLoS One 2023;18(10):e0292886.
    doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0292886pubmed: 37824555google scholar: lookup
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