Beginning dressage questions

[yeehaw]

After decades of riding in hunt seat/AP saddles, I finally bought myself a good used dressage saddle so I can begin dressage lessons. Can I use the same stirrup irons and leathers with my dressage saddle, or do I need to buy all new fittings for it? Also, the flaps are much longer, so I will at least need a new girth. Is there a way to convert my AP girth size to dressage, without buying and trying it on first for fit?

One more thing: I noticed that there is an extra long billet at the bottom of each saddle flap. Does that buckle onto the dressage girth?

Thanks in advance!

[AnastasiaBeaverhousen]

Welcome to dressage. I hope you enjoy your first lessons.

1. It is the length of the billets that determine the size of the girth.

Usually, dressage saddles have longer billets do you’ll need a shorter girth. As to how short you’ll need to go is something you’ll have to experiment with. Your dressage instructor might have some shorter girths you can try to see what length works best for your saddle and your horse .

2. You dont necessarily need new stirrups but you may need new leathers. Stirrup leathers generally come in two lengths. If you have shorter leathers for your AP saddle you may need longer ones for your dressage saddle, but you shouldn’t try and drastically lengthen your stirrups for dressage riding. It may take a few lessons before you need to lower them much.

( If you need someone to enable you then by all means by new leathers and stirrups. )

3. I dont know that is a way to shorten a girth that is too long. You can use a converter to lengthen a girth but not the other way that I know of.

4. The extra billet was a thing for a while, but I dont know if saddle makers are still doing it.
   You can remove it if it bothers you.

Good luck on your dressage journey.
Come back and let us know how it goes.

[lorilu]

Your leathers are probably the wrong color (are they brown or black?) They might be too short for a dressage leg. You will need a short girth. In general, it is half the length of your long girth (here is a guide: http://www.colonialsaddlery.com/girth_sizing). The extra long billet is often just cut off… some girths have a third buckle but none I have ever had…)

[Heinz_57]

If your stirrup leathers are long enough to accommodate dropping a few holes, you can certainly use them and the irons.

To approximate your short girth size, subtract 20. So if your horse is a 52" long girth, try a 32" short girth. You may still have to go up or down 2-4" from that number depending on where the ends of the girth hit the sides of the horse (you don’t want elbow interference). In general the recommendation is that the girth ends should be just below the saddle pad/flap.

The straps on the flaps: are they both hole punched, or is one a buckle end? If both are punched, that is to use on a slightly different kind of girth that will have a third buckle coming from the center. People often end up cutting these off if they don’t want to fiddle with finding the special girth. If one is a buckle end, they come together on top of the girth underneath the horse. Both are designed to keep the top flap from moving around.

[yeehaw]

Thank you for all of your replies! The extra billet thing is really interesting. They are both hole-punched billets. I will look for a dressage girth that is about 22” ( my AP girth is 42”), and see if I can find one with 3 buckles. I’ll shop around for some new leathers in black to match the new saddle color.

Thanks again for all your help!

🙂

[outerbanks77]

@Heinz 57

If your stirrup leathers are long enough to accommodate dropping a few holes, you can certainly use them and the irons.

To approximate your short girth size, subtract 20. So if your horse is a 52" long girth, try a 32" short girth. You may still have to go up or down 2-4" from that number depending on where the ends of the girth hit the sides of the horse (you don’t want elbow interference). In general the recommendation is that the girth ends should be just below the saddle pad/flap.

This doesn’t hold true, IME. You could buckle the AP girth in the middle of the dressage saddle gullets, pull it up and see where it coincides with the middle holes of the billets on the other side, and then measure that. Take off an inch or two for elastic stretching, and that is your dressage girth size. My AP saddle has shorter billets like a jumping saddle, and my bigger mare is in a 56" for that saddle and 30 in dressage. My smaller mare wears 54 and 28, respectively, but could go 26" in a dressage girth. Some AP saddles have a little longer billets, so YMMV.

[Hunter_Mom]

My older dressage saddle used to have that extra flap billet. Someone before me cut it off.

[Heinz_57]

@outerbanks77

This doesn’t hold true, IME. You could buckle the AP girth in the middle of the dressage saddle gullets, pull it up and see where it coincides with the middle holes of the billets on the other side, and then measure that. Take off an inch or two for elastic stretching, and that is your dressage girth size. My AP saddle has shorter billets like a jumping saddle, and my bigger mare is in a 56" for that saddle and 30 in dressage. My smaller mare wears 54 and 28, respectively, but could go 26" in a dressage girth. Some AP saddles have a little longer billets, so YMMV.

That’s why I said approximate, with the +/-. It’s a helpful starting point, if you don’t have dressage friends to borrow from yet, that will usually get you in the ballpark. Elastic ends, no elastic, billet and flap length of each saddle, lots of factors to consider. Just make sure the buckles aren’t interfering with the elbows! :lol:

[Jealoushe]

The third strap attached is an overgirth strap, that usually fastens over the girth. It really isnt needed, I would cut it off. Is it an older saddle?

[yeehaw]

Yes, it’s an old school Crosby dressage saddle. I rode in it for the first time today, and I really like it!

[Jealoushe]

@yeehaw

Yes, it’s an old school Crosby dressage saddle. I rode in it for the first time today, and I really like it!

Super! Sometimes those older saddles are really great!

[foggythistle]

If you don’t want to cut off the flap straps, you can just tuck them into a keeper on the girth that the regular dressage billets go into. Personally, once I decided to keep the saddle, in case you have it on trial, I’d just cut the stitching on the overgirth billets and be done with it. There are lots more girth options without the third buckle than with