Q.I am looking for a horse body score chart in layman’s terms. I would like to include this chart in our handbook for Personal Ponies, a national nonprofit organization, but many people (including me) don’t know what these terms actually mean. The two I can’t find are the “transverse processes of lumbar vertebrae” and the “spinous processes.”

—Barb, via e-mail

A.You can search the Web for “Henneke body condition” or go to Body Condition Scoring Horses: Step-by-Step.

The spinous process is a pointy part of the vertebrae that sticks up in the air—the withers are actually the spinous processes of the thoracic vertebrae. These are often felt on slim or thin dogs/cats as you run your hand directly over their backs