MyGalAl

My daughter is looking at an old Stubben saddle made in Germany and I was wondering if anyone would know how to tell how old it is? It seems to be very well made and has an older logo on it; I wouldn't be surprised if it's 20+ years old. The leather seat is in excellent condition, but the flap shows wear. Also, the nap on the suede knee roll is gone and the color has faded. Any recommendations on how to revive the nap and bring some color back to it? I hear conflicting opinions on neatsfoot oil. Thanks so much!

I wanted to post an interesting update on this saddle. My trainer finally got a chance to see it on my wide QH paint and sadly it didn't fit properly. But...the saddle is now headed out west as it was purchased by Ellis's son. I'm sad to see it go, but glad it will end up back in the Barnes family after all these years.

I can do that. BTW, It was interesting chatting with Ellis and he was most helpful. He owned his company for 10 years (1970 - 1980) in Van Nuys CA and almost all of his saddles were custom orders. He's going to get back to me with the name of someone he'd recommend for getting a new seat made. So, I have a 30+ year old gem of a saddle I got for small $ because it has a tear in the seat (well, and a few other small issues), PLUS I got to speak to the company owner some three decades after he leaves the business. That's what I call great customer service!

Thanks to Greg for the lead on the Ellis saddle. I just got off the phone with Ellis Barnes and it was indeed one of his saddles made between 1970 - 1980. He hired Merv and Louis Ringlero to make saddles for him and mine was made by Merv. He also convinced me I should spend the money and have the saddle properly repaired. Karen

Greg: Can you elaborate more about putting a pad into the seat for a repair.; is this something I can do? Couldn't I just put a piece of leather into the hole and glue down the edges? If so, does anyone know a source for leather in Boston area? Is there a glue of choice? Or would it just be better to replace the whole seat (dependent upon cost). Thanks.

Thanks for the lead on the saddle and feedback on the tear. I may just put a cushion over the whole thing as I don't want to spend a lot in repairs since I really just want it for trail riding.

Oh, and the Mervin Ringlero stamp...

Hi Bob. Thanks for the quick reply. Here are some pictures which I hope will help. Here's the company info: And here's a picture of the entire saddle:

Hi. I'm glad to see such an active network of craftsmen and I'm hoping you can help me. I just purchased a vintage western saddle for our quarter horse and am in need of some info/advice. First off, I'm trying to get an idea of just how old this saddle is. It says Ellis Saddle, Van Nuys, Calif. Being from New England, I know very little about western saddles (or anything else western really) and I've searched high and low for anything on this saddle company but have found nothing. The saddle also indicates "designed by M. Ringlero" which I have found info on. Apparently he's Mervin Ringlero who's a somewhat fairly well known Pima Indian saddle maker. The saddle is dark mahogany oil and has solid silver conchos and trim. Oh, it also has silver lacing and is heavily tooled. The more important question is, how can I repair a missing section of leather on the seat (approx 1" x 2"). I'm not looking for a perfect repair job (this is to be used on trails only), I just want to prevent it from getting any worse. Can you recommend something that would fairly decent without getting too involved (or expensive). It looks like it may have been suede at one time, but is fairly smooth now. Thank you!