Hermès and Gucci Press Equestrian Advantage It is not so much daggers at dawn - but saddles and stirrups. For two luxury houses are in competition in the horse jumping world to promote their brands. Last week, Hermès brought horses, bales of straw and horseshoe markings in the house's signature orange to the vast space of the Grand Palais in Paris. It then announced that Le Saut Hermès - or Hermès jumping - would take place over the Easter period from April 3-4, reinforcing a tradition of equestrian sponsorship that grew from the birth of the saddle-maker in 1837. Meanwhile, Gucci jumped the luxury gun by sponsoring the Gucci Masters this past weekend at the Parc des Expositions in Villepinte, near Paris. Over the four-day event, Charlotte Casiraghi, the daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco, gave a glamorous sheen to international equestrians, who included the tennis star-turned-horsewoman, Martina Hingis. No one could call Gucci an upstart when it comes to the horse culture. The legendary bar-and-bit symbols on shoes and bags trace their origins back to the founding of the brand in 1921. And Frida Giannini, Gucci's creative director, has had a long love affair with ponies. "I've been passionate about horses since childhood," she said. It is the only sport where women and men can compete at the same time as equals. And, she added, "it is a project that perfectly fits with the brand image." Announcing the Hermès event, to take place in the heart of Paris before 4,000 spectators, Patrick Thomas, chief executive of Hermès International, was unfazed by Gucci jumping ahead. "We are looking for authenticity and in that we are constant," said Mr. Thomas, who sat alongside the French master cavalier Michel Robert. The executive explained that this Hermès initiative was part of other equestrian sponsorships, which included 20 years of sponsoring the Prix de Diane flat racing and currently the Deauville races. The Grand Palais is no stranger to horses: it was built to accommodate them and held equestrian events from 1900 to 1957. Vintage photographs show an Hermès sales booth at one of the horse competitions. Product is part of the luxury brand story: Gucci created for the Masters a one-off special edition silk scarf that was for sale, with other equestrian-inspired branded offerings, in a pop-up store at the Villepinte site. Yet the heart of the sponsorships is not commerce but the soul of the brands. Hermès has never deviated from its noble, officer-and-gentleman image. But this is a good time to reinforce that classy conception, at a moment when luxury has become associated with a period of extravagance and excess. Gucci evolved into an urban brand when Tom Ford focused on sex and rock "n" roll (and famously painted his country tractor black to match his shiny leather shoes). Now there is a whole horsy universe to recover, along with the loafer culture, which Gucci ceded to Tod's in the 1990s. Last weekend's event may turn out for Gucci to be a Masters not just in jumping, but also in handling its heritage.