Stubben Saddles - Advice Needed

[NaughtyMagpie]

I had a saddle fitter out yesterday to measure my 16.3hh TB for a different saddle - the horse came with a synthetic "Status" saddle - 17.5 medium with a nice deep seat.
My back person told me to get this saddle checked as she suspected it was too long for him & not helping his back issues (which have nearly cleared up).
My horse has a huge shoulder & short ribs so he's not particularly long in his back, although he's a big horse. He has high withers too - as you can see in the picture.

She (saddler) has left us with a 17.5 Stubben jumping saddle (CS Siegfried, blue square), width 28 and a thin pad to try out for a few days. She suggested a Stubben as the weight bearing pads on the back curve up sharper & don't press too far back on him.
Sitting in the saddle, it's not as comfortable as my cheap synthetic, it feels very different - like I'm sitting on top, rather than in the saddle. The price of the saddle is £950 new, which is rather a bit more than I was budgeting for!!

So, here come the questions - has anyone here had any experience with Stubben saddles? What are they like? There are a couple of secondhand Stubben saddles on Ebay in the size above - should I buy one of these instead? Are there any alternatives? Ideally I was hoping to spend £500 - not nearly £1000.

Any help, comments or advice would be very much appreciated.

 

[dixie]

Stubbens are a personal choice. Some love them and some loathe them. Most of the top showjumpers have them but only with massive pads underneath.

Personally I don't like the narrow gullets and small weight bearing areas and hard seats but I had one that fitted my last horse brilliantly and he never had a bad back.

If you intend to get one, definitely try on ebay as they are much cheaper and I feel their value drops a lot from new.

Welcome to the minefield of saddle fitting !!

 

[CastleMouse]

I bought a brand new Stubben Siegfried CS Close Contact saddle about a month ago and love it

It suits both Ali and I very well.

 

[kerilli]

tbh i think if it feels weird, it isn't right. i tried lots of dr saddles the other day and two made me feel perched above the horse, some felt okay, while the right one made me feel completely at home, instantly.
i'm no fan of stubbens, they used to have narrow hard rounded panels, not nice for horse at all. usually lovely and secure for the rider though, i've hunted in lots of stubbens.
i've been told the new ones have wider, softer panels though. if this one doesn't, i personally wouldn't want it on a horse that has already had back problems.
i am totally in love with Ideal saddles at the moment, fwiw!

 

[miller]

My lad wore one up to being 10yo when he outgrew it widt wise.

I loved it - gullet on it is barely any narrower than my 4yo CC SJ and dressage saddles - only downside it is quite heavy.

Mine is an 18" and on a 16.2 MW so no problems with back of the saddle

It is approx 25years old+ and although faded is in excellent condition.

Never wore a pad underneath it either - my lad is 19 this year and has never had a lameness/back issue

 

[Nailed]

personnally.. im not a stubben lemetex fan... and specially not for tb's. The panels are usually quite thin and not very wide. the saddles are stiff and dont realy allow you to become part of the horses movement.

I just got my 16hh tb a thorowgood t4 hi-wither and i can honestly say that it is the nicest and comfiest saddle ive owned.. and it suit Ted down the the ground.!!!
Lou x

 

[Governor]

I've got an ancient Stubben Siegefried which I jump and hack in. I bought it at a tackshop when I was at a show and had the saddler out to check it afterwards.

He declared that it 'fits like a Stubben' and would suffice for the amount I use it but I do use a thick (JW) sheepskin halfpad underneath as despite it being clear of his spine/withers it seems to cause slight brusing without. Panels are quite hard and narrow.

Mine (maybe because its an older version) seems quite long and flat though so I wouldn't envisage it being great for short backed horses. I love jumping in mine though, as Kerilli said they're pretty balanced and secure for the rider despite being really quite flat (and bloody hard).

 

[clairencappelli]

Tb's generally suit saddles with longer tree points and deeper softer panels.

I have a TB with very long high withers and a prominenet back and she had an ideal saddle made for her with special gussets put it to give her back extra room and longer tree points to give more lift at the frount.

She was previously in a wintec and i never really liked it and that was a narrow. My saddler discovered a broken tree so we binned it and she went for a narrow that was pinching her to a medium tree with deeper panels. the difference in her flat work was quite amazing!.

I am soon to recieve my new ideal suzannah dressage saddle and becuse the tree comes up smaller i have gone for a med/wide.

I love my ideal saddle they really do wear well and hold a good value.

I have never liked stubens.

Can you call anyone else out and ask them to bring a selection of 2nd hand saddles?

 

[spaniel]

Very over rated IMO and actually dont fit that many horses. The panels are way too small.

All you can do is trial and error as many makes as you can get hold of and find the one that suits the horse best.....dont go by brand name.

 

[kerilli]

NaughtyMagpie, since yours is a tb, it may well have the same back shape as my mare and claire_and_capelli's.
basically, they have long dorsal spinous processes, (hence the high wither) which means that there's quite a gap before the top of their ribs - which is what the saddle panels really need to sit on to distribute the weight. so, you need a saddle with very deep long panels to fill in the gap - a short-panelled saddle will just sit in the gap. Ideal Impala and Albion K2 jump tb are both saddles that have the extra front gusset in the panel to fill this gap. it makes a huge difference.
for e.g. this is an owen panel saddle

this is a saddle with front gussets
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:zOI8...w/panels_14.jpg
if you can see the underneath of an Impala or K2, it's even more pronounced.

 

[BigRed]

I like Stubbens, but this is not really the issue here is it - you need to make things very clear to your saddle fitter that your budget is £500 and not £1000. There are loads of very nice and perfectly good second hand saddles in your price range. She will want to sell you a new one because she gets a very good profit margin on a new saddle.

Go back and have a chat before things get out of hand.

 

[CBAnglo]

I dont like Stubbens. I think the quality has really gone downhill - most people who say that they love their stubbens actually have very old stubbens, when they actually were made well (but that didnt mean they were great for horses).

I can see what she means about the shape of the tree suiting the shape of your horse's back more - but I think you could get something else to fit better. I would be looking at a Barnsby or Ideal. If you want an adjustable saddle, then a Kieffer or a Saddle Company. You could get all of these second hand for your budget or less. Get a saddler out to try out a few. I assume you are after a CC saddle? In which case the seat will be rather flat on any make you choose.

 

[suzysparkle]

If it feels wrong then avoid. I'm surprised by the comment about most top showjumping riders having them. I used to work for one, and neither him nor the others I knew and saw at shows used them. The favoured were Pessoa, Prestige, Butet and John Whitaker.
I'm a big fan of saddle company. They have serge panels (very soft) which are really broad - a normal prolite underneath is too narrow - they take a prolite wide which gives you an idea. They are fully adjustable and the quality is exceptional. I have to say, they do fit the high withered Horse really well. My last Horse was a TB with a high wither - even the close contact one fitted him really well. My Horse now has really big shoulders and a reasonably high wither. His event saddle co is a great fit. Brand new are around £500 and made to measure as well!
I have ridden in a stubben once and I found it very hard.

She said current saddle was too long at 17 1/2"?? However, she has advised a different saddle also in a 17 1/2"?? Surely they are the same length then??? Also, jumping saddles can make you feel very much like you are perched. Unless you do a LOT of jumping I wouldn't buy a jumping saddle. They aren't good for flatwork at all. A good GP (if you do jump then a slightly more forward cut one) will feel a lot better.

 

[Jennypenny]

I have a stubben and love it. If a 28 fits her, you could try and pick up a 28 size on ebay for cheaper. You need a saddle that you feel compy in too, so make sure your happy in it as well as your horse.

 

[karenmorgan1]

I have a theory on stubbens - they are hard as bricks and I think it is the european way of inflicting torture on us unsuspecting brits - but if you love them you have my utmost respect - the last one i rode on I had trouble sitting down all evening

 

[rooooosie]

my YO has one and its not overly comfortable but its a decent saddle and seems to fit a fair few!!!


saddler doesnt really like them though!!!!


chiccored1 haha maybe we need to toughen up?!