Parts of an English Saddle – Pommel, Seat, Cantle, Flap

All 13 parts on the diagram

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The saddle 10

Seat The dip where the rider sits, the lowest part of the top.
Stirrup iron The metal loop the rider's foot rests in.
Stirrup leather The strap that hangs the stirrup iron from the saddle.
Girth The broad strap under the horse that holds the saddle on.
Flap The large piece between rider's leg and girth buckles.
Pommel The front of the saddle, raised higher than the seat.
Cantle The back of the saddle, raised higher than the seat.
Skirt The small piece of leather that covers the stirrup bar.
Knee roll Padding at the front of the flap. It supports the rider's leg.
Panel The cushion between the saddle and the horse's back.

Under the flap 3

Billets Straps that hang from the saddle. The girth buckles to them.
Stirrup bar A steel bar on the tree. The stirrup leather hangs from it.
Sweat flap The large piece of leather between billets and horse.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only where two of these use it: (1) Wikipedia, English saddle, Parts of the English saddle, text only, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_saddle (panels, seat, pommel, cantle, skirt or jockey, saddle flap, sweat flap, billets, knee roll, stirrup bar, iron, leather, girth, each with what it does); (2) Equine Management and Production, a vocational agriculture curriculum (Oklahoma, 1994 edition), Label parts of the English saddle, https://archive.org/details/micro_IA41153547_0417 (cantle, panel, tread or stirrup iron, flap, stirrup leather, knee pad or knee roll, stirrup bar, pommel, skirt, seat); (3) search-result passages of three riding manuals on the Internet Archive, read for the names the curriculum leaves out: Horsemanship Handbook (2004), https://archive.org/details/horsemanshiphand0000susa (girth, billets); Certified Horsemanship Association Horsemanship Manual, Level 1, https://archive.org/details/certifiedhorsema0000unse (billets among the English saddle parts); The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship, https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780876059524 (stirrup bar, knee roll, sweat flap, panels). Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no photograph or plate followed. Licence: own work

How it works

The parts of an English saddle are a seat between a raised pommel and cantle, a flap on each side, and padded panels underneath. It has no horn. The second drawing shows what the flap hides.

Read the full guide

From the side, then under the flap

Numbers 1 to 5 are the parts most riders name first: the seat, the stirrup iron, the stirrup leather, the girth and the flap. Numbers 6 to 10 finish the side view: the pommel, the cantle, the skirt, the knee roll and the panel. Numbers 11 to 13 are under the flap: the billets, the stirrup bar and the sweat flap.

Pommel at the front, cantle at the back.
The stirrup leather hangs from the stirrup bar, which the skirt covers.

Questions and answers

What is the difference between an English saddle and a western saddle?

An English saddle has no horn, and it has panels: a pair of pads under the seat, filled with wool, foam or air. A western saddle has a horn, a deeper seat, a high cantle and wide fenders in place of stirrup leathers.

What are the billets on an English saddle?

Straps that hang down from the saddle under the flap. The girth buckles to them, and their holes let it be tightened. There are usually three, so one is a spare.

What is the flap on an English saddle for?

The flap lies between the rider's leg and the girth buckles and billets. Under it is a second piece, the sweat flap, which lies between the billets and the horse.

Is a stirrup iron made of iron?

Usually not. The stirrup iron is the metal part of the stirrup that the foot rests in, and today it is usually made of stainless steel.