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Courbette saddles

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Janelle

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Oct 14, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/14/96
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Does anyone have experience with brand and how the quality of the leather and
durability compare with other things like Crosby and Stubben? I'm considering
the Courbette Marschand A/P and wonder what people think of it.

Janelle

jaz

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Oct 15, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/15/96
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It's a nice little saddle, but not of the same quality as the Crosby or the
Stubben. What is the price differences? What would the same style saddle in a
Crosby and a Stubben set you back?

You like the seat? Then have a go at it and try it out....the tack store will
let you try it I will assume? Try to ride in it and the others you mentioned
and then make a decision, you'll never know which is correct for you till you
give your butt a ride in all your options.

good luck,
jaz

Two x over

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Oct 15, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/15/96
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hi-
i have ridden for 9 years in a courbette luxor-their top of the line
german made dressage saddle...

leather and tree wise-i think it is excellent. the tree is the same as
stubbens and the leather is bought from the same places stubben and
passier buys theirs. on the whole, i think it is a great saddle-am only
replacing it now with a saddle that fits the new horse

by the way, i think crosby sucks. most of their stuff is now assembeled in
argentina-something they dont tell you

jaz

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Oct 15, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/15/96
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Elise Robocker

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Oct 16, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/16/96
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I have a Stylist II close contact jumping saddle I bought in
1980 and am still using. I have ridden a variety of horses and
it has fit them all well except my latest wiidde backed Cob! I
still use it to jump or x-country but with a cashel pad.

Will have it restuffed with wool this winter, it should last
another decade!!

Elise


Jessica Jahiel

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Oct 16, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/16/96
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Elise Robocker (robo...@netrix.net) wrote:
: I have a Stylist II close contact jumping saddle I bought in

It almost certainly will last AT LEAST that long -- I have three
different model Courbette saddles dating from the early 1970s, and they
are still in great shape in spite of hard use. Courbettes are as good as
Steubbens, and both Courbettes and Steubbens are superior to the current
crop of Crosby saddles.

Jessica

--
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Nancy DeMarco

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Oct 16, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/16/96
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Jessica Jahiel wrote:
> I have three different model Courbette saddles dating from the early
> 1970s, and they are still in great shape in spite of hard use.
> Courbettes are as good as Steubbens, and both Courbettes and Steubbens
> are superior to the current crop of Crosby saddles.

Yup, I have a nice 20-year-old Courbette and a 30+-year-old Steubben.
Both are great saddles. I prefer the narrow twist of the Courbette, and
I think it encourages a more correct position than the Steubben. But
the Steubben is *much* comfier for *long* rides, and easier to stick to
with a horse who bucks a lot. I've never owned a Crosby.

Nancy
Topsfield, MA USA
na...@precision.guesswork.com

jaz

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Oct 17, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/17/96
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Hummmm, remember when Crosby was the *NAME* to have? Sad, they all are made in
=other= countries other than England now, and Miller's still seems to keep the
lid on all the profits. Ah, well, that's why we have free enterprise and need
not buy from them if we want a good saddle.

Has anyone noticed the new catalog has nothing but *Miller's* saddles, the
Passiers are gone, the Hermes has disappeared, any kind of dressage saddle
Miller's has no hand in making is gone. Profits to Miller's must survive or
they do not sell it any more. I suspect that Crosby and Millers go hand in hand
or are the same entity. Does anyone know the +REAL+ story here?

Where and what saddle is made in England by Crosby and which are Argentine? Do
they have a label on it? NO? Should the consumer know where the saddle is
made? I think they should, and specs on the tree should be available to the
buyer. Most people have no idea what they are buying. We need a ÒConsumer
ReportÓ on composition and origin on brand name saddles. Any ideas?

jaz

Deb Fuller

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Oct 17, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/17/96
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jaz wrote:

> Where and what saddle is made in England by Crosby and which are Argentine? Do
> they have a label on it? NO? Should the consumer know where the saddle is
> made? I think they should, and specs on the tree should be available to the
> buyer. Most people have no idea what they are buying. We need a ÒConsumer
> ReportÓ on composition and origin on brand name saddles. Any ideas?
>
> jaz

Yes they are labled. I just bought a used Collegiate Event saddle in
pristine condition and the flaps are very clearly stamped with "Made in
Argentina."

This in itself is not a bad thing. South America has some superb
leather craftsmen who rival places like Italy and England in their
workmanship. But oftentimes the leather they use is not from good old
cow but from other animals like Alpaca, llama and sheep which don't hold
up as well as cow leather.

This doesn't mean that all Argentinean saddles are great, some are
downright pathetic. But it is a case by case basis.

I've heard good things about the Collegiate line from dealers and riders
alike. They are made in Argentina but they use English leather and are
quality controlled by Millers which a lot of Argentinean companies don't
have good quality control.

And a good reason why the Passiers and Hermes saddles are gone from the
catalogues is that people who shop with the catalogues just can't afford
them or order them directly from a tack shop. Think about it: if you
are poor like me but need a saddle anything over $400 or so is out of
your league. Even used Passiers aren't that cheap. So you can either
shop for years until you find a used Stuebben at that price which is
rare and more often than not the condition isn't that great on them, or
you can buy a used Miller's which you will find for that price in good
condition. Not a bad deal until you can save up for a "really good
saddle." And if you don't take care of it, any saddle is going to rot.

Deb

TC1102

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Oct 17, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/17/96
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I have a Stubben Siegfried (I probably spelled that wrong!) that used to
belong to my trainer who was using it on 6 or more horses daily. It's
about 15 years old and still feels perfect. I really like the fairly deep
seat for jumping (and for the dressage I school). It also fits my horse
very well- a very wide backed tall Thoroughbred (with a warmblood build),
but it also fit my previous horse, a small, compact Thoroughbred
racehorse. I think it depends on what you want- the hunters usually lean
toward flatter saddles, but I like a deeper seat for jumpers. Also, if
you only ride one or two horses or not very often, I would suggest a used
saddle- they are already broken in, and if in good condition will still
last quite a while. Plus, while I don't know a whole lot about Crosbys-
my first hunter saddle was one and it held up fairly well, but I only had
it a year, I tend to prefer Courbette's work in bridles, etc. I prefer
Stubbens when it comes to saddles. I think whatever works best on your
horse and for you and has a decent reputation you should feel comfortable
with.
Beth

Two x over

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Oct 18, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/18/96
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to anwer jaz's questions regarding miller and crosby--

crosby is simply millers "private label" or house brand.....millers
collegiates are assembled in argentina....as is now many of crosby's
saddles. to my knowledge the new crosbys that are asssembled in argentina
are not labelled as such....therefore i would ask millers directly (not
the sales person in your local saddle shop) for the real story on any
saddle you might be interested in.

Brenda Johnson

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Oct 18, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/18/96
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I hear you! I've got a used Passier that I paid $500 for-- I see the new
ones are more than twice that. But here's a question I've been dying to
ask. I don't know how old my used Passier is, but the quality seems
better than the new ones. Did something change? Plus, I've seen good
quality Argentinian tack, and I've seen crap. I've seen some crap
English tack too. Seems to me that the "Made in Argentina" label
shouldn't scare a person off if they've got an opportunity to examine the
goods first. Catalog buying, of course, is another matter.

Brenda

Dana Tautz

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Oct 19, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/19/96
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In article <547u7a$a...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, twox...@aol.com (Two x
over) wrote:

But would Klimpke put his name on an inferior product? The new saddle
with his name is from Miller's and I was told that it is made by Crosby,
hence the "cheaper" price.

Dana

Kwallah

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Oct 19, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/19/96
to

<< I've got a used Passier that I paid $500 for-- I see the new
ones are more than twice that. But here's a question I've been dying to
ask. I don't know how old my used Passier is, but the quality seems
better than the new ones. Did something change?>>>>

i think so. I bought my first Passier in 1985. I noticed in later years
that the ones I saw were not of the same quality as mine, and this has
only intensified over the years. Probably economic pressures are making
many saddlers take shortcuts, unfortunately.

Two x over

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Oct 19, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/19/96
to

dana---

klimke possibly helped iwth some design imput...but i guarrentee you, he
might own one, but he is not riding in it!!!!

Two x over

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Oct 19, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/19/96
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with regards to passier...many are now produced (assembled) in poland...

Kwallah

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Oct 20, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/20/96
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<<But would Klimpke put his name on an inferior product? >>>

Of course. Money is money. Look at all the endorsements Jessica
Ransehousen is doing lately. little moneygrubbers, all of 'em.

Dr Corinne B Leek

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Oct 22, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/22/96
to

bis...@ix.netcom.com(Richard Gilbert Bishop) wrote:

>In <53u5ja$n...@senator-bedfellow.MIT.EDU> jan...@athena.mit.edu

>One of my friends has two of them and they are great saddles. I rode
>in them several times. I liked them except I would like a slightly
>bigger seat, they didn't quite fit me.
I have a Courbette deKunffy II. Love it! Fits me fine. The leather
is just now breaking in really well, after 4 years. Have never had
any reason to be dissatisfied with quality. Have had many compliments
on it - both from observers and folks who have sat in it. It is
harder in the seat than the Nicole, but hey, what isn't? <VBG>

Corinne, happy with her saddle...
Troika, who dislikes getting the girth done up on *any* saddle...
Spy, who doesn't know what a saddle is. Yet.
--
*** Conserve Energy: Laughter is easier than Anger!
*** cl...@ns.sympatico.ca in Nova Scotia!!
*** No Longer in Goose Bay, Labrador!

Christy Gammage

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Oct 22, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/22/96
to

In article <danat-19109...@max2-800-05.earthlink.net>,
da...@earthlink.net says...

>
>But would Klimpke put his name on an inferior product? The new saddle
>with his name is from Miller's and I was told that it is made by Crosby,
>hence the "cheaper" price.
>
>Dana

In article <54dkbq$c...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, kwa...@aol.com says...


>
>Of course. Money is money. Look at all the endorsements Jessica
>Ransehousen is doing lately. little moneygrubbers, all of 'em.

In article <54bvqi$r...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>, twox...@aol.com says...


>
>dana---
>
>klimke possibly helped iwth some design imput...but i guarrentee you, he
>might own one, but he is not riding in it!!!!


I would like to hear from someone who owns a Klimke saddle. I have
tried them at tack shops & like the way they sit. How do you like
the quality? and the ride?

Christy & Trouble (saddles, we don't need no stink'n saddles)
ctga...@ingr.com


Fox Holler

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Oct 22, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/22/96
to

I have a Courbette TRENK saddle (all purpose - dressage tendancy).
Wonderful saddle. Have had it since 1981 (really) and it is in great
condition.. of course I do take care of it.. Have ridden it many years..
have looked at new Courbette. not sure of the current quality. The leather
and stitching on my old Trenk is much nicer.. Hope you find a nice one..
whatever kind.
JJay aka FoxH...@Aol.com
Fox Holler Farm - Holsteiners and Dutch Warmbloods

Sampatch

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Oct 23, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/23/96
to

I own a Klimke dressage saddle and love it.

The saddle is comfortable to ride in and puts me in the correct position
with both my seat and legs.

I ued to ride in the pro wintect dressage saddle and I would end up being
tipped forward but in this saddle up sitting correctly.

I love my Klimke saddle.

Clare

Depeched

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Oct 29, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/29/96
to

I currently own a Courbette Merkur DL close contact saddle which I am
trying to sell (only because I am not 15 anymore and my butt is, without
liposuction, too big). I am glad I read this posting, because I was
considering going to the Crosby Prix des Nations for my 17" new saddle.

But the Courbette is incomparable. The leather is superb and the position
for hunter is great, although with this model I did have to use a lollipop
pad on several different horses to raise the cantle. You can really sit
down and ride in this saddle though, and that's what I like about it.

BTW: it's for sale too. $400 with leathers and irons; 16 1/2" seat dark
brown smooth leather.

Denise R Kim-Kusner

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Oct 30, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/30/96
to

TC1102 (tc1...@aol.com) wrote:
: I have a Stubben Siegfried (I probably spelled that wrong!) that used to

: belong to my trainer who was using it on 6 or more horses daily. It's
: about 15 years old and still feels perfect. I really like the fairly deep
: seat for jumping (and for the dressage I school). It also fits my horse
: very well- a very wide backed tall Thoroughbred (with a warmblood build),

My Crosby is 10 years old and in excellent condition.Only had to
retire it since it doesn't fit Marathon.Bought a Stubben Siegfried
on sale at State Line a year ago.UhOh.My trainer down here showed
me how the Stubben doesn't sit on Marathons back so one has an
extra secure seat.He wants me to sell the Stubben and buy a
Fredi Roosli.(cost is $2635 GaG)Tough beans for me.He did show me
how the Roosli fits all the horses at the barn.(most are very
widebacked Hannoveraners)A very nice looking saddle.Anyone else
have one?

Courbette bridles don't last very long.At least in my experience.

Denise in NJ happy with her Stubben but wishes she didn't know about
the Roosli!:)))


GJMarchand

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Oct 30, 1996, 3:00:00 AM10/30/96
to

Denise - before you go into debt to buy a custom-made Roosli saddle, you
may want to look into other saddles that can fit well. Does your Stubben
actually fit poorly? Is is restricting your horse or making him sore? If
not, maybe you don't need another saddle. If you do, there are non-custom
saddles that come in wider widths that may fit him just fine. After all -
it is you, not your trainer, who will be paying for it! Be sure it is you
who really wants it! :-)

Becky in MN

Julie Orfirer

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Nov 6, 1996, 3:00:00 AM11/6/96
to

kim@NTPSERVER (Denise R Kim-Kusner) wrote:

>
>Courbette bridles don't last very long.At least in my experience.
>

I have a Courbette de Kunffy dressage saddle that I bought as it's 3rd
owner about 7 years ago. It is in great shape. My experience is that
the older the saddle the longer it seems to last - I guess that's a
little silly sounding, but the newest saddle I have isn't as well made -
little things - as the older ones, friends who have newer saddles are
constantly needing them fixed for one thing or another ....

Jessica Jahiel

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Nov 6, 1996, 3:00:00 AM11/6/96
to

Julie Orfirer (rma...@javanet.com) wrote:
: I have a Courbette de Kunffy dressage saddle that I bought as it's 3rd
: owner about 7 years ago. It is in great shape. My experience is that
: the older the saddle the longer it seems to last - I guess that's a
: little silly sounding, but the newest saddle I have isn't as well made -
: little things - as the older ones, friends who have newer saddles are
: constantly needing them fixed for one thing or another ....

That's not silly at all! I think it's less true of Courbettes than it is
of certain other brands, Crosbys for instance, but my oldest Courbettes
are 20-plus years old, and there are some definite differences between
the older and the newer models of the same saddle.

Caroline Karlshoej

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Nov 12, 1996, 3:00:00 AM11/12/96
to

Sorry that this is such a late post, but I dissagree with the
statement that Courbette bridles don't last long. I bought a
Courbette bridle for $120 about 9-10 years ago, and I still use it
daily. This summer when I was showing, my trainers thought that my
Courbette bridle was my show bridle.
However, there are different qualities in leather and workmanship, and
the more you spend, hopefully the better both will be.

CK

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