Practical procedures to body weight estimation and correction factors applied to Campolina horses

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the following six body weight (BW) estimation methods in Campolina (CAM) horses: A -weight tape placed at three different positions on the animal's thorax; B -Crevat and Quetelet's formula; C -Hall's formula; D -Hintz and Griffiths's table; E -Santos's table; and F -Cintra's formula. A total of 380 CAM horses were separated according to sex, age class, and gestational stage and evaluated. To determine their accuracy, weights measured on a scale and weight estimates of the six methods were compared by paired t-test, mean prediction error (MPE), and coefficient of determination (R²), using R software. The predictive capacity of method F was lower in the 6-12 months age class, so this formula is not indicated. The BW was overestimated compared with the actual weight by methods A (with weight tape placed in position 3) and B and underestimated by method C. Methods D and E accurately estimated BW of CAM horses. Correction factors are required to accurately estimate BW in this breed using methods B and C. Method A with the weight tape placed in position 2 is the most accurate for predicting BW, including pregnant female horses, and can, therefore, be considered the most suitable method for estimating BW of CAM horses.

Factors Affecting Weigh Tape Reading in the Measurement of Equine Body Weight

“…Gender was also not recorded within the data set, so, again, this could not be investigated. In a study by Souza et al [ 26 ], it was found that a commercial weigh tape in Brazil was more accurate in male Campolina horses than in females. A previous study in 2017 using the same brand of weigh tape found that it overestimated female horses by an average of 7.4 kg and underestimated the weights of male horses by an average of 7.5 kg [ 27 ].…”