Very common in the “old days”. You chose 2 out of the 3 billets that worked for your horse’s build and attached the girth to that. It’s not a looks thing- it was done for function.
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bcmom - the strap on the left side of your photo looks to be a flap strap. There should be one on both side of the saddle that would hook into a girth with 3 buckles. The 2 billets that are attached from the saddle tree use the bigger buckles on the girth and the flap strap goes to a usually smaller buckle in the middle. Most people I know just unstitch the flap strap and remove it.
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Thanks guys! I did learn that it’s called an overgirth (supposedly to keep the saddle flap down?) It seems like an odd thing to me…doesn’t your leg keep the flap down? Perhaps, I am just too slow to get it!!! 
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I have an old saddle with an over girth. My 3 buckle girth died somewhere around 2001 so I simply had a leather strap made with a buckle on each end. I’d do up the girth then fasten the strap over the girth on each side and lay it over the center of the girth. Easy.
I currently have a horse in training who came with a (most uncomfortable) saddle that has 3 regular long billets under the flap. My over girth strap is too narrow for that one so I just tuck the extra in one of the girth loops.
It was also handy before the days of specialized saddles to have a spare billet, on case one gave way.
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Some of the wintecs have the flap strap as well. Most of the ones I have seen used get cut off.
One option is to get a girt with a wide keeper. My girth I got from the Custom Saddlery rep has a big elastic keeper across it that would fit a third billet if I had one.
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