Hermes .. Equestrian?

Maybe I just live under a rock, but I was not aware that Hermes had an equestrian line of products. My personal favourite is the $2,325 grooming bag:

https://www.hermes.com/us/en/product/the-grooming-bag-H079956CK1V/

… although the only thing I could really afford there is the $40 bar of glycerin soap!

Does anyone here own any Hermes equestrian products (we’ll try not to be too envious!) or has perhaps seen them “in the wild”?

They were established as a harness-maker in 1837 - the handbags didn’t come about until the 1920s. I’ve seen the saddles, grooming and other tack items at their store in Paris - very nice! But the prices are whimsical.

1 Like

Honestly, that sounds bucket-list worthy :astonished:

2 Likes

Older Hermes saddles can be found on the second hand market at affordable prices. The ones I’ve seen are very much 1980s design. My coach has one she loves. i haven’t heard of anyone getting a new Hermes saddle, though they still exist. I think they’ve been eclipsed by the current popular Voltaire and CWD French foam saddles. AT $8800 on the website, not sure if that’s US or Canadian. But a top end CWS is $10,000 Canadian. I’m not finding prices for the iconic Hermes handbags, but they could well be more expensive that the saddles!

1 Like

There are three Hermes stores in Paris - but also in the San Francisco store I could have sworn I’ve seen equestrian gear too. You should visit all of them and give us a full report :grimacing:

2 Likes

There is (or was about 15 years ago!) an Hermes store in the Forum Shops at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. I went in there when I was on a trip and they had brushes, crops, a couple of saddles, maybe some bridles, in addition to their handbags and couture. They had a flat saddle that they had made for Ronald Reagan, but were unable to deliver before he passed away, so that was cool to see. I was going to buy a crop as both a souvenir and luxury item to put to its intended use, but it was $300!

4 Likes

I’ve seen their booth at the bigger H/J shows, and coveted pretty much everything I saw :laughing:

They also have very nice silk scarves such as these



My MIL offered to get me a Hermès scarf for my (milestone) B-day, once. She did it for her daughter and other daughter-in-law. But at the time, I declined, because 1) we don’t have the same tastes at all, color schemes etc, and 2) I thought it was just too ridiculously expensive. Now, years later, I’m thinking I should have said yes, haha.

9 Likes

I inherited several Hermes scarves from my mother. I think I’m going to start wearing them again this winter.

Because, why not?

5 Likes

I sat on one a used Hermès saddle once years ago at a tack shop and loved it, but I was probably 12 or so. Just Googled to see what’s out there now and found this one used… On a designer clothing resale site haha https://www.therealreal.com/products/home/sports/equestrian/hermes-vintage-english-riding-saddle-dh2q8

I visited the Hermes shop in Zurich, but didn’t think of going when I was in Paris.
Scarves are gorgeous, soft & lightweight warmth.
I sat in a friend’s Hermes close contact back in the late 80s & found it hard as a rock :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

2 Likes

that site also has a Hermes halter for $725, should you be looking :rofl:

Here’s a link to the Hermes equestrian store, with saddles featured front and center:

Hermes saddles

I would love to have a Hermes scarf, but even when I’ve seen them available in second-hand shops, they’re still pretty pricey.

1 Like

As my estranged father would say, it’s stupid money. And I largely refer to the luxury goods like the grooming tote, blankets, etc. that are more a display of wealth than anything else. I mean, why buy a peasant’s grooming tote for $50 when you can pay forty six times that?! I do like nice things, as many of us do, but I draw the line well before I get to a coefficient of 46 :astonished: That spread, between two items having the exact same purpose, actually horrifies me slightly.

I will say @sophie that those scarves are gorgeous, just don’t tell me how much they run :sweat_smile:

10 Likes

A friend was running a little consignment / second hand tack store. THERE was an old Hermes saddle, sitting on a rack. I was stunned. For $600. Way too big for me, so I couldn’t buy it. Heartbroken. The store owner had not heard of this make of saddle before, had no idea. The store closed, and the consigner of the saddle died,suddenly, unexpectedly, and tragically. I don’t know what happened to the saddle.

Many, many years ago I remember seeing magazine ads for Hermes saddles. I don’t remember if they were in one of my horse magazines or my mom’s Vogue magazine.

The was (probably still is? Though I haven’t been since COVID started) a Hermes booth at WEF. They have a large selection of their equestrian items there, including all the saddles they carry.
They are nice saddles and are great if you don’t love the trend of the big cushy couch style French saddles. However, I have heard that they run quite narrow and it can be hard to fit the beefy warmbloods in them.

I don’t have any experience with their other leather goods (bridles, halters, etc) but I did know someone who bought a bright orange Hermes saddle pad. It was much like any other quilted pad; no majikal properties.

One of the horses I would borrow for Pony Club had a well-loved Hermes saddle. 17 year old me had no idea what I was riding in!

I have an exceptionally flat Hermes saddle that was my moms sitting in the garage. She said it was all the rage back in the day and she got it as Christmas gift. Beautiful to look at but no idea what to do with it. Nowhere will take it even as a donation since it’s so flat with no rolls.

I remember the Hermes booth at one at a World Cup. I had the opportunity to sit in a saddle, which fit me very well, and I thought it quite comfortable. It cost a few thousand dollars less than currently charged, and at the time was a thousand or two more than a CWD I saw at that company’s booth at the same event.

The reps were very nice and welcoming, not the least bit snobby or snooty.

2 Likes