# Are Stubben saddles out of fashion?



## cundlegreen (4 January 2013)

I've always thought that to have a Stubben was the ultimate, but I've been advertising one for some time now, and no interest at all. Its not as if I want a lot of money for it. Are Albions the in thing now?


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## Squeak (4 January 2013)

I haven't tried a new stubben but in my past experiences Stubben saddles have been heavy, hard and old fashioned so yes definitely out of fashion from my experiences!


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## Bubley898 (4 January 2013)

I am after a stubben Siegfried II 17.5 med width after riding in one today!


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## Squiggles on Paper (4 January 2013)

in my opinion yes due to the fact that they are heavy and quite hard compared to the other saddles out there. I rode my aunts show jumper in a Stubben they had there, it really held me leg well and I felt supported but when I sat down on it, it wasn't the most comfortable saddle I've sat in. This is just my opinion, I'm sure others out there disagree. Nice saddles but a bit out-dated


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## AntxGeorgiax (4 January 2013)

Stubben's used to be fab, and the best going, but now there is a lot more competition in the market for newer, lighter saddles.


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## tricksibell85 (4 January 2013)

I have a 2nd hand stubben dressage saddle - love love love it!


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## amage (4 January 2013)

I wouldn't take a present of a Stubben!! That being said the only people I know who like them are really tall and leggy which I am not but I do find them hard and uncomfortable


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## jess_asterix (4 January 2013)

I love my newer stubben Roxane  my old ones are verrry hard and heavy though.


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## Charlie77 (4 January 2013)

Think they did go out of fashion. The new ones are rather nice though. We had and old one we used to call the plank as was like sitting on one.


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## Lolo (4 January 2013)

Al loves the one she rides in- it's a Legend 5000 XC saddle and it's like it was made for her and the horse. If yours is the same as that, PM me, lol!


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## Keenjean (4 January 2013)

They are very heavy compared to modern saddles. I saw a lady collecting hers from the local tack shop as they'd been unable to sell it second hand and they had this exact conversation. The girl basically said that stubbens just sit there and sit there now and noone wants them anymore. I think it's a classic case of a company failing to move with the times.


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## Kallibear (5 January 2013)

Quite apart from being old fashioned and usually uncomfortable, they no longer fit well on the 'modern' horse. They're designed for fit slim TB's and really don't sit well on wide muscled warmbloods or fat allrounders and are awful on most natives.


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## TarrSteps (5 January 2013)

For whatever reason they seem to have lost popularity and market share here. The newer models are built on a different tree and they have some quite high tech innovations like the Biomax seat but people here seem to equate them all with the very old style saddles. I think this does make them much harder to sell in the UK, as most people who want one have one and they are not drawing new customers. It seems a lot of fitters speak ill of them, too, although that is not necessarily the case in other markets so I take it with a grain of salt. That doesn't help you though, sorry.


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## sbloom (5 January 2013)

Kallibear said:



			Quite apart from being old fashioned and usually uncomfortable, they no longer fit well on the 'modern' horse. They're designed for fit slim TB's and really don't sit well on wide muscled warmbloods or fat allrounders and are awful on most natives.
		
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Agreed - they have long points (hence their cm sizes end up rather narrow, if long points are a certain distance apart, they must be narrower than the same measurement taken across shorter points) which only work on narrowish horses (and I dont' believe horses are naturally below a M width anyway).  The trees are also rather curved from front to back, as are the panels on most models, and the bars rather upright.  And yes, they're hard for the rider on the whole.


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## seabsicuit2 (5 January 2013)

Stubbens apparently have some sort of a rolling pin design which causes a tense/ sore back. 
Did love the old stubben jump saddle that I used to have tho , it was so secure and comfty! It had to be sold tho as it wasn't right for the horse at that time . Haven't gone back to using stubbens as other saddles have a much more sympathetic design.


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## dominobrown (5 January 2013)

I have heard from quite a few sources that they don't fit horses well because they are too narrow etc


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## Polos (5 January 2013)

One of my horses has a stubben scandica jumping saddle that is lovely I really like it and my other horse has a saddlers branded ideal event saddle which I also love. They are both really comfy and secure. I wouldn't say they are out of fashion, I think as there are more makes for them to compete with (keiffer, albion etc) due to the wider range of saddles available people are going to be buying them less as there are so many make to compete with. I always wanted brown saddles for my horses as I personally prefer brown tack but when the saddlers came they only ever had black saddles in my budget and when I enquired about brown saddles they said it would take weeks for them to get one in. Sadly, I think Brown saddles are going out of fashion as it was impossible to find brown saddles, it was either black or black and I hate black!


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## hayinamanger (5 January 2013)

There was a Stubben stand at the SW equine fair last month, their new, modern range of saddles look really good.  Tim Stockdale was there doing a demo and he said that Stubbens are the best saddle for SJ.


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## becca1305 (5 January 2013)

I have a lovely stubben roxanne that I bought 2nd hand almost 10years ago. It was used on my cobxtb for years, and since then I have used it on a few new/ young horses that I've had which it fit (under saddle fitters advice). It isn't the most comfy saddle in the world as the seat is hard, and so once I was used to the horse I've always progressed to other saddles, and I adore my equipe monoflap that I have for my mare, but I don't think I have ever fallen off when riding in the stubben it really does hold you in place well! . Though I am one of the tall leggy people mentioned above! It also still looks in good condition despite being second hand to me that long ago .


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## Lolo (5 January 2013)

Lolo said:



			Al loves the one she rides in- it's a Legend 5000 XC saddle and it's like it was made for her and the horse. If yours is the same as that, PM me, lol!
		
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I'm an utter dimbo and got Albions and Stubbens muddled... Al hates the Stubben she has (leggy rider on a TB, so technically the ideal combination) and now doesn't use it it. Sorry!


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## Wheels (5 January 2013)

I used to have a Siegfried for my tb sj horse, it was great at its actual job of jumping and if I was going on a fast hack I would use it. It was awful and horribly uncomfortable for relaxing hacks and flat schooling, I ended up buying a vsd for that as my bum couldn't take it


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## McW (5 January 2013)

I haven't seen a huge amount granted, but they always seem to rise at the back. I don't think i have ever seen a stubben really, truly fit. But maybe I have seen poor examples.


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## weebarney (5 January 2013)

I buy and sell the odd saddle if i come across any bargains and have found stubbens hard to sell.


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## sbloom (5 January 2013)

Polos said:



			Sadly, I think Brown saddles are going out of fashion as it was impossible to find brown saddles, it was either black or black and I hate black!
		
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Not in my world, the only saddles we stock in black are dressage saddles, everything else is stocked in brown!  Bought previously, but my dressage saddle is brown, I much prefer brown leather too.

Not sure what to say about Tim Stockdale saying Stubbens are the best saddle for jumping, they might be for him, and some or even most of his horses, but they do not fit every horse and every rider and it's not a clever or helpful thing to say.  He simply prefers them, fine.


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## alwaysbroke (5 January 2013)

I have got a new Stubben jumping saddle, with a Biomex seat, fits my boy well and the seat is a God send for my back, it doesn't appear to be that heavy either.


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## HunTheBun (5 January 2013)

I really don't mind what saddles are in fashion but every Stubben I have sat in has brought me nothing but pain!


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## noname (5 January 2013)

Haha Lolo! I have that saddle but was going to say its an albion!

I used to have an old stubben dressage saddle! It was rock hard but it kept its condition so well I made a profit when I sold it! 

A few years back I tried a horse at a dealers and had a lovely soft squidgy close contact saddle which turned out to be a stubben! Agree with Tarrsteps though, people associate stubben with the rock hards and they have lost market share!

Speaking of rock hard, I still have my dad's made 2 measure 1975 passier dressage saddle! It should be in a museum! He won the NZ national dressage champs in it in 1976 and I competed at the british nationals in 2004 with it! #history!


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## {97702} (5 January 2013)

I have an old Stubben jump saddle as the shape fits my horse well....it is like riding on a concrete block


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## frannieuk (5 January 2013)

I have a Stubben Siegfried II and I absolutely love it. I'm tall with v long thighs and it fits me very well. I do love a flat hard seat though, so I'm probably in the minority! Unfortunately it no longer fits my big mare, so it's currently waiting for my youngster to start jumping, and I'm hoping that it'll fit her...fingers crossed!


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## ofcourseyoucan (5 January 2013)

i love my stubbens of which i have several, and i hate my albions of which i have several. also love my ideal jessicas. i need my saddles to be versatile which the stubbens are, the albions are not, the ideals are. i also love my italian jumping saddle which is versatile but could do with being an inch bigger!


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## ofcourseyoucan (5 January 2013)

most of my stubbens are parivals which are much comfier than the siegfried, of which i have 2 and they are hard.


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## Scarlett (5 January 2013)

I loved mine, it was a Siegfried CS and my horse went so well in hers she muscled up to the point it didn't fit. I stupidly sold it and have regretted it ever since  Have a 'Stubben' shaped horse now and just cannot find another one. Had a few over the years as have Tb's and they always seem to fit straight from the box. I loved jumping in mine, felt like I could take on anything, never found it that uncomfortable either, guess my bum has enough padding... 

Lusting after a new one with  Biomex seat, a friend has 2 and they are lush.


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## cundlegreen (5 January 2013)

ofcourseyoucan said:



			most of my stubbens are parivals which are much comfier than the siegfried, of which i have 2 and they are hard.
		
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Mine is a Parsival GP and the second Parsival I have had. It isn't nearly as heavy as my Kieffer event, and I find it very comfortable, so maybe some stubbens are harder. Again, as somebody said, they wear well, and I like the double skinned flap and skirt. I'm beginning to think that its a bit of a fashion thing like so many things equine!


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## loobylu (5 January 2013)

I like the  hard, flat seats on stubbens but have yet to find a horse they fit. We have a few in the rafters but they are so bizarrely narrow. This is on a yard of 30 TBs and a few others. I have never had a horse fit anything less than a medium wide. Do I just choose horses with big shoulders?


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## KatB (5 January 2013)

I love them to jump in, and the new ones are lighter, flatter and designed to fit "modern" horses. The old ones are narrower, and that's why people struggle to move them. If I needed a new jump saddle though, the new ones would be near the top of my list, and they fit my wide round mare well. 

Re. Tim Stockdale, he ALWAYS used them until a few years ago when he changed to butet as he said the stubbens didn't offer as much freedom through the shoulder...the new trees came out, and he went straight back to stubben....


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## Zerotolerance (6 January 2013)

I've got 10 Stubbens - 8 jumping, 1gp for OH, 1 dressage. From a few months old to 25 years.
2 x20yo Columbo saddles & 1 x 25yo Daland (fully suede covered) - all still in amazing condition. 
1 x 5-10yo dressage & 1 x Scandica Nova (quilted leather)
1x 3yo Siegfried GP
These ones are all the traditional heavy old style, but I (and OH) find them very comfortable and very secure to ride in. 
I don't agree with the all too narrow and made for TB's issue. In fact I find the opposite. Stubben originated from Krefeld in Germany back when they had stonking great Hannoverians, not the lighter weight types of today. Mine are a variety of widths from 28-32. Use a 28 on ex racehorse through to 32 on Dutch warmblood with virtually no withers!
In last couple of years have bought some of the newer ones - Scandica II, Genesis and 2x Edelweiss NT de luxe. The Edelweiss are ultra light and built on the new Stubben tree (hence NT). Everyone who's tried the Edelweiss has loved them - even Butet afficionados! Do agree though that they are not as popular as several years ago. Most of my friends seem to want Butet or Devoucoux. I would be interested to see a 25 year old Butet, as if I was going to pay £2,500 for a saddle I'd be expecting it to be as long lasting as a Stubben.


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## vineyridge (6 January 2013)

The only new saddles that I've ever bought have been stubbens.  The last one was a Roxane S for an elderly TB who was fairly narrow.  His tree was a 29, but the saddle had to be restuffed right out of the box because it was not designed for a TB back with wither dips.  Once it got restuffed, it was perfect.  Very secure for me and comfortable for him.

So I tend to agree that (at least the newer ones) are not designed for the typical TB back.


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## whiteclover (6 January 2013)

Ive had two Seigfrieds one was the older design but the seat was so hard, I hated it. The newer one was better to sit in but both were a 28 and medium wide. I found they were too wide for any of my horses. I sold them both at a loss and it took me ages to sell them.


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## RachelFerd (6 January 2013)

I've had pretty good luck with Stubben saddles actually. I would prefer a saddle to feel quite hard rather than feel like I am sat on a marshmallow though! Our big and wide ISH has a siegfried that fits very well, and I have an ancient parsival that I keep because it is a well balanced saddle that seems to sit pretty much correctly on all sorts of ex-racehorses and lighter types, so I keep it as a very-regularly used spare!


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## grumblebee (6 January 2013)

When I was growing up Stubben's were the saddles we all aspired to..... until I rode in one! I hated it!! And every one I have sat on since I have also hated!! I just find them far too hard and heavy!! But good luck selling it!!


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## Polos Mum (6 January 2013)

I think Stubbens are the marmite of the saddle world, people love or hate them! 
Mine is hard but really keeps my leg secure when my boy is having a 'moment', I am short and find the pannels short on the jumping stubbens (you always have to get longer girths) so I have more of my leg in contact with the horse (rather than saddle) so I love them


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## Lanky Loll (6 January 2013)

They were definitely fashionable late 80s early 90s when I had a Siegfried which I adored. Then the close contacts I.e. pessoa's came in and everyone switched to those as they were so much lighter and Stuebbens went out and didn't seem to come back in. I would love to try one of the new ones as I think it would suit Loll but don't have the beans currently


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## Escada2004 (6 January 2013)

i bought a stubben roxanne jump saddle when i got my youngster as she was very very sharp, kept me in the saddle when she had her moments  but unfortunately its now too narrow for her so im selling it - ive advertised it for about a month now and had a couple of silly low offers. I am realistic but im not going to give it away as its in very good condition!


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## JVB (6 January 2013)

I love mine and I'm after another so if anyone has a Siegfried CS 17.5 or 18" in Choco with 27 or 28 width please let me know!

Thanks


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