I found a Stubben saddle that only costs 1,000 dollars and it comes with a girth and stirrup leathers (I’d only need to buy the stirrup). Is it worth the money? (It’s used). Also, it’s been restored once so I wouldn’t have to get it fixed or changed somehow.
Lol, a Stubben can be worth barely anything or a few thousand dollars or anything in between, depending on the saddle. We are talking about a company that was founded in 1894, with thousands of saddles out there. The model should be on the billet guard, I suggest doing a search and seeing what others of that model are listed for. You can also contact the company and give them the serial number and they will tell you the age and factory details on that saddle.
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if looks in pretty good shape, fits your horse, fits you and fits your budget why not.
The ancient Stubbens from the 1970s last forever but have little resale value. The modern Stubbens are decent quality saddles that keep value relative to their original price in the same ratio as other contemporary saddles. The modern Stubbens don’t look like the old Stubben at all and probably won’t survive as long. Really it depends whether they fit you or your horse. Old Stubben put me in a chair seat, modern Roxanne rocked on my horse, so I’ve left them out of my saddle shopping list.
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If you’re worried about resale, only a few of the new Stubbens consistently sell at a higher price. I wouldn’t pay over 1000 for one if I foresaw selling it off quickly. I lost a few hundred dollars on a Stubben Artus (paid under 1000 for one in almost new condition) just a few months ago. There really isn’t a huge market for a lot of the models.
I have to say, the quality was pretty nice despite what you might read on here. They aren’t soft French leather, but they aren’t total crap by any means. I had a Bates for about a month and the leather on that might as well have been plastic… so it gets MUCH worse. And that one actually had BETTER resale value.
I bought a new one at Rolex last year and love it. It does have a soft leather and is really comfortable. I think it is a Genesis CS.
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Personally I think it’s somewhat counter productive to think of buying a used saddle for what it might be in terms of resale value… some will lose their value, some will maintain their value because of quality and/or brand recognition. When I worked in a tack store plenty of people turned their noses up at some really good quality tack because they were unfamiliar with the brand. In the used saddle market, it’s quality of the saddle vs brand which will maintain the saddle’s value. Again, if the saddle is in good condition, fits you and horse, buy it.
