Hermès began in 1837 as a saddle-maker; Gucci's horsebit descends from the stable. Long before luxury learned to buy its way into football or fill a Formula 1 grid, its founding customer was already on a horse — and equestrian sport is the one discipline luxury never had to acquire an audience for.
Hermès still stages its own competition, the Saut Hermès, under the glass of the Grand Palais; Rolex anchors show jumping's four Majors as the Rolex Grand Slam; and Longines title-partners the Global Champions Tour and the FEI clock. Our analysis, Equestrian, Luxury's Original Sport, sets out why this vertical differs from the wealth-courting of golf and the mass reach of the World Cup — here, the athlete and the client are the same person.