From: Flora
Dear Jessica, my new dressage saddle just arrived and it has long billets! My old saddle was second-hand when I bought it and it has short billets, so I have always used a long girth. My horse is eight now and has gone from wearing a 48" girth when I bought him (he was four) to a 52" girth now. It fits on the very bottom holes of my old saddle billets, on both sides. I think he might need a longer one soon and I was going to purchase a 54" or possibly a 56" girth to go with my new saddle, only now I can see that I must purchase one of those special short girths. Can you help me figure out what size is correct if the 52" regular (long) girth fits him on the last holes in the short billets? It's been almost twenty years since I bought a saddle and so much has changed, and I have never bought either a new saddle or a short girth before, and I am completely ignorant. I feel so stupid to have overlooked the billets completely when I ordered the saddle, but I was so preoccupied with getting the tree width and the seat size correct that I never thought about the billets at all.
Also, can you tell me exactly WHY dressage girths are made to be so short? All of my friends have always had saddles with long billets and short girths, so they just say "That's the way is is" or "That's correct for dressage". My instructor says that it's for close contact so that the girth doesn't take up space under the saddle flaps. That sounds sensible, but I have never been aware of a bulge or lump under my leg from my long girth. Maybe I am just naturally insensitive, but when I sat in saddles with short girths, I didn't feel anything special about the contact under my leg, it really didn't feel any different. I must say that I just don't see the attraction of the long billets and short little girths, but I am older (53) and perhaps I am just old-fashioned or ignorant. If I need a short girth to do dressage properly, I ought to at least know what size to purchase. With no satisfactory answers forthcoming from anyone, I remembered that I could write to HORSE-SENSE and ask you, and the very thought was an enormous relief to me. Thank you for all that you do for us out here in the very confusing world of horses and tack!
Flora
Hi Flora! Congratulations, it's always very exciting to get a new saddle. ;-)
You have quite a few options. If you prefer a long girth, you can have the billets on your new saddle changed. If you'd like to be able to use either a short or a long girth, you could have universal billets (sometimes described as "a variable billet system") put on the saddle. Come to that, you really ought to take a close look at your new saddle's long billets, because they may BE universal billets - so-called because they are long, but have TWO sets of holes, one set for use with a short girth and one set higher up, for use with a long girth. One of my students was in a similar situation to yours, many years ago, and left her new saddle at home for three weeks whilst she ordered a new, short girth and waited for it to arrive. When it finally arrived and she was putting it on her saddle, she noticed - for the first time! - that the billets had holes higher up. Fortunately she thought it was funny, but still... she COULD have used her original girth AND begun riding in her lovely new saddle three weeks sooner! She hadn't thought to look higher, as the billets were so very long, and she had never heard of "universal billets". So ever since then, I've always reminded riders with new saddles to look closely at the long billets, just in case.
If you find that you do need a short girth, there is a common formula for determining its length. Measure the long girth that you've been using, and subtract 20" from its length. Warning: this is a useful formula IF your long girth fits well - that is, from the middle holes of the saddle billets on one side of the horse to the middle holes of the billets on the other side. If your long girth was just barely long enough to fasten to the last holes in the billets, it was clearly too short, so instead of subtracting 20" from 52", you'll want to measure for a well-fitting long girth, and then subtract 20" from THAT measurement, whether it is 54" or 56" or longer.
The "subtract 20 inches" formula can also fail you if the billets on your old saddle have become stretched over time. Billets ought to be replaced when they become too worn and stretched (hint: look at the holes, and if they are long instead of round, it's time to have those billets replaced). Many riders don't realize that worn billets can and should be replaced, and consequently, I've seen a good many horses wearing long girths that were anywhere from four to eight inches too short - they fit (on the last holes) ONLY because the very old billets had stretched several inches on both sides. Riders please note: If your first and third billets are a great deal longer than the middle one, evaluate their condition carefully, because they have obviously stretched quite a lot, and may be very worn as well.
As for the "why" of short girths and long billets for dressage saddles, you should first realize that that this is NOT some sort of correct or proper or international standard. It's a STYLE, that's all - like flash nosebands and crank nosebands and the bit-of-the-month. The idea behind long billets and short girths is that the rider will be more comfortable and achieve closer contact with the horse, because if there is no girth under the saddle flaps, there won't be any "lump" of buckle and strap underneath the rider's leg. In fact, however, if you look closely at thousands or even hundreds of horses, saddles, girths, and riders (and I have), you'll find that this effect is largely mythical. If a properly-sized long girth is used on a dressage saddle with short billets, the girth buckles, the billet, and any "lump" they create will be in the area BEHIND the rider's bent knee! It's possible that the rider's leg could come into contact with the "lump" (a) if the rider's stirrups were adjusted too long and the rider had no bend at the knee, or (b) if the girth were much too long (fastened too high, where it COULD place a lump under the rider's thigh), or much too short (fastened too low, where it COULD place a lump under the rider's calf). If a long girth is the correct length and the rider is sitting correctly, there shouldn't be any "lump" - or any problem.
And now, if you're wondering why I spent so much time discussing this, it's because the HORSE is much more comfortable with a long girth! If your saddle can be used with either a long or a short girth, it's worth the trouble it takes to promote your horse's comfort. The long billets/short girth fashion - or fad - is NOT for the horse's sake, nor, as I've just explained, is it really to the rider's advantage. So if you have universal billets, feel free to use the upper holes with your long girth. If you have a choice (as you generally do when you order a new saddle), you may want to order a saddle with short billets. Don't let anyone tell you that this is somehow "incorrect for dressage", because that simply isn't true. With the exception of a very few specialty saddles that are made ONLY with long billets, good-quality dressage saddles can generally be ordered with either short or long billets - the choice is up to the purchaser.
The main thing, once you've settled on the billets and girth you prefer, is to pay close attention to your horse! If his saddle fits well and some months from now he is still striding out confidently and comfortably when wearing his saddle and a short girth, and if he remains cheerful and shows no defensive behaviours when tacked up, then you can safely assume that all is well and you have no need to make a change.
Jessica
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