Hi.

Some of the saddles that I am thinking of getting involve a decision about flap length. I have never had to deal with this before so I'm not sure about it. I'm about 5'5" ish and I do Hunter stuff. I think short flaps are too short, and long is too long. But what's the purpose of getting a regular flap over a forward flap? What's the difference?

 I don't really have a good answer for you, but I just wanted to post to you before Solaris and ruin her record....!  

Actually, I think a regular flap is just fine for most levels of jumping.  Since you're 5'5" (ish), you probably won't need the extra "forward" of the forward flap.  If you have an extra long uppper thigh and/or feel the need for a short stirrups length, then you might.  I've ridden in a saddle with a foward flap and found it very uncomfortable.  I'm also 5'5", but have short legs, so the flap did not fit my leg at all.  As a matter of fact, my saddles have extra long stirrup bars, so the leathers hang in the right spot for my leg!

 HA! That cracks me up.

You probably want a regular flap. I'm almost 5'7 but have long chicken legs lol and I need a forward flap. My knees hang off of a regular flap. Correct me if I'm wrong but the only advantage to having a forward flap is if you have long legs you need the more forward flap to fit your legs, otherwise it will probably throw off your whole position.

 See, I wasn't sure why you would choose a forward vs. a regular. It makes sense that is has to do with height. Perfect. Thank you.

DANG IT!  Been out of town doing field work and I missed an IR post!!!!  Curse you, remmer!!  ;-P 

But yes, flap length is about thigh length, if you are a regular 5'5", you'll be fine with the standard flap.

 I was wondering where you were. Haha. Thanks for responding.

 I figured you'd be out in the field, Solaris, so I had to sneak in when I could. 

What irony though - a perfect post for someone with self-described freaky long thighs!  Do you have the forward flap on your saddle?

Hmmm, sort of?  I got the Collegiate Convertible, so it actually has three choices:  regular, long and forward.  The long is both longer and more forward than the regular, and then the forward is REALLY forward.  I got the long -- I still get extra space for my freaky chicken legs but the flap is not soooooo forward I can't use it for flatwork/dressage (since I'm too poor for two saddles).

The more forward flaps are for bigger jumps and the flap length should accommodate your thigh length, not your height. This is according to the saddler I bought my CC from and I was surprised that a long flap fit me so much better than an average length as I am average height. Anyway I hope this helps.