All purpose saddle recommendations

[lightlee]

Can anyone provide recommendations as to their favorite saddle? :) I want to buy an all purpose saddle, preferably used, to get back into riding - however I do not want to spend thousand of dollars. Even though my horse is a Quarter, he is built leaner like a Thoroughbred.

[chebeau]

I've loved Stubbens- Siegfried and the Wotan models. Wish they'd fit my boy.

[mcm7780]

I second the Siegfried! I had a Collegiate Senior Event and it worked out well for me doing lower level dressage and jumping up to about 3 feet. After that, I couldn't get out of the saddle enough and my knees poked over the flaps. I know a few riders that liked the Wintec 500 All Purpose and Pro Jumper. If you find a saddle you like and are able to determine what tree and seat sizes you need, you may be able to get a great deal on E-bay. Just make sure you know what sizes you need since a 17.5/medium tree in one brand can fit way differently than it does in another brand. Happy saddle shopping!

[lightlee]

Thanks for the suggestions. Many years ago I owned a Stubben and I just loved it. I saw a nice 17 1/2 medium tree Stubben Siegfried advertised - how do this saddles normally fit? My horse slightly built with fairly high withers.

[witherbee]

Love my Bates Caprilli - so comfy for me and adjustable for my horse.... I did not like the couple of Stubbens I tried, but iot may have just been those saddles (they were used). my horse bucked really nastily when I tried a used Stubben Seigfreid on him - it looked like it fit too, but he was very uncomfortable in it. I found it to be very stiff....

[sublimequine]

I'll be a black sheep and say my favorite all purpose saddle is my Thorowgood. It's synthetic, but soooo comfy. It's an English saddle though (meaning the company is from England, not the discipline of the saddle :lol ), and very very very well constructed. It fits me and my mare like a glove.

[Guilherme]

My wife has a Stubben Siegfried VSD-DL and really likes it. I've ridden it and it is nice.

I have a Stubben Scout (their police/military saddle). The seat is virtually identical to the Siedgried. The bars look a bit longer. And it has 11 d-rings so you can hang lots of stuff on it! :cool:

Here is a picture of the Scout: http://www.stubbennorthamerica.com/stuScout.html

The bad news is that the smallest size for this saddle is 18". It was designed when there were few, if any, women in the European police and military organizations that were the first customers. There was no demand for a smaller saddle.

My wife wanted a Scout, but the seat was too big. So we sent her Siegfried back to Stubben North America and they put 10 of the 11 d-rings of the Scout on it. It was a couple of hundred dollars (including shipping). It has greatly increased the utility of her saddle.

We are confirmed Stubben loyalists! :lol:

G.

P.S. Regarding the Scout, I've seen a couple ads from European sellers implying the Scout is made with a 17" seat. Stubben North American says probably not, but won't definitively say "no."

[lindasp62]

another Stubben Siegfried fan here. Love it.

[Mags]

I'm a Stubben fan, too. I also have the Siegfried VSD. Alas it doesn't fit my current horse. It's still my favorite!:)

[jen-s]

I'm currently riding in a Thornhill. It's wool-flocked and gusseted and fits my Appendix like a champ. I had to learn to adjust to it after years in super flat equitation CC saddles, but now I love it. Thornhills have several different levels of cost/quality and because they aren't the "in" saddle of the moment, can be found used for a song.

[Dispatcher]

Another Stubben Siegfried fan here ! I have 2 VSS models. Very comfortable, nice looking, and fit a lot of horses. LOVE them!

[redears]

My favorite AP is my Crosby Sofride

[Irish Ei's]

Can anyone provide recommendations as to their favorite saddle? :) I want to buy an all purpose saddle, preferably used, to get back into riding - however I do not want to spend thousand of dollars. Even though my horse is a Quarter, he is built leaner like a Thoroughbred.

My Crosby Lexington was bought for and used on Quarter Horses.

It does NOT fit my BIG WB and would love a new life....

[appychik]

Another Stubben fan here, but mine the Woton. It's a '00 model and has rarely been used these past 9 years but I can't part with it (especially since I heard they are like wine and get better with age :winkgrin:). It's hard as a rock and is too small for me to jump appropiately in (aka a "no purpose") but its fun to flat in sometimes... and puts me in a nice position to gallop in the xc field. Plus it fits Gus really well, unlike the other umpteen saddles we tried prior to the Woton.

[linquest]

Stubben. Nuff said :cool:

[SmartAlex]

I went through the great saddle search last year, which was really tough, because I was a Saddleseat rider, and knew virtually nothing about any other type of saddle. I test rode several brands and models, and bought a Stubben Siegfried VSD-DL. I love it.