The Passier PSL that I ordered on trial came today, and when looking it over I noticed it has something that I can only relate to as a back cinch on a Western saddle. I've never seen this on a dressage saddle, but it doesn't seem to be removable. What is its' point? Is it common? I've ridden in a lot of various English saddles over the years, and have never seen one. 

 Is it a thin buckle attached to the flaps?  If so, its just used to hold the flaps down.  The only practical reason I can see for this is if you lunge in tack and the flaps tend to fly around and spook the horse.  Other than that, this strap annoys me and seems to just be a fad.

It's kind of medium... about the same as the girth billets, maybe a tiny bit thinner? It seems really pointless to me, but there doesn't seem to be any way not to buckle it, or to take it off. 

Hmm, Nicole, upon second look I think you're right. That's the only function I could see it having. I took a picture in case anyone sees anything else: (Zoey had to get in the picture, too, haha. Excuse the poor cell phone quality photo!) 

Yeah, it's just to buckle the flaps down.  I have no idea why they exist, my Wintec has one too.  Your leg is always on the flap, so it's not like it's going anywhere.  Maybe to hold down the edge for a neater profile on the horse, who knows...

Yeah, I have actually heard of people cutting them off of the Wintecs. I don't know if you would want to do that with a leather saddle, and definately not on a trial saddle ! I guess if you did it carefully it wouldn't be a problem, though. I have seriously considered cutting the one off of my Wintec, but I keep hesitating in case I might want to sell it someday. Maybe that's just silly.

Dressage Misfit:

I don't know if you would want to do that with a leather saddle, and definately not on a trial saddle !

The used Wintec I bought had that strap and I cut it off. I saw no use for it. I'm sure a leatherworker can take if off and leave the saddle looking like it was never there to begin with.

I have two Wintecs.  On one, I cut off the strap because it was too short to go around my mare, so it was only in the way.  On the other, I've left it on so that I didn't cut my saddle, and I often wish I would just take it off,  When throwing the saddle over the horse, it frequently gets in the way.   Problem is, that is the only time I even notice it, so I never get around to cutting it off.

You know what, Clyderider, my daughter came up with a cute trick to keep that strap up and out of the way for storage and saddling up..........you bring it up over the seat of the saddle, but give the buckle side a twist so that the buckle is right side up then you can buckle it and put the excess through the keeper. I even run it through my stirrups once I've run them up and it keeps everything together. I don't keep my saddle at the barn, no place to lock it up, so I'm hauling it back and fourth whenever I ride.