Texas A&M College created a way 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 lets you give an accurate image of the horse’s condition to a vet or a potential buyer, assuming they’re also acquainted 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 detectable in outline only. The tailhead is surrounded by some fat. You cannot make out the hook bones; you can’t see any visible thinness to the withers, shoulders, and neck.

5. The Moderate Rating

The pony has a level back, and while the ribs aren’t visible, they're present to touch. The tailhead appears to be set in spongy fat. The withers round out over the spinous processes. There’s a seamless shift of neck and shoulders 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 demonstrably 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.