28/12/2022
Just to clarify: If your horse has a “pony bod”, a point billet is the PREFERRED method to keep the saddle behind the scapula (if possible).
Characteristics of a “pony bod”:
🤌 Has a back that could double as a pillow top mattress
🤌 So round you have to fall off twice to hit the ground
🤌 Far forward girth groove
🤌 Absolutely, positively NO definition behind the scapula
🤌 Usually a bit downhill (just to help slide that saddle even further up the neck)
🤌 Narrow shoulders (or maybe they just look narrow because the belly is so big)
🤌 Well-sprung ribcage
Is a point billet awesome for any horse? No, but it is far better than the saddle sliding forward onto the scapula and the rider potentially riding the neck.
However, due to their narrow shoulders and propane tank bodies, horses with “pony bods” aren’t at risk for the same type of scapular damage as high withered, narrow TB-types.
The PURPOSE of a point billet is to position the first/front billet so it hangs straight down into the horse’s girth groove.
We SHOULD use a point billet when the horse has a far forward girth groove to prevent to the saddle from moving over the shoulder blades.
We should NOT use point billets on horses who are uphill, narrow, have a pocket/dip behind the scapula, or to counterbalance the rider’s weight against the cantle.
As with everything horse related, CONTEXT IS CRITICAL.
