Body Score 0-1
This is near death and emergent. Intervention is needed immediately. If the horse is bright, alert, and the owner is capable (financially, mentally, and cooperatively) it is possible that education/management can be attempted to rectify the situation. They need to have a vet come out, ideally within 24-48 hours. The teeth need to be checked, bloodwork done, and fecal done. A horse can be in the most beautiful grass and be fed the best feeds but if its teeth are bad, it will struggle to breakdown, swallow, and digest. Bloodwork is important because if the horse is in this category, it may be in organ failure (this can be caused by emaciation, age, or eating something it shouldn't have). By having the bloodwork done, it can save the owner a lot of money trying to save a horse that is beyond saving. If organ failure is detected, euthanasia is almost always required. The fecal will determine if the horse has a heavy parasite load, which can contribute to weight loss/inability to gain weight.
**Horses in this conditon are very unstable and can die easily from refeeding syndrome. A vet can recommend a refeeding program or we can offer advice on how we refeed, but the owner needs to understand this is very important and can be quite costly and time consuming. Feeding large meals can shock the system and kill the horse. Very small frequent meals, soaked in water are the way to go.
EXCEPTIONS: If a horse down and unable to rise or very weak, it needs immediate medical intervention and is a candidate for possible seizure or owner surrender. Horses that are down do not need to be left without a resolution. A down horse is a dead horse without intervention.
A lack of nutritional food, clean water, poor fencing, owner inability all lean towards seizure worthy as this is all indicative of neglect.
Below are all pictures of 0-1 scale horses from various angles. The pictures of the black and white horse at the end show injuries from being dragged by a tractor, being down for an excessive amount of time (pressure wounds), and damage from struggling to get up.
**Horses in this conditon are very unstable and can die easily from refeeding syndrome. A vet can recommend a refeeding program or we can offer advice on how we refeed, but the owner needs to understand this is very important and can be quite costly and time consuming. Feeding large meals can shock the system and kill the horse. Very small frequent meals, soaked in water are the way to go.
EXCEPTIONS: If a horse down and unable to rise or very weak, it needs immediate medical intervention and is a candidate for possible seizure or owner surrender. Horses that are down do not need to be left without a resolution. A down horse is a dead horse without intervention.
A lack of nutritional food, clean water, poor fencing, owner inability all lean towards seizure worthy as this is all indicative of neglect.
Below are all pictures of 0-1 scale horses from various angles. The pictures of the black and white horse at the end show injuries from being dragged by a tractor, being down for an excessive amount of time (pressure wounds), and damage from struggling to get up.
Body Score 2-3
Horses in this condition are generally candidates for owner education/monitoring if the environment is safe and they are financially/mentally able to care for the animal. They need to be followed up on to ensure that the owner is doing what is required and they do not decline further.
You'll notice these guys have a little more meat to them but are still clearly underweight. The belly is a little rounder under the ribs and the rear end is not totally sunken in.
They are also susceptible to refeeding syndrome and need to be refed slowly. A vet still needs to see a horse in this condition to do a health check, but they are generally not in as life threatening of a condition as the horses above.
You'll notice these guys have a little more meat to them but are still clearly underweight. The belly is a little rounder under the ribs and the rear end is not totally sunken in.
They are also susceptible to refeeding syndrome and need to be refed slowly. A vet still needs to see a horse in this condition to do a health check, but they are generally not in as life threatening of a condition as the horses above.
Body Score 4-5
Horses in this condition are in ideal condition and need no intervention as long as they are safely housed. Almost every horse in this gallery is a different breed and structured differently. Some breeds are naturally narrow and lean while others are more muscular but all are fleshy and filled out.
