Photos: Courtesy Hermès
Everything starts with the horse, the saddle, the stable, the course, the clothes… At 24 Faubourg Saint-Honoré, the first workshop was set up in 1880, where Hermès created with an innovative approach for the time, the first light, refined and respectful of the animal harnesses.
Since 1910, specific saddles were created for the different equestrian disciplines, promoting the horse’s comfort and harmony with the rider. As the custodian of this heritage, the Selle Rouge, developed by Belgian partner rider and Olympic medallist Jérôme Guéry, combines technical sophistication with elegance, it brings horse and human together, while revealing Hermès’ saddlery art and Hermès savoir faire in an unprecedented way.
Twelve Hermès saddle experts travel the world in personalized meetings to establish a continuous link between the field and the workshop.
Every detail is important to allow the natural expression of the horse’s movement, firstly to find the points of friction, to avoid trauma and thus favor the performance of the combinations, then the horse’s shoulder must be measured. To take precise measurements, the skeleton-like Equiscan® is placed on the horse’s back to record no less than a hundred points corresponding to the saddle’s contact zones -the shoulder must remain free, and the contact must be harmonious. The outline of the rider’s legs must then be traced.
This “footprint” is sent to Faubourg workshop, where each component of the saddle will be adjusted and adapted to the measurements of the rider and his horse. Each saddle is made in its entirety by a single craftsman who takes about thirty hours of work, makes the saddle from the finest leathers, makes a precise cut, and lays the leather tightly stretched with impeccable stitching and meticulous lacing. The final fitting is done on the horse and voilà!
For years, the artisans of the maison française have closely followed the evolution of this increasingly competitive sport and in 1968 was produced the first close-contact saddle the “Steinkraus,” which revolutionized the sport at Olympic Games. In 2013, the “Hermès Cavale,” developed with French partner rider Simon Delestre, was unveiled. Six years later, it was succeeded by the “Hermès Cavale II”, the first saddle with a seam-free seat suitable for riding out of the saddle.
The maison has relied on the expertise of a team of French and foreign partner riders from the three Olympic disciplines. In 2016, the similarly innovative “Hermès Arpège” with its extra-deep seat was developed for dressage with German partner rider and Olympic champion in Tokyo Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, followed by the “Hermès Vivace” saddle, presented in 2019 and now adopted by Astier Nicolas, double medal-winner French in Rio 2016.
The sporting qualities of the new “Selle Rouge” (Red Saddle) are the result of in-depth research and numerous discussions between rider, saddle expert and artisan. The fusion of their expertise regarding the saddle’s seat, balance, ergonomics, and aesthetic features, that’s applies in the same way when making each bespoke Hermès saddle, whether for a professional or amateur rider.
Selle Rouge is lifestyle
Proximity, balance, stability, comfort, and safety remain the constant challenges of Hermès’ ancestral know-how. Thanks to a series of innovations, the new “Selle Rouge” rises them all in more ways than one.
“The Hermès teams are a big family. I feel supported and listened to they are interested in my results, in my horses and, of course, in the perfect fit of their equipment,” commented Daniel Bluman, Olympic competitor “How to improve this saddle, how to adapt it better to my riding and to the specificities of my horses, how to make this jacket more comfortable and practical? For me, it’s a beautiful story that we continue to write together day after day.”
Respect for and closeness to the horse, and to nature, lie at the house’s very origins. The most beautiful skins are selected from a sustainable and carefully controlled supply line in France. They then undergo a principally vegetable tanning process. Everything is manufactured in the Hermès workshops, from the design of the saddle to its artisanal production by a single artisan, who will also be pleased to look after it over time.
“For the rider to feel closer to their horse, the saddle has been made even more refined and light,” explains Charly Palmieri, Meilleur ouvrier de France award-winning artisan saddler and finisher. “We have combined technical effectiveness with aesthetic refinement.”
The depth of the seat guarantees comfort and perfect fusion between horse and rider; the saddle tree, which has its origins in dressage, benefits from a slender fork with an optimized design for increased lightness, closeness, and stability the slender fork, the lowered lugs prevent superfluous thickness from hindering movements and the skirt is incorporated into the flaps.
The saddle’s padding and panels have been made finer. The single seam punctuated by backstitching in saddle-stitch, known as “fil-au-trait”, avoids any unnecessary friction. Several years of tests have established that wood remains the best option for the saddle tree. In addition to being a recyclable material, the suppleness of beech is used for shock absorbency as well as for comfort, as it molds perfectly to the horse’s anatomy.
“My first point of contact is the horse,” says François Boissinot, saddle expert and saddle development adviser. “I say hello to him, I observe him, I study his character, his temperament, his musculature, his mobility… This gives me insights into his health, and any illnesses or conditions. We look at what can be improved and harmonised… If the horse is comfortable, the rider will be too.”
Its color is born of the craftsman’s gestures, of the oiling of a leather saddle in rouge H – the house’s emblematic color – during manufacture. This new rouge sellier, or saddler’s red, is obtained when the artisan greases the saddle, anointing it with oil and glycerin soap to soften, nourish and protect the leather deep down, and bring out warm and intense color nuances that evolve over time.
The epitome of Hermès’ age-old know-how, the Selle Rouge (Red Saddle) begins a new chapter in the story of the house’s saddles. Out of the desire for excellence and innovation emerges a different kind of saddle. Something truly unique. With its deep seat, the slender fork of its tree, recessed blocks, and skirt incorporated into its flaps, the Selle Rouge becomes one with the horse and proudly exhibits all of its technical and aesthetic innovations. Its name also gives it an assertive and original character.
Created for show jumping and working on the flat, the Selle Rouge is suitable for riding both in an out of the saddle. Designed for the horse’s comfort and to promote perfect harmony between rider and horse, this saddle marks a new creative momentum and a decisive leap forward. What could be more natural for a horse?
Everything starts with them, and nothing happens without them… you can get to know the new Selle Rouge saddle in the rider’s lounge from 20th to 23rd April at Global Champions Tour in Mexico City.
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