I have a jump saddle that needs to have new billets done. My horse could also benefit from a point billet. The saddle already has the tab there to put the billet on, just need to have it done.
I am thinking about going with long billets. My horse is pretty wide, so I appreciate a lack of extra bulk under my legs. Is there any reason NOT to go with long billets on a jump saddle? Those that have long billets, do you wish you had short or visa versa?
I just bought a new jumping saddle and had long billets put on it because I hate extra bulk under my leg. I love it except that my stirrups clang against the metal of the girth bucklesā¦ (Not an issue in a dressage saddle for me since my stirrups hang lower.) The noise is kind of annoying but not a dealbreaker so far. I suppose I could mitigate it somehow by wrapping the inside of the stirrups or covering the girth buckles, but Iāve only ridden in it a few times so far so I havenāt tried anything yet. Just something to be aware of!
I had long billets put on my dual flap jump saddle. I love it. I have both dressage and jump, and use one girth. Iāll never go back to short billets. I donāt have the issue with the metal on metal, but I use composite stirrups on my jump saddle.
Horses use different muscles and move in unique ways when jumping.
The long billets may put the girth in an inconvenient place for your horse.
The billets are the weak link in the saddle-girth connection, and short billets will be stronger than long billets. For jumping you need that strength.
All of which explains why so many XC saddles come with long billets. 
I prefer long billets. I had a Stubben Cavalleria with long billets as my jumping saddle for a long time and it was the only reason I could jump my very wide QH. The girth under my leg pushed them just past the strength point and I could not hang onto my horse. When he jumped I would slide back about 3". When I got the Stubben suddenly I could hang onto him and didnāt slide back.
Unfortunately my horse is a tougher fit and the only saddle I found to fit has short billets. At times the long girth annoys me.
Sorry to hijack this thread ā but maybe my question fits in here somewhere.
What Iād like to know is if you can cut away the underflap on a dual flap, then get long billets sewn in ā and voila you have a monoflap?
Iām seriously considering doing this because I cannot find a used monoflap jump saddle that fits one particular horse of mine ā AND fits me. Plenty of dual flaps out there that would work, so why not jerry rig into a monflap? ā¦unless of course cutting away underflap will somehow compromise the integrity/function of the saddle.
I prefer short billets because Iām short. Therefore itās a struggle for me to tighten a short girth while mounted - my arms are too short, so is my torso, and I canāt reach. I prefer tightening a long girth.
[QUOTE=danacat;n9909234
What Iād like to know is if you can cut away the underflap on a dual flap, then get long billets sewn in ā and voila you have a monoflap?[/QUOTE]
Itās probably structurally okay to do that, but if you cut out the under flap, then your billets are directly against the horse, which I would think would be uncomfortable as they move around and possibly pinch.
Quite right! Would have to get some sort of keeper sewn on underside of flap - like Antares Signature or CWDās.
Mono flap saddles are a trend, or fad at the moment. in xc saddles.
Those saddles can only function with long billets. To be safe the leather of the billets is reinforced with a stronger synthetic material.
So far, I am not sold on the benefits of this new trend. YMMV.
Is it a fad if it lasts for, ummā¦ well over 17 years? Maybe I shouldnāt admit that, but I got my used Stubben Cavalleria more than 17 years ago and long billets on XC saddles were very common then. My Stubben didnāt have nylon laminate billets, just double leather.
I donāt disagree that long billets are subject to greater wear than short ones, being exposed to our legs, but I wouldnāt say they are inherently weaker. The weakest point in any traditional English girthing arrangement (any billet and buckle setup) is the leather hole the buckle tongue sits in. Barring worn out or substandard parts of course.
@danacat - Monoflap saddles either have the billets coming over the flap, or between two layers of leather sewn together that make up the monoflap. If you just want to use a short girth you could get a long billet arrangement to replace the short billets on a regular saddle. Many long billets on jumping or monoflap saddles are cut from a single piece of leather that is 3-4" wide from where it attaches to the saddle at the tree down to 3-4" above the top holes in the billets.
[QUOTE=RedHorses;n9909750
@danacat - Monoflap saddles either have the billets coming over the flap, or between two layers of leather sewn together that make up the monoflap. If you just want to use a short girth you could get a long billet arrangement to replace the short billets on a regular saddle. Many long billets on jumping or monoflap saddles are cut from a single piece of leather that is 3-4" wide from where it attaches to the saddle at the tree down to 3-4" above the top holes in the billets.[/QUOTE]
I know ā I own a monoflap. Love mine ā donāt think itās a fad either.
Iām looking for a (used) second one for another horse, and canāt find ANY that fit him and me at the same time. Been searching for weeks on end. Thought Iād just make one - plenty of affordable dual flaps out there that fit. Not quite financially ready to buy a full custom mono.
The very first saddle that I bought with my own money was a Stubben monoflap. That was back in '06, and it had already been loved for many years by that point. I donāt think monoflaps or long billets on jump saddles are going to go anywhere soon.
Part of the reason I never school in my current jump saddle (not the one that needs new billets) is that I donāt like the feel of the bulk from the girth under my leg.
This is especially bothersome on a smaller more narrow horse. I have one of those ā hard to get much leg on him to begin with as my legs are quite long, so the mono works much better.
Iāve had both long and short-billeted saddles; my real preference is for the āuniversalā length billets as I can use girths of various lengths and I wish I had them on all my non-monoflap saddles.
For my small, round horses, Iāve found that the longer girths (in effect, using the universal billets as though they were short) stabilize the saddles better. One of my instructors, a BHS Fellow, told me that she agreed when I discussed this with her. I believe, from my experience, that having a longer girth buckled relatively high on the curve of the ribs works better than having a shorter girth buckled lower on the curve with a round-barreled horse.
However, I personally donāt have an issue with feeling a lump from the billets/girth and I think thatās either because of my anatomy, my saddle choices, or a combination of both, so there is no discomfort of mine coming into play.
Tightening a short girth on a monoflap, from the saddle, has been possible for smallish me because Iām flexible, but Iām not thrilled about doing so, as I feel as though Iām in a more vulnerable position than when tightening a long girth. And, with my small horses, itās been more challenging to find appropriately-sized short girths. However, for a couple of them, a monoflap saddle has been the best fit.
The only downside is that in America it is hard to find a long black girth or a short brown girth, as tack shops think all dressage saddles are black with long billets and all jump saddles are brown with short billets.
I started riding in 1970, and all English saddles I encountered, many well over 10 yrs old all had short billets. That is how saddles were made for many decades.
So yes. To meā¦ a mere 17 yrs, of manufacturers sporadically trying long billets on various jump saddle models that never seem to find mass appeal, makes that type of saddle a fad. Or perhaps a niche market product.
Unlike long billets on dressage saddles which have been de rigueur for many decades.
But to each his/her own.
Total Saddle Fit. 
I have a brown dressage saddle and use a TSF girth in brown.
I donāt like long billets. I donāt care for the way I can feel them around my ankles ā they feel more bulky there to me than the dual flap saddles. But I am clearly in a minority position as trends seem to be heading toward long. Just make sure you ride in a couple of jump saddles with long billets first to see if it annoys you.
I donāt think there is ANY saddle that can be said to have mass appeal. Gone are the days when Passier, Stubben, Crosby and a few others had those models that ruled the world. There are just too many variables now.
And itās the rare saddle company that isnāt making or hasnāt been making a long billet mono jump saddle. Itās not sporadic. The long billet jump saddle is just another model in the line up, much like jumping saddles with XX forward flaps which havenāt been around forever either and are now more the norm for CC ā not a fad. And then there are those seemingly niche market models like the Stubbens with biomex seats or the CC saddles with an overgirth.
But to each his own concerning the amount of years one thinks it takes for something to not be a fad like the āPrattā menās tie knot ā or to BE a fad like platform shoes. Time will tell ā if it already hasnāt.
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