Abstract
A horse’s body condition impacts every aspect of its life, including reproduction, performance, and health. Obesity and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) are common in Nigeria; hence, early identification of a horse’s obesity status by the owner is key to avoiding associated health issues such as EMS. Our study aimed to determine whether horse owners could effectively estimate their horses’ body condition scores (BCSs) and cresty neck scores (CNSs). A total of 50 adult sedentary West African Barb horses owned by 50 different people were enrolled in the study. Body condition scores (BCSs) and cresty neck scores (CNSs) were assessed on scales of 1–9 and 0–5, respectively, by an experienced veterinarian and owners. The latter had no veterinary background, received no prior education, and assessed their horses based on provided visual aids and descriptions. The BCS estimates of the experienced veterinarian and owners were slightly in agreement (k=0.209), while there was moderate agreement (k=0.547) between the CNS estimates of the experienced veterinarian and the owners. The proportion of obesity based on the experienced veterinarian’s estimation (32%) was higher than that of the owners (18%). The proportion of nuchal crest adiposity based on the experienced veterinarian’s (38%) estimation was slightly lower than that of the owners (42%). A larger proportion of the owners underestimated their horses’ BCSs and CNSs. We conclude that owners cannot effectively estimate their horses’ BCSs and CNSs. It is imperative that they are informed about the health issues associated with obesity and are taught how to effectively estimate BCS and CNS.
Keywords: equine metabolic syndrome, experienced veterinarian, nuchal crest adiposity, obesity
Body condition refers to the amount of fat on a horse’s body. It is a reliable indicator of horse health [1]. A horse’s body condition affects every aspect of its life, including reproductive efficiency, performance, and health. To determine the obesity statuses of horses, a number of methods have been developed. These methods are both subjective and objective in nature. General obesity and regional adiposity are measured subjectively by the body condition score (BCS) and cresty neck score (CNS), respectively [5, 8].
One can use the BCS to assess a horse’s physical shape, assess whether it’s too lean, obese, or has a normal body condition, and then take measures to improve the score [1]. A thin horse may have problems with performance and reproduction, while an obese horse may suffer from insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and laminitis [1]. Different body condition scoring systems have been used to evaluate body fat accumulation in horses and ponies [4, 8], and the most commonly employed system is the 9-point Henneke BCS system [8]. It is widely used because it has been extensively validated [1].
The CNS is an ordinal scale scored on a scale of 0 to 5 that measures nuchal fat accumulation along the top of the neck, a site for assessing regional adiposity [5]. The amount of nuchal fat can be an independent measure of adiposity, as it may not be proportional to overall body fat [6]. Studies have established an association between the BCS and CNS [2, 10]. Just like the BCS, the CNS can be used to examine a horse’s health status; ideally, horses should have a CNS of no more than 2 [1].
A study in Denmark showed poor agreement between owners and an experienced person when assessing BCS and CNS [9]. Studies in Nigeria have shown that obesity and equine metabolic syndrome are prevalent [2, 3]; hence, the ability of owners to recognise the obesity status in their horses is very critical for prompt intervention to prevent associated health issues, such as insulin resistance and laminitis. The present study aimed to determine if horse owners can effectively estimate BCS and CNS for their horses.
Materials and Methods
Animal and owner
The study included 50 sedentary West African Barb stallions; the stallions were adults aged 6 to 11 years and owned by 50 different individuals. They were considered sedentary horses because they were usually tethered to a stake in the ground, with little or no physical activity. They received feed, consisting of concentrate and hay, two to three times daily. The owners were all male and had kept horses for 7 to 10 years before the study.
Ethical clearance
Ethical approval for the research was obtained from the Ahmadu Bello University Committee on Animal Use and Care (ABUCAUC) under approval number ABUCAUC/2022/042.
Body condition and cresty neck scoring
BCS was determined on a scale ranging from 1 to 9, according to Henneke et al. [8], and CNS was determined on a scale from 0 to 5, according to Carter et al. [5]. The scores were always evaluated by the same experienced veterinarian and by each owner. The owners had no prior knowledge of veterinary medicine or similar fields that could help them evaluate BCS and CNS; they were also not educated before the survey. The experienced veterinarian and owners were provided with a picture and brief written description of the BCS and CNS scales (Fig. 1). For the CNS, a combination of visual and palpation inspection was used. For the BCS, both visual inspection and palpation of the following 6 regions were carried out on the horses: neck, ribs, withers, area behind the shoulder, loin, and tailhead. A numerical value (1–9) was assigned based on the fat accumulated in each of the listed areas. After each area was assessed and assigned a score, an average of all the scores was obtained to get the horse’s final overall score. For the BCS, horses were classified as non-obese (BCS<7) or obese (7–9) [2]. For the CNS, horses with a CNS≥3 were classified as having nuchal crest adiposity, while horses with a CNS<3 were regarded as having a normal nuchal crest, as described by Akinniyi et al. [2]. Underestimation and overestimation of BCS and CNS by horse owners were determined by comparing their estimates with those of the experienced veterinarian.
Fig. 1.
Diagram presented to owners and experienced veterinarian to evaluate BCS and CNS of the horses in the study. Source: descriptions adopted from Carter et al. [5] and Henneke et al. [8]. BCS, body condition score; CNS, cresty neck score.
Data analysis
The data are presented in tables and charts as frequencies and percentages. Agreement between the owners and experienced veterinarian was estimated by Cohen’s Kappa coefficient. The values for Cohen’s Kappa coefficient were interpreted as follows: ≤0 indicated no agreement, 0.01–0.40 indicated slight agreement, 0.41–0.60 indicated moderate agreement, 0.61–0.80 indicated substantial agreement, and 0.81–1.00 indicated optimal agreement. The IBM SPSS Statistics (SPSS®, version 26, IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) was used for the analysis.
Results
Distribution of BCS scores as assessed by both the experienced veterinarian and owners
Based on the experienced veterinarian’s estimates of BCS, the BCS score with the highest distribution was 4 (11 horses; 22%), while that with the lowest distribution was 6 (3 horses; 6%). Based on the owners’ estimates of BCS, the BCS score with the lowest distribution was 2 (2 horses; 4%), while those with the highest distributions were 3 and 5 (10 horses; 20%; Fig. 2).
Fig. 2.
Data regarding the distribution of BCS on a scale from 1 to 9, as assessed by both owners and experienced veterinarians, for all 50 horses included in this study. BCS, body condition score.
Distribution of CNS scores as assessed by both the experienced veterinarian and owners
Based on the experienced veterinarian’s estimates of CNS, the CNS score with the highest distribution was 1 (18 horses; 36%), while that with the lowest distribution was 4 (4 horses; 8%). Based on the owners’ estimates of CNS, the CNS scores with the lowest distributions were 2 and 5 (4 horses; 8%), while the score with the highest distribution was 1 (16 horses; 32%; Fig. 3).
Fig. 3.
Data regarding the distribution of CNS on a scale from 0 to 5, as assessed by both owners and experienced veterinarians, for all 50 horses included in this study. CNS, cresty neck score.
Summary of obese and non-obese horses based on the BCS estimates of the experienced veterinarian and owners
Regarding the experienced veterinarian’s estimates of BCS, 32% (16/50) of the horses were obese, while 68% (34/50) of the horses were not obese (classified as non-obese). Concerning the owners’ estimates of BCS, 18% (9/50) of the horses were obese, while 82% (41/50) of the horses were not obese (classified as non-obese; Table 1).
Table 1. Summary of obese and non-obese horses based on the estimates of the experienced veterinarian and owners.
| Experienced veterinarian | Owners | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of obese horses (%) | No. of non-obese horses (%) | No. of obese horses (%) | No. of non-obese horses (%) |
| 16 (32%) | 34 (68%) | 9 (18%) | 41 (82%) |
Summary of horses with nuchal crest adiposity and normal nuchal crests based on the CNS estimates of the experienced veterinarian and owners
Based on the experienced veterinarian’s estimates of CNS, 38% (19/50) of the horses had nuchal crest adiposity, and 62% (31/50) of the horses had a normal nuchal crest. Based on the owners’ estimates of CNS, 42% (21/50) of the horses had nuchal crest adiposity, and 58% (29/50) of the horses had a normal nuchal crest (Table 2).
Table 2. Summary of horses with nuchal crest adiposity and normal nuchal crests based on the estimates of the experienced veterinarian and owners.
| Experienced veterinarian | Owners | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of horses with nuchal crest adiposity (%) | No. of horses with normal nuchal crests (%) | No. of horses with nuchal crest adiposity (%) | No. of horses with normal nuchal crests (%) |
| 19 (38%) | 31 (62%) | 21 (42%) | 29 (58%) |
Agreement between the owners’ and experienced veterinarian’s estimates of the body condition scores and cresty neck scores of the horses
There was slight agreement between the BCS estimates of the experienced veterinarian and owners. The agreement was significant (k=0.209; P<0.001; Fig. 4).
Fig. 4.
There is moderate agreement between the CNS estimates of the experienced veterinarian and the owners. The agreement was significant (k=0.547; P<0.001). CNS, cresty neck score.
There was moderate agreement between the CNS estimates of the experienced veterinarian and owners. The agreement was significant (k=0.547; P<0.001; Fig. 5).
Fig. 5.
There is slight agreement between the BCS estimates of the experienced veterinarian and the owners. The agreement was significant (k=0.209; P<0.001). BCS, body condition score.
Underestimation and overestimation of BCS and CNS by horse owners
CNS was underestimated by 16% (8/50) of the owners and overestimated by 12% (6/50) of the owners. BCS was underestimated by 48% (24/50) of the owners and overestimated by 18% (9/50) of the owners (Table 3; Fig. 6).
Table 3. Number of owners who underestimated and overestimated the cresty neck scores and body condition scores of their horses.
| CNS (n=50) | BCS (n=50) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of owners that underestimated (%) | No. of owners that overestimated (%) | No. of owners that underestimated (%) | No. of owners that overestimated (%) |
| 8 (16%) | 6 (12%) | 24 (48%) | 9 (18%) |
CNS, cresty neck score; BCS, body condition score.
Fig. 6.
An experienced veterinarian estimated the horse’s body condition as obese (BCS of 8), whereas the owner estimated the same horse’s body condition as moderate (BCS of 6). BCS, body condition score.
Discussion
The body condition score and cresty neck score are good indicators of obesity in horses. Our key findings suggest that horse owners cannot effectively estimate BCS and CNS for their horses.
The slight agreement (k=0.209) between the BCS estimates of the experienced veterinarian and owners and the moderate agreement (k=0.547) between the CNS estimates of the experienced veterinarian and owners show that owners scored their horses differently from the experienced veterinarian. This finding aligns with the works of Stephenson et al. [13], Jensen et al. [9], and Potter et al. [12].
Based on the owners’ estimates, 18% of the horses were obese in the present study, and this is close to the results of a study by Stephenson et al. [13], who reported a 17.6% prevalence of obese horses. The wide difference between the proportion of obese horses estimated by the experienced veterinarian (32%) and that of the owners (18%) in the present study indicates that many horse owners are unaware of the situation when a horse is obese. Also, it is evident that horse owners are unaware of the situation when a horse has nuchal crest adiposity, as the present study shows a difference in the proportion of horses with nuchal crest adiposity based on the estimates of the experienced veterinarian (38%) and the owners (42%). Horses are at risk for diseases associated with obesity, including equine metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, and laminitis, when their owners do not know when they have nuchal crest adiposity or are obese. However, the narrow difference between the proportion of the horses with nuchal crest adiposity estimated by the experienced veterinarian (38%) and owners (42%) may indicate that horse owners can still identify nuchal crest adiposity better than obesity.
The high proportion of obesity and nuchal crest adiposity based on the experienced veterinarian’s estimate in the present study could be the result of all the horses sampled being sedentary horses. Sedentary horses, characterized by little physical activity or exercise, are prone to regional and general obesity [2, 7].
Compared with the experienced veterinarian’s estimates, horse owners underestimated the BCS (48%) and CNS (16%) for their horses more than they overestimated BCS (18%) and CNS (12%). There appears to be a perceptual bias among Nigerian horse owners that leads them to think that a healthy horse should weigh more than it actually should. Other studies have also highlighted that horse owners underestimate the BCS and CNS for their horses more than they overestimate them [9, 11, 14].
In conclusion, horse owners underestimate and overestimate BCS and CNS for their horses. It is imperative to get the message out to owners about the problems associated with obesity and to teach them how to estimate BCS and CNS effectively.
Conflict of Interest
The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
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