Stüben quality?

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MouseInLux

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I bought a brand new stuben 2 years ago (it popped up on my Timehop for today) and I just cNt believe how badly it's worn. I ride once a day one horse a day. The stitching is gone under one of my stirrup leathers and on the other side there's a strange bubble effect going on. Is the quality really that bad at the moment or did I get a bum saddle? I love the feel of it and my horse goes well in it. I just can't see it lasting the 10+ years my friends saddles survive.
 
you must have a bad one.....I've only ever bought Stubben saddles, they last and last. The one's i've had and ridden daily in are over 10 yrs and look new! (i've been riding own horses for 35yrs)
 
Check your original guarantee, normally the leather is guaranteed for 2 years - including wear and tear, so you may be able to get it repaired.

The softer leathers which are used for flaps etc now are definitely not as hard wearing as the "old fashioned" butt leathers that were used in the past.

I made the mistake of buying a saddle with soft calf leather for the flaps, and it is wearing horribly - though it is only guaranteed for 12 months as it is soft.
 
Casey76 said:
Check your original guarantee, normally the leather is guaranteed for 2 years - including wear and tear, so you may be able to get it repaired.

The softer leathers which are used for flaps etc now are definitely not as hard wearing as the "old fashioned" butt leathers that were used in the past.

I made the mistake of buying a saddle with soft calf leather for the flaps, and it is wearing horribly - though it is only guaranteed for 12 months as it is soft.
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Good point , gone are the days of soild flaps blocked to the shape of the knee roll underneath on the sweat flap. You simply don't see the style of saddles I was trained to make anymore apart from some show/hunter saddles.Having styles/types of saddles with separate knee pads attached on the flap meant far more repairs for the likes of me coming in through the workshop, recovering/replacing knee pads on the flap, restitching them back together, which was the most comon repair and the coverings themselves on flap and skirts was a normal days work for me when I was in full time repairs. There's no thought for the practicalities involved to make the saddle last as long as possible. which applies to most makes on the market today. If the saddle flaps are made in the (blocked) old school way they can be equally as comfortable and much more durable.
We have come so far away from everything traditionally made now, that we seem to have lost sight of what it's all about.
This includes the materials saddlery is made from as well as the methods to make it. Costs have to be cut and short cuts are taken at the expense of quality and sometimes safety too.
Oz
 
The make of saddle I buy, WOW, offers butt leather or soft leather and warns that butt leather will withstand a lot more mistreatment. They also pad the soft leather, so the stirrup leather creates a slot for itself to sit in and does not sit on top and rub. I'm not at all kind to my saddles, but that system seems to work very well. The first thing that goes is the easily fixed stitching at the bottom of the flap, but even that lasts years because it's recessed. Unless you are a rider with legs that move on the stitching all the time.

Can't agree with you on the comfort of older style saddles Oz, sorry. As a thin skinned and bony woman, nothing beats modern padded saddles for avoidance of sore bum points and plasters on the knees. The worst I ever rode on was a Stubben, it was torture!


OP even for soft leather, yours sounds faulty.
 
ycbm said:
The make of saddle I buy, WOW, offers butt leather or soft leather and warns that butt leather will withstand a lot more mistreatment. They also pad the soft leather, so the stirrup leather creates a slot for itself to sit in and does not sit on top and rub. I'm not at all kind to my saddles, but that system seems to work very well. The first thing that goes is the easily fixed stitching at the bottom of the flap, but even that lasts years because it's recessed. Unless you are a rider with legs that move on the stitching all the time.

Can't agree with you on the comfort of older style saddles Oz, sorry. As a thin skinned and bony woman, nothing beats modern padded saddles for avoidance of sore bum points and plasters on the knees. The worst I ever rode on was a Stubben, it was torture!


OP even for soft leather, yours sounds faulty.
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Yes I agree I love these new style saddles. I still have the old ones in the tack room and I recently rode my mare in a 1980s wh saddle as it was the only thing that fit her at the time... I had a lot of bruises.
 
blitznbobs said:
Yes I agree I love these new style saddles. I still have the old ones in the tack room and I recently rode my mare in a 1980s wh saddle as it was the only thing that fit her at the time... I had a lot of bruises.
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Haha, this! We used to have some truly ancient saddles for a couple of the riding school ponies I learned on - good quality, had lasted a long time and we used them because they fitted the ponies - but my word did they make my butt bruised. Seat savers were my friend...without one I'd be standing in my stirrups whimpering quietly after a couple of hours out on a hack.
 
MouseInLux said:
I hope I do! I bought it from a local tack shop and had to wait 3 months to get it because I wanted it in a color that they had to make and it was summer holidays.
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Ooops, strange. We mostly have Stübben (some old, some new) and never had this problem. Might be worthwhile to get in contact with them.
 
My stubben stirrup leathers are about 15 years old now, and they are in great condition, never stretches or anything, look amazing when I bother to clean them!! so I'm surprised your saddle hasn't lasted too well!! I'd contact them to see whether there is anything they can do!!

I do have some ware on my bates saddle and the last time I had it fitted my fitter told me to keep an eye on it because she has managed to get some leather replaced on bates saddles were they have scuffed badly! she's out next week, so will see what she thinks now!
 
Ive always been a big Stuben fan, but I bought some stirrup leather a couple of years ago and within a few weeks the leather was rough and they looked awful. Gave them to a friend to use as neckstraps! Definitely Stuben from a reputable saddlers. Most disappointed and not cheap. X
 
Bubblewrap said:
Ive always been a big Stuben fan, but I bought some stirrup leather a couple of years ago and within a few weeks the leather was rough and they looked awful. Gave them to a friend to use as neckstraps! Definitely Stuben from a reputable saddlers. Most disappointed and not cheap. X
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the ines I bought with it don't look as good as the equipe ones I had previously...I may pull those back out.
 
So I thought I’d post an update. I spoke to Stübben on FB who sent me back to the shop I bought the saddle from. They were terrible, ignored one issue and stitched the other up with black thread. I was not happy, especially as they didn’t even call me to tell me it was ready! So I contacted Stübben again to complain. So now my saddle should be going back in a week or so to be fixed at Stübben. I’m currently looking for a new saddle to replace this one after this experience.
 
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