Horses are ranked on a scale of 1 to 9, with 1 being poor and 9 being extremely fat. Horses should be maintained at condition scores of 5-7 for optimum health and performance. Optimum BCS for working horses is 5-6, and optimum BCS for broodmares is 6-7. The difference in the optimum scores is that reproductive efficiency is better when broodmares are maintained at scores of 6-7.

By evaluating each horse's body condition regularly, the feeding and exercise program can be adjusted up or down to maintain the desired condition. Each class of horse, based on age, workload and use has an optimal body condition score. For example, a performance horse need enough body fat stores to use as an energy source to maintain performance, while too much fat can decrease performance.

Body Condition Scoring (BCS) is an objective system of evaluating a horse's level of body condition (amount of stored fat) and assessing a numeric score to facilitate comparisons between horses. Many owners fail to recognize significant variations in the weight of horses or variations due to age and breed types. This often results in overfeeding or underfeeding.

The Henneke System is an objective evaluation of a horse's body condition. Developed in 1983 by Don R. Henneke, Ph.D., of Tarleton State Texas University, it is based on both visual appraisal and palpable fat cover of the six major points of the horse that are most responsive to changes in body fat.