Stubben
Siegfried VSS
All Purpose Saddles
Manufacturer: Stubben
Model: Siegfried VSS
Category: All Purpose Saddles
Purchase: I'd been researching what saddle I wanted to buy for my first horse for MONTHS. I finally decided to purchase the Stubben Siegfried VSS all-purpose saddle from Stubben North America (I bought it through one of their local dealers). The saddle fitter came and tried a few Stubben saddles on my horse, because Stubben doesn't just have Narrow, Regular or Wide trees; they come in many sizes like 29, 30, 31 etc. and there would be no way to know what tree size to choose without the fitter choosing for you. After the fitter told me what size seat and tree I would need, I chose the colour and placed the order through my local tack shop which is a platinum Stubben distributor. Their website lists distributors in all areas, so check that out if you're looking for one. After I ordered, it arrived within a week and I picked it up at the tack shop. The saddle itself was $2,265 Canadian.
Likes: Everything. I love absolutely EVERYTHING about this saddle: It fit my horse perfectly like it was custom made, the leather is wonderful just like butter, instead of feeling my seat bones sticking into the hard seat it felt more like sitting in a comfy chair, I had no pain after riding, neither did my horse, and even after shipping from the U.S. to Canada it didn't have a mark on it. I've sat in A LOT of saddles from cheap to very expensive and this is by FAR the most comfortable ride I've ever had.
Dislikes: There aren't any dislikes about the product itself.
The price is prohibitive for some people when you first see how much it costs, but a lot of Stubben owners say they've had one saddle last them 30 years or more. When you average it out, it's very much worth the price you pay. The quality you're getting is what you're paying for, so it is fair.
I also didn't like that if I ordered the saddle I couldn't return it. Not sure if that was the tack shop's policy or Stubben's policy, but I think it was the tack shop. They only would let me return items that were in stock at the time, and this saddle had to come from Stubben and be sent across the U.S. Canada border.
Quality: Best quality leather I've seen on tack. It's really more like furniture leather because it's so soft. The leather on the billets and flaps is much more sturdy than the soft leather on the seat and front of the flaps and knee rolls, but not in a bad way; it's just thicker to be durable. Still very pliable and excellent quality.
Every detail has been thought of and it's obvious in the stitching and construction that a master saddler made the saddle. No marks or loose stitching or dye coming off or anything like that. Top marks for quality!
Summary: A great saddle for any level of rider, as it holds you in the proper position effortlessly. A joy to own, the best saddle I've ever ridden in (my horse agrees too!) If you're looking to invest the money, you'll have this for the rest of your riding career.
Rating: 5
Author: Sarah
Date: 2010-09-26
Usefulness Rating: 2.9927 out of 5.
274 reader(s) voted.
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