Anyone ever hear of this brand of saddle made like in the last 20 yrs? I searched and searched online and all I could find was that they seemed to be top notch at the turn of the 20th century (early 1900’s) but the founders died off in the 70’s and later.
I found a BobKaufman western saddle maker but the Kauffman I’m looking for has 2 ffs.
Kauffman’s was a tack shop in New York City for years & years.
I don’t remember if they had their own brand of saddle.
But to the best of my knowledge the store has been closed for quite some time.
I loved it was cool place.
Kauffman’s, Knoud’s and Millers were the big three.
Kauffmans was still around in 1988…got my first dsg.saddle there(Passier). It was a great place. Smelled wonderful!
The saddle youre looking at must have come from them. I think they went OOB in the 90’s.
Kauffman & Sons Reply
My father, Bob Kauffman, is the son and nephew of the last owners of the store.
His father, LeRoy Kauffman, broke away from the family business sometime in the 1970s.
He may have some information about Charles Kauffman, who was the last to operate the store via an online storefront.
He may be reached at rakauffman44@hotmail.com.
[QUOTE=fair judy;5807521]
Kauffman’s, Knoud’s and Millers were the big three.[/QUOTE]
I loved Knoud’s on Madison Avenue, I think the last time I was there was maybe early to mid 90s? And Miller’s was still around in 2002 or 2003 when I went back to riding after a long break, and there is still a tack shop in the same building only now its Manhattan Saddlery.
I bought my first tall boots at Kauffman’s and remember the store well! Finding boots there that worked with my skinny calves was a godsend, as my mother had said there was no way we could afford customs, and we were about out of ideas. The off-the-rack Kauffman’s boots were still too wide but their cobbler said he could take them in, so that’s what we did. I still have those boots, they’re in good shape and they still fit - just way too short for these days! 
In 1970 my parents and I went to Kauffman’s Saddlery in NYC to get a hunt seat saddle. I was just starting riding seriously (not just trail riding.) The salesman tried to fit me in several of the cheaper Borelli’s but could not get a good fit. Then he called in an older Mr. Kauffman who finally found an extra-forward Stubben Siegfried that would both fit me and my horse (after calling up my riding teacher.) It was more than double what my parents wanted to spend ($225 instead of $100), but Mr. Kauffman was very diplomatic and managed to convince them that I NEEDED a saddle that fit me.
I rode in this Stubben Siegfried yesterday, almost 44 years after I got it.
I used to look for those catalogues in the mail with bated breath when growing up. Could not wait for them to arrive.
I loved Kauffman’s in NYC! Daddy bought my tack and riding clothing there for years. In college I actually got to go visit the store to buy things myself instead of through the catalogue. I don’t remember if Kauffman’s ever had their own line of tack, but the people there and the store were terrific. Anything from that store and those people should be great. But it’s been gone for years and years.
There was a tack shop in Maryland called Kauffman’s International until a few years ago. They sold quite interesting things, and their polo section was especially good. I wonder if they were connected in any way to the NYC Kauffman’s.
KAUFFMAN & SONS, AND MILLER’S…what a blast from the past!! I left New York in 1975 and hadn’t been to either establishment since 1958. OMG! My Dad used to take me to both saddleries for our jodhpurs, hacking jackets, and boots (I didn’t own a horse until 1996 and living in the UK). Wow! This thread has had the same effect on me as that of a long-forgotten but recently-evoked fragrance!
I was wracking my brain trying to recall how the name seemed familiar to me.
When I was a kid, growing up in the Midwest, I never went to NYC. Ever.
Then I recalled my Aunt who rode in her youth (I inherited my first hunt coat from her) got the catalog.
I remember poring over it, page by page when we visited her.
She did business in NYC so must have visited the shop there.
Kauffman’s and Millers. If you didn’t find it in one you went out the door and down the street to the other. One had a horse out in front, can’t remember which one. Got a great pair of Justin kangaroo hide cowboy boots there.
I suspect that Kauffman’s had the saddles made in Walsall, England.
My first NYC trip ``` straight to Kauffman’s ~ super cool store !
!Super 
store ~ loved it !
my neighbors gave me an old catalog which I poured over and treasured for years. I can still see the cover page in my memory. this was from back in the late 60s!
I, too, spent many hours in those tack stores as a kid. Brings back memories!
[QUOTE=ljkauffman;7632531]
My father, Bob Kauffman, is the son and nephew of the last owners of the store.
His father, LeRoy Kauffman, broke away from the family business sometime in the 1970s.
He may have some information about Charles Kauffman, who was the last to operate the store via an online storefront.
He may be reached at rakauffman44@hotmail.com.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for registering to post this! I think I only went to Kauffman’s once, in the 70’s, but it was definitely an institution! Are parts of your family still in horses or leatherwork?
When I was growing up in the 60’s in the Midwest it was always Millers, Kauffman’s and Eisers catalogs.
[QUOTE=M. O’Connor;7634346]
I used to look for those catalogues in the mail with baited breath when growing up. Could not wait for them to arrive.[/QUOTE]
Me, too. And when the catalogs came in, I spent days pouring over them picking out the perfect tack and riding apparel I was going to order…someday.
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