PLN
Girth done up, saddle sitting right, everything as usual. Then, while untacking, someone lifts the flap, looks at the billets and sees the leather worn through at one of the holes. Or that one billet has clearly stretched further than the one next to it.
Billets are the only thing holding the saddle on the horse – everything else depends on whether they hold. At the same time they are a wear part: they work under load with every stride, they stretch, and they have a service life, just like a tyre or a brake pad. Nobody replaces a saddle because the billets have worn out. You replace the billets.
Below: how many there are on each type of saddle and why, how to tell it's time to replace them, what it costs, and how the job is handled by our saddle service.
Key points at a glance
- Billets are the leather straps you buckle the girth to – the only connection between saddle and horse. They are attached to the tree, not to the seat leather, and they carry the full load.
- A jumping saddle usually has six billets – three on each side; a dressage saddle has four – two per side. The third billet on a jumping saddle isn't decoration or a spare for emergencies: it lets you move the girthing point.
- Wear shows at the holes and along the edges – cracks, rubbing, delaminating leather, billets stretched to different lengths. A billet doesn't have to look old to be working at its limit.
- Replacing a single billet is an emergency fix. Used billets have stretched and have a different give from a new one, so the girth will start loading them unevenly.
- Prices start at 130 zł for one billet, and a full set on a jumping saddle is 600 zł. Replacing the whole set works out cheaper than ordering the two sides separately.
- Most jobs are completed within 48 hours of the saddle arriving at the workshop. Billets are stitched in with dedicated thread: on jumping saddles the job usually doesn't require taking the saddle apart, on dressage saddles it can.
Contents
- What are saddle billets?
- How many billets does a saddle have, and why?
- How do you tell billets need replacing?
- What does billet replacement cost?
- How does billet replacement work?
- Which saddles do we replace billets on?
- Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
- Summary
What are saddle billets?
Billets are the leather straps the girth buckles onto. Every saddle has them on both sides, and they are what connects the saddle to the horse – the rest of the structure holds the shape and spreads the weight, but keeping the saddle on the back is their job.
The most important part is the bit you can't see. A billet isn't stitched to the seat leather – it's anchored to the tree, the saddle's rigid frame. That way the force of the girth pulling the saddle down goes into the structure, not into the finishing leather. For the same reason, replacing a billet isn't a minor tailoring job: you have to get to the point where it's anchored.
We break down saddle construction in detail – tree, panels and flaps – in a separate piece on how a saddle is built. Here we focus on what happens to billets in use.
How many billets does a saddle have, and why?
The number of billets isn't a matter of the maker's taste – it follows from how the discipline loads the saddle and how long a girth is used. Hence the difference between jumping and dressage saddles.
Why does a jumping saddle have three billets?
A jumping saddle has three billets on each side, six in total. The third isn't a spare in case one breaks – it's an adjustment. By buckling the girth to different pairs you move the point at which the saddle is drawn down onto the horse, and with it the whole saddle shifts slightly forward or back.
That matters on horses of different conformation. A horse with a girth groove set well back, a round-barrelled horse and a horse with an upright shoulder will each “settle” the saddle differently on the same pair of billets. That's why on jumping saddles the third billet is often used every day, not just in an emergency.
Which pair is right for your horse is a separate question – we cover it together with choosing girth length in our guide on how to choose the right girth.
Why does a dressage saddle have four billets?
On a dressage saddle there are two billets per side, four in total. Fewer, because fewer are needed: with a short dressage girth the buckles sit low, out of the way of the rider's leg, and the saddle itself has less room for positional adjustment.
Dressage billets, on the other hand, are much longer and work differently. They run almost to the bottom of the flap, lie flat under the rider's leg and shift by millimetres under the tensioned girth with every stride. That's why they wear evenly along their whole length rather than just at the holes.
General-purpose saddles are structurally closer to jumping saddles and have a three-billet layout – if you have one, choose the jumping-saddle service. You'll find the models under general-purpose saddles.
How do you tell billets need replacing?
You don't judge billet wear by colour or by whether the leather “looks old”. What decides it is the state of the leather around the holes and what the strap does under load. These are the signs we look at first in the workshop.
- Cracks at the edge of a hole. If you can see a line running from the hole to the edge of the strap, the leather there is already broken and failure is a question of load, not time.
- Billets of different lengths on one side. One stretched further than the others is a sign it has been doing the work on its own for years.
- Rubbing and delaminating leather. A strap that starts to fray along its length has lost its integrity and won't come back after oiling.
- Play at the anchor point. If the billet moves at its base or the top stitching has come apart, the problem is no longer the strap but its attachment to the tree.
Most of these signs appear earlier on neglected leather. A dried-out strap doesn't recover its shape after loading, so cracks and rubbing appear sooner. Regular conditioning won't make billets last forever, but it genuinely pushes back the moment you need to replace them.
A routine billet check is worth doing whenever you clean the saddle, and at the latest before the competition season. What else to check and how often is covered in our piece on how often to check saddle fit.
If you're not sure whether it's still normal wear or time for the workshop, start with a saddle assessment. You'll get an evaluation of the whole saddle, not just the straps – because worn billets rarely come alone.
What does billet replacement cost?
The price depends on the type of saddle and how many billets you replace. Below are the base prices for drop-off and collection at our workshop in Ruda Śląska; courier one way adds 50 zł, both ways 100 zł.
| Scope | Jumping saddle | Dressage saddle |
|---|---|---|
| One billet | 130 zł | 150 zł |
| One side | 330 zł (3 billets) | 280 zł (2 billets) |
| Whole saddle | 600 zł (6 billets) | 500 zł (4 billets) |
The table shows something worth knowing before you order: a full set costs less than two sides priced separately – 60 zł less on a jumping saddle, and 60 zł less on a dressage saddle too. If you're considering both sides anyway, there's no reason to split the job.
There's also a purely technical reason not to replace a single billet. Old billets have stretched and have a different give from a new one, so the girth stops loading them evenly: the new strap works harder, the old ones give. With one cracked billet it's an emergency fix; as planned maintenance it's a bad idea. You order the service like any other product, with no separate quote: for a jumping saddle or for a dressage saddle.
To put it in scale: replacing a full set of billets is usually a few per cent of the price of a new saddle, and far less than replacing other saddle parts. It's one of the cheaper structural repairs we do.
How does billet replacement work?
The amount of work depends on the type of saddle, but the starting point is always the same: billets are stitched in, so the old strap has to be unpicked and the new one stitched into exactly the same place. There's no clip-on or Velcro version – and rightly so, because a connection that holds the rider shouldn't come apart without tools.
Thread is a matter in itself. We stitch billets in with dedicated thread – just like every other load-bearing part of a saddle. The thread is chosen for the thickness of the leather and the force acting on that seam, because ordinary sewing thread isn't rated for that kind of load. For the same reason, “reinforcing” a seam at home on a sewing machine usually leaves it worse than it was.
On jumping saddles nothing usually needs taking apart – access to the anchor point is good enough that the job is done without touching the panels or the seat. Dressage saddles vary: sometimes the saddle has to be partly dismantled, and on some models the billets are additionally secured with screws. That's why we set the scope after seeing the actual saddle, not from a description over the phone.
From the customer's side it's simple. You buy the service online just like any product – pay online, no separate quote, no forms to fill in. You choose the delivery method in the basket, and we've covered packing the saddle in our guide on how to send a saddle for servicing.
Most jobs are finished within 48 hours of the saddle arriving, transport time not included. With heavily used saddles something else sometimes turns up along the way – in that case we call you and agree the scope before starting work.
There's one more thing worth taking advantage of while the saddle is on the bench anyway. Replacing billets exposes areas nobody reaches during normal cleaning – the billet roots, the girth area, the seams along the edges. It's the best moment for leather cleaning and conditioning, because dried-out leather is exactly what would shorten the life of a new set of billets. No need for two shipments either – both services are ordered for one saddle and one delivery.
Which saddles do we replace billets on?
As standard we replace billets on Prestige Italia and Renaissance saddles. That isn't a limitation for its own sake: we work with original manufacturer parts, which are matched to the specific tree design and leather thickness of each model.
On these brands, a repair at an authorised service point does not affect the manufacturer's warranty – work done elsewhere can be a different story, and the tree warranty is worth more than the repair itself. The full scope of our work is set out on the saddle and helmet service page, and you'll find every service under Equishop Service.
Saddles from other makers aren't ruled out, but we decide only once the saddle is on the bench. Send it or bring it in for a condition assessment – we then check how the billets are anchored on that specific model and whether we can stitch in new ones that hold like the originals. If the answer is “no”, we tell you straight away rather than taking the job and sending the saddle back a week later.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
The questions we hear most often about billets.
What are saddle billets?
They are the leather straps under the saddle flap that the girth buckles onto. They are anchored to the tree, the saddle's frame, so they carry the full load holding the saddle on the horse's back. A jumping saddle usually has six, a dressage saddle four.
Why are there three billets on one side?
The third billet is an adjustment, not a spare. Changing the pair you buckle the girth to moves the point where the saddle is drawn down, and with it shifts the saddle slightly forward or back. On a horse with a girth groove set well back or an upright shoulder, that makes a real difference to stability.
Can I replace just one billet?
You can, but we treat it as an emergency fix. Old billets have stretched and have a different give from a new one, so the girth starts loading them unevenly. For planned maintenance it's better to replace a whole side, ideally the full set – which is also cheaper than two sides ordered separately.
How much does billet replacement cost?
With drop-off and collection, one billet costs 130 zł on a jumping saddle and 150 zł on a dressage saddle. A full set costs 600 zł and 500 zł respectively. Courier one way adds 50 zł, both ways 100 zł.
How long does billet replacement take?
Most jobs are completed within 48 hours of the saddle arriving at the workshop; transport time is extra. On saddles in poorer condition the scope can be wider – in that case we get in touch before starting work.
How often should billets be replaced?
There's no fixed interval, because it depends on how hard the saddle is used and how it's cared for, not on its age. Check the billets every time you clean the saddle and replace them when cracks or rubbing appear at the holes – don't wait for a strap to break completely.
Do you replace billets on other brands of saddle?
As standard we work on Prestige Italia and Renaissance saddles. We can take a saddle from another maker, but only after seeing it at the workshop – whether the job is feasible depends on how the billets are anchored on that model, and that can't be judged from a photo.
Are billets stitched or screwed on?
They are always stitched – it's a load-bearing connection, so there are no detachable solutions here. On some dressage saddles the stitching is additionally backed up with screws, depending on the model. On jumping saddles replacement usually doesn't require taking the saddle apart; on dressage saddles it sometimes does.
How do I order billet replacement?
Simply buy the service online – choose the scope and delivery method, pay, and that's it. No forms or emails needed.
Summary: saddle billets
Billets are the most underrated part of a saddle: tucked under the flap, looked at now and then, yet responsible for whether the saddle stays on the horse. They are also a wear part and replaceable – which is good news, because it means a good saddle isn't written off over a worn strap.
The essentials:
- A jumping saddle has six billets, a dressage saddle four; the third billet on a jumping saddle is there to adjust the saddle's position.
- Wear shows at the holes and along the edges – cracks, rubbing, delaminating leather – not in the general look of the saddle.
- Replacing a single billet is an emergency fix; a full set works evenly and costs less than two sides separately.
- Prices start at 130 zł, and a full set is 500–600 zł depending on the type of saddle.
If you're not sure your billets will last the season, bring the saddle in or send it to our shop and service centre at ul. Oświęcimska 9 in Ruda Śląska – we'll look at it before accepting the job. For questions about a specific model, the quickest way to reach us is through the contact page.
