As I am browsing used saddles I am finding some potentially good deals but noticing that some of the saddles are over several years old or no year is listed. For example, I found a potentially on-my-budget Antares, but it’s 19 years old. I’m no expert, but I’m imagining at some point all of the interior components begin to deteriorate or wear down regardless of the quality of care. I don’t want to buy some thing that I think is affordable only to realize it needs significant internal repairs or reworking to make it usable for another few years. At what age is buying a used saddle not worth it?
It depends on the original quality, how much and what kind of use the saddle has had, and the level of care and maintenance provided over the years. I bought a brand new Stubben in 1978. It was still in great condition 20-some years later when I passed it along to a young rider. The only reason I got rid of it was that I finally accepted the fact that my middle-aged Mom butt was never going to fit comfortably in a 16 inch saddle again.
Personally I would not buy a saddle that I wasn’t able to look at in person, or have a saddle fitter look at before I paid for it if it were over 15 years old. Materials do degrade over time, people will hide less than stellar repairs, or there could be issues with the tree that you can’t see until the saddle is in front of you.
The old wooden tree, wool flocked, thick leather, conventional saddles can last forever with periodic reflocking, especially the sturdy brands from Passier and Stubben.
Here are the things that could influence saddle longevity:
How often was it used? Sometimes people have as new or lightly used saddles for one reason or another.
Was the tree compromised by a fall, by a heavy rider mounting, by it being dropped?
Has the tree repeatedly een altered in a press? this will put stress on the gullet components.
I am not sure of the relative sturdiness of plastic/carbon fibre versus wood trees. Both types of manufcturers claim there’s is best.
Is the leather worn? has the leather deteriorated from excessive damp or dryness?
If it’s foam flocked like Antares, has the foam deteriorated? this is more expensive to replace than wool flocking.
Is verything good inside? Typically the saddle fitter checks when they go to reflock.
So far out as a returning rider, I’ve bought three saddles, two Passier (jump and dressage) and one County. They have all been about 20 years old. You can tell from the serial numbers. Since I don’t love the very contemporary styles, I am happy with them.
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Foam does degrade, but it’s not that hard to replace. I recently bought a 20-year-old saddle, and I’m quite happy with it.
I recently sold my first good saddle, a 47 year old Stubben Siegfried. I included the sheepskin seat saver because the linen seat slings (or whatever they are called) had stretched and I was riding on the tree.
Otherwise, during all those decades I replaced 2 billet straps.
Good saddles, wool flocked, taken care of, and not left out in the weather, can last for a long time. Santini wrote that once when he rode someone else’s horse that person put on an old English hunt seat saddle that was over a century old (pre knee rolls).
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It’s a cheeky answer, but it really depends on so many factors. The saddle itself and its components and history are the biggest things, and your knowledge and experience also really play into it.
I picked up a 1992 Butet last year for dirt cheap through an international eBay seller. I took a chance, but I also knew what to look for - I knew where problems on Butets of that age might show up (and was pleased with the thorough pictures from the seller), what exact specs I wanted (and therefore was willing to take a chance on), and what kind of price was good but not too suspicious. I knew that even if the saddle needed the panels replaced it was still a good deal at that price, etc. I also knew that Butets around that age have a great reputation, and I could spare the cash if it all went downhill.
This is all to say: I would investigate a bit more but definitely be interested in proceeding. Look into: do Antares saddles of that generation seem to have a lot of complaints online? What prices do they sell for, and how does this one compare? Are you okay with some of the wear and cosmetics that come with a saddle of that age (no matter how nice my Butet is, you can tell it’s older, if not 27)? Do the price and the brand and the specs all add up to being worth it for you? And if it goes sideways how much of a problem will it be?
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I think I will err on the side of caution and not buy something very old. I don’t have enough knowledge about any particular brands nor am I searching specifically for a brand. I’m at the “anything is better than my current saddle” point and I am just looking for something that fits me and isn’t poor quality.
I would also recommend considering the brand and specific saddle itself, even when purchasing newer. I have seen several brands with a “lifetime guarantee” for their tree specify in the fine print that the “lifetime” of a saddle is 10 years and it is not actually guaranteed beyond that. Most saddles (I would venture to say 99%) I have ever seen have lasted far beyond 10 years with proper care, or didn’t fit a new/changing horse and were sold on before you would know how long they would last. Personally, I would stick to reputable brands (which it sounds like you are), a lightly used saddle, and don’t blow so much money that you couldn’t afford to replace it if the tree snaps within two years. It is highly unlikely that will happen, but seeing two saddles with broken trees in my barn a few years ago (nothing happened to them, both just hit a certain age and gave out), I learned to remember that all saddles will expire eventually. The older ones may be better built and last longer, but someone else has already used a lot of that extra life. My most important considerations would be price, and evaluating how well it seems the saddle has been cared for.
I have a 16 year old Antares saddle. It is still in excellent shape.
Though keep in mind that all the points I made about longevity could apply to a much newer saddle as well that had heavy use, a horse fall in it, or left to get moldy or dried out.
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Mine is 14 and ditto. Not a single repair needed yet (knock wood).
If you follow the side saddle groups, they are often buying, selling, and riding in saddles that are decades or even a century old. Of course, they often need a great deal of restoration work, and some of them seem to be like the old joke “This ax has been in my family for 300 years! The handle’s been replaced five times and the head twice.” The ones that have been used more gently and well cared for throughout their life often don’t need much, though.
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About five years ago I sold my first saddle, also a Stubben Siegfried, and it was more than 40 years old and still in great condition. To be fair, it was probably only used for about 10 years, then put away for about 25 more years and then used lightly for another year or two before being put away again in favor of my new CWD, so it had relatively little mileage and had been well cared for all those years, including being kept in climate controlled conditions all those years when it was sitting around. And I sold it for $500 which is at least twice its original cost. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy an older saddle, you just need to know its history.
