The Stübben Spring Tree Fitting Process
The Stübben Spring Tree
The Stübben spring tree, made exclusively for them to their specifications, is the made to measure link between the horse and the rider. When a rider sits in a Stübben spring tree saddle, the webbing absorbs the rider's weight while the steel springs counteract both the pommel's and cantle's back. These counteractions provide the most comfortable seat for the rider.
The Stübben tree is fitted with a front arch made from specially strengthened steel which both protects the withers from injury and keeps the saddle in the correct position behind the horse's shoulder. The unbreakable never-rust stirrup bars are recessed into the tree, ensuring that the stirrup leather buckles do not interfere with the rider's contact.
The Stübben tree is both expensive and difficult to produce, but in use it is quite unbeatable.
Fitting The Rider
The saddle should have a narrow twist so that the rider's legs are not forced apart excessively; the thigh and knee can lie correctly against the horse. The curve and the dip of the seat should ensure that the rider is not obstructed during the natural movement of the horse. Only if these points are satisfied can the various riding disciplines be carried out correctly.
The seat of the saddle should be large enough to allow the rider to sit in the deepest part of the seat. Stübben recommends a minimum of a full palms width of the rider's hand from behind the buttocks to the cantle. The length of the seat can also be instrumental in fitting the saddle to the horse.
The flaps of the saddle should allow the rider closest contact to the horse. They should not be so short as to interfere with the boot top and not so long to prevent communication with the horse through the rider's leg. Stübben saddles come in a variety of flap length, at no additional charge, to fit the rider's legs.
The rider's position in the saddle is a key ingredient to good performance. When looking for a new saddle, the rider should always use a pair of stirrup leathers and sit in a properly balanced saddle with the pommel 1" (25 mm) lower than the cantle. Using the stirrup leathers will allow the rider to determine whether the saddle flaps are the correct size and shape for the rider.
Horns Farm Saddlery &
Tack Shop
Contact us
01189 328 777
Horns Farm Saddlery
Reading Road (A327)
Finchampstead
Berkshire
RG40 4RH
