I’m posting this on this forum because it seems a lot of foxhunters like the Stubben Siegfried and I will be using it for foxhunting (second field at best) as well as small jumps and general hacking around. Tried a 25 year old Siegfried and loved the balance and how easily it puts you into two-point (I have been spending most of my time in a dressage saddle) but didn’t like how narrow the seat is, especially for my wide butt. I did feel like I was riding on a board. How do the newer Siegfrieds compare? Do they have the same great balance?
yes they do
Love mine. Fits the, ahem, mature female figure and most horses. And I rode in an ancient one for years. The downside??? They do take a while to break in, but are damn near indestructable. Easy to find and keep your balance in, even on very trappy terrain.
Thanks, 2ndyrgal!
I still have my father’s Siegfried. I understand that he got it in the fifties or early sixties. I rode in it for years and years even though it is a 19 inch. Hand stitching underneath, very nice but cracking now. My husband sold his new one after three years as it was hard as cardboard and hurting his horse. Never could break it in. Awful.
Steubbens in general
Steubbens in general are being hugely overlooked by most. I have absolutely no idea why, but I am older and more inclined to what is comfortable and dependable. Still reasonably priced for new in comparison to other more fashionable brands, good fit for both horse and rider, last forever.
I am on a limited budget so I am into used saddles. However, when I see a Steubben under $400, I buy it as a matter of course. I just buy it. I have a large lesson program and the saddles get used heavily and I have never ever had one disintegrate. Heck, it even almost seems like they get better. I have had other brands literally come apart. Stirrup bars cracking, seats wearing through, skirts wearing out all the time. We handle a lot of adult beginners, so it’s not like the only people riding in them are 85 lb little girls, either.
I have always heard that you can ship a Steubben saddle and $20 bucks to the mfgr and they will completely re-build it like new and send it back to you ready for another couple of decades of use. I have never had to see if this was true, never had one wear out.
They are good enough for the RCMP.
Great saddles
I always feel compelled to answer on threads about Stubbens, TBs and STBs. 
Love all three.
I’ve hit the “over-fifty” age bracket, but my Stubben is still the best saddle for me. One saddle fits all three horses and helps me stay in balance whether seated or two-point. The only drawback is it has a hard seat. Anything over a 2 hour trail ride and I need a seat saver. So for lessons or quick trail rides, I use the Stubben “naked”. If I know I will be in the saddle for hours I’ll toss on the sheepskin seat cushion.
For value I just don’t think you can beat them.
sold mine years ago
if you have a big budget or can find a used Nona Garson Prestige I recommend it for keeping the horse between ones self and the ground.
also very soft
[I’m part of the over 60 crowd]
I LOVE my Stubben! Mine is actually and Edelweiss which I got the first year they were available. I has literally been through hell and back and is still a beautiful comfortable saddle.
An example of whtat its been through - As a teenager I traded saddles with a friend as hers wouldn’t fit her new horse and he rolled in THE OCEAN, I was going to die I was so upset, but after a week of intense saddle care and not speaking to my friend it was once again useable. All of the stitching remains intact to this day.
I regret selling my 1970’s era Siegfried for $200 during a point of poverty in college…a great saddle (sadly with blue knee rolls due to riding in new bluejeans).
I’ve still got a Lorelei (basically a suede insert Imperator).
Given my druthers, I prefer Passiers first and then Stubbens. Both are famous for fitting a amazing number of horses and riders. Both work great for guys.
I really don’t think it would only cost $20. to redo a Stubben. It would be considerably more. I have seen some that were sent back and redone and they turned out very nice. The leather tanning back in the 1950’s was the old way. That leather would last a lifetime. I have reworked some Stubbens with new billets and new seats and a reline of the panels.
I like Passiers also but they have a leather tree in the old ones from the 1960’s. They have spring streel re-enforcements but I have a couple of them that the spring steel in the tree broke at the rivet.
I like the tree in the Stubben Sigfried because it is solid and very strong. I am a tall woman and I can’t ride the Kieffers and Passiers because my pelvic bones sit wide and on those saddles they sit on the outside seam. The Sigfried is wide enough for my seat and gives me good support.
I have seen several Sigfrieds that have been passed down through families from Grandfather to grand children. And they still look great. Sometimes a reflocking is needed and billets need changing but other than that they are great.
JMHO.
Sadlmakr
guess a rider has to try them. I couldn’t do a posting trot in the Stubben without getting banged right ‘there’. The Passier was, for me, more comfortable.
I liked the flexible tree, too, and both are lifetime saddles made with real old school craftmanship…the old ones at least.
If you wan to find out more about Stubben repair their US Headquarters is in Troy, VA. You can go to their website www.stubbennorthamerica.com. I have spoken to them and they are extremely friendly and helpful. I still kick myself for selling my Seigfried DSL…
Is there anyway to date your Stubben? I have an older one and most of the numbers and stamping on the flap are not legible. Is there anyway to get an idea of how old it is?
I have an old seigfried III (square cantle, flat flaps, somewhat like the crosby PDN). This saddle is about 20 years old and still is just beautiful. The seat is a bit hard though.
From those of you with “seat is hard” complaints - have you tried the stubben bio-mex seat? I confess I was really interested when I saw that! Does it work?
Gosh darn it…I just sold an old Seigfried on Ebay for $150.00. I picked it up at an exchange sale for a steal (too cheap to fess up to, lol). I had a bad experience with Stubben dressage saddles (hard as a board to sit in). The one I sold was an older one, with a bit of stitching need to be replaced but otherwise great condition for 15 plus years of age.
>>>>Kicking myself now, ugh!
[QUOTE=RacetrackReject;4583790]
Is there anyway to date your Stubben? I have an older one and most of the numbers and stamping on the flap are not legible. Is there anyway to get an idea of how old it is?[/QUOTE]
Email Buddy Baird at buddy@stubbennorthamerica.com. Particularly if you can send him pictures of the saddle, he can identify at least its approximate vintage. I think he answers questions like this full-time.
In a related vein, anybody have a sense of how much it should cost to have billets replaced? My Stubben Wotan’s have about had it. I’m not sure they’re the originals, as the saddle was made in the 80s. They still function, but they’ve split.
I wore my 60s Siegfried out. I got it used and it was well used. Eventually the leather in the twist wore through. I tried to have it repaired but the repair just wouldn’t hold. I ended up using a sheepskin seat saver for a while then sold it.
Last summer I just bought a Stubben genesis CS with biomex. The biomex really makes a difference for me! I had low level back pain after riding, and now it is gone. The biomex seat is also more comfortable that the regular seat too.
