I am posting this here because it is an all purpose type saddle. I don’t jump.
I found an old Kieffer saddle at Goodwill. Not sure of the model, but it functions like an all purpose jump saddle. Not super deep, not super flat.
The tree is good, lots of folks at them barn looked at it. Leather is now nice and supple (now!) But with surface flaws. I don’t show.
It is hard as a roc k! Would it be worth wool refloc k ( $250 plus shipping)?
I find the shape very comfortable and stable. It fits the horse ((a little wide).
To my mind it would, but I have been out of the game for about 20 years by now. I had my precious old saddle and kept it forever. I finally decided I could sell it and there were no takers. I showed it to a saddler at an event and she literally curled her lip and said ‘ew’. The saddle was a Passier and SO comfy. I ended up giving it to my friend who rides western. 
These are my thoughts only. I’m guessing that it is wool flocked (big plus in my opinion). My questions would be how wide is the gullet? Flip the saddle over. If you can’t fit 3-4 fingers sideways in the gullet probably not worth spending much money on. Modern saddles have lots of clearance for the horses spine. Most older ones don’t. Note that this isn’t a comment about the width of the saddle, just the gullet.
Does it fit your horse?
Finally, reflocking a saddle doesn’t change the comfort of the part you sit on AFAIK. It changes the part that touches the horse. Passier saddles are hard as a carp for the rider, but if they fit the horse and you well they’re great. It’s been a while since I’ve had a Kieffer but I’d guess that depending on age they may be pretty hard for modern tastes too.
Finally turn the saddle over and make sure the construction is straight. I once had a saddle I spent lots of money reflocking only to find out the panels were on crooked. It wasn’t anything I’d ever checked before and now I check it all the time.
I love old saddles. I hope you’ve found a keeper.
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If you owned and loved the saddle I’d say sure but don’t expect to necesssrily get your money back out if you sell. $500+ for a saddle that may have tree damage once opened up, uneven panels, or just plain doesn’t fit your horse feels like a big risk. There are soooo many older style saddles on the market.
I will check the gullet, good idea.
I mean the padding underneath is hard, I ride it in a gel or thin line pad over the saddle pad. Is that d oing the same as reflocking? I’m ok with my seat area being unpadded, I have a thin line seat saver I sometimes use.
I paid $25 for it, no plans to sell it. I mostly ride in a fairly new dressage saddle, this is the the alternative for a couple days a week.
Kieffer makes a darned good saddle. I’ve had many over the years and still own a newer one (Norbert Koof). If the saddle fits your horse and you, I’d probably have it reflocked, but my fitter charges less than $250 for a full reflocking. In the meantime, if you’re not riding in it every day, a good pad will likely suffice. Ride in it awhile and see how you like it. $25 is a bargain!
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Thanks Fat_Dinah for the additional info. In my experience it’s the fit of the saddle not the hardness of the panels that matters. I say good for you for using a pad and a thinline. Unless you’re going for a several hour ride that should work.
We’ve gotten used to spongy saddle panels with the proliferation of foam flocked saddles. But back when people rode all day, the wool flocked panels were quite firm and as long as the saddle fitted were maybe even better for the horse. The western saddles I’ve seen are firm but their contact is different.
Congrats on getting a great saddle at a bargain price. I wouldn’t be in any rush to reflock it unless my horse’s back became sore from it.
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If I liked the saddle, it fit my horse, and I was riding in it a few days a week, I wouldn’t mind spending that to get it reflocked. Is it lumpy at all or just hard?
I had my beloved old Smith-Worthington jump saddle completely reflocked two years ago because it had gotten a bit lumpy and had a mix of different wools inside. It was less than $250 but I can’t remember how much less. I only paid $300 for the saddle but the reflock was still totally worth it IMO.
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I jump in an old Passier - yes, hard as a rock. I have an old dressage Kieffer for trail riding. I put a sheepskin on it so it isn’t so hard for my rump.
Saddle folks, is there any sense in using pads instead of reflocking? Gel pad, sheepskins, correction pads? I ride different horses in my different saddles, so I don’t think any are magical fabulous fits for one specific horse. The trainers of these horses I’m riding just generally pad up with a square pad under a sheepskin half pad. They have students putting all kinds of saddles (owned by students, or mix and match of school saddlery depending on the size of the rider) on multiple horses for lessons, so this has become their go-to approach.
Might be simpler than reflocking. What do you all think about that approach?
ETA, this sounds like what the OP is currently doing.
Yes, I think I will keep going the separate pad route. I could buy a Reall y Nice pad to use with both saddles for that reflock . A friend pointed out that opening the saddle up might be more than the old leather can take.
If anyone knows, the label says Kieffer Munchen. Any clues to age or model?
A saddler said “ew” to a Passier?!!? I love their saddles. I have a Passier cc that I gt years ago and still love.
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I bought it used in 1978 when I got my horse. She said it would only be good for taking apart to show people how to make a saddle, and I said no thanks. This was about 3 years ago. I have pictures if it on another computer. Hopefully, my friend will sometimes use it.
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I bought mine on shopgoodwill.com. It’s amazing what shows up: Pessoas, a MacRider, lots of Passier, Crosby, Collegiate, Stubben. The old brands.
Right now there’s a nice Stubben Siegfried. Plus a bunch of nice breeches, tights.
Great option for kids, beginners, recreational riders.
My saddle fitter has helped me by shimming pads so that a given saddle can fit my warm blood cross and my OTTB. They each have the shim pad they need to make it work. But the saddles I have now have wide gullets which helps. I had to retire my old Roosli and Passier which had narrow gullets that would pressure the sides of the vertebrae. Or so I was told. Perhaps I’m gullible? 
I think it has much to do with how you ride. I just go for walks on trails. If you are jumping or higher dressage, the fit gets more crucial. If you are happy and the horses are happ, how can that be bad?!!
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My Stubben saddles have wool panels but are much harder than my Loxley saddles. Even if reflocked with Loxley flocking the leather on my Stubben doesn’t let it have “cushy” panels. I think it really depends on what the saddle maker had in mind and your horse.
I’d say that this wasn’t a very good saddler. At least not in my opinion. My horse is currently riding in a very old Passier dressage saddle and it’s literally the only saddle that hadn’t made him sore. None of the French saddles fit him, and we haven’t found a County that fit well either. He did do nicely in one Black Country, but it wasn’t as good as the Passier.
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