by Ellie » Wed Jun 22, 2005 7:24 pm
#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Very interesting topic! My first dressage saddle was a stubben which I absolutely loved, and it had short billets. My instructor was ALWAYS correcting my leg placement, and I was always complaining that when he placed my leg in the correct position I got bruises from the buckles on the girth. Now when I had the saddle refitted to the horse I was riding back then, I had the billets replaced with long ones and didn't tell the instructor ( he had initally said it probably would not make any difference). My first lesson after the saddle was returned he kept walking around the ring shaking his head, I finally asked him what was wrong and he said nothing, absolutley nothing is wrong, I just can't figure out why after 2 years of lessons, all of a sudden your legs are staying in the correct place! When I told him that the billets had been changed, he said that he would have never believed it if he had not seen it for himself. Same rider, same horse and same saddle only change was the lenth of billets. Since then my saddles all have long billets, and a few months ago when I tried riding in a close contact saddle for the first time in about 10 years it felt really awful with those buckles right under my leg!#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#So, maybe some saddle maker way back when had the same problem and found this as a solution. I guess some horses and riders don't have a preference but for those who do its nice to have a choice#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#