But don't forget about your older horses. About 20 percent of the United States' horse population is more than 20 years old. And many of these senior equine citizens perform in summer. As with all performance horses, being fat isn't good. Older horses are often overfed.
Owners think fat horses are well-managed horses.
But a 5.0-5.5 is best for horses doing more strenuous performance, especially in heat and high humidity. But don't let them get below a BCS of 5 either. Often older horses have difficulty gaining weight. If the intensity of performance is such that they lose weight, they may have a difficult time regaining it, especially in hot weather. Performance produces internal body heat that the horse must get rid of.