Hermès is still a great saddlery. The maison is, among the large ones, the only one that still produces riding clothing and accessories. And at 23 Rue Boissy d’Anglas, in Paris, Laurent Goblet takes 25 to 35 hours to make a saddle by hand. Starting from the project, he creates measures and shapes according to the customisation requests that come to him. As Robb Report tells, Goblet who, in addition to being a master saddler, goes horseback riding, and knows perfectly well how those who sit on the saddle must feel.
A great saddlery
Once a customer has chosen a saddle, a team member goes to the stable to measure the horse with a custom instrument called the EQUIscan. Then the curve of the saddle is set according to its use: for example, a dressage saddle requires a deeper seat than an obstacle jumper. The leather is hammered with tacks until it is perfectly taut. Then the processing begins. Each seam is tightened stitch by stitch. The leather is soaked in water, to facilitate processing, then applied to the padding with a curved steel tool so that there are no folds. Each saddle has a reference number, recorded by hand in a register, according to a method dating back to 1909.
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