Written By: Rhea Lobo
Loro Piana gallops through Piazza di Siena with a saddle, a story, and several decades of equestrian devotion tucked neatly into its jacket pocket.
For more than 30 years, the Loro Piana has been a fixture at Piazza di Siena, one of Europe’s oldest and most revered equestrian competitions. Set within the leafy grandeur of Rome’s Villa Borghese, the event unfolds like a living fresco: horses in motion, riders in pursuit, and spectators gathered around the historic Oval as though attending a sporting opera under the open sky.
Courtesy of Loro Piana
At the heart of Loro Piana’s relationship with Piazza di Siena is a genuine affection for the equestrian world, inherited from Sergio and Pier Luigi Loro Piana. Sergio once described horseback riding as “a school of life, teaching respect for the animal and honing perseverance and discipline.” Those values continue to trot steadily through the Maison’s sporting legacy.
The journey began in 1985 with the creation of the Loro Piana Equestrian Team. A few years later came another milestone: designing the official uniforms for Italy’s show-jumping team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. From that chapter emerged one of the Maison’s enduring icons, the Horsey jacket, a garment born in the saddle and engineered for movement. Consider it a thoroughbred among outerwear.
Courtesy of Loro Piana
Courtesy of Loro Piana
Fast forward to Piazza di Siena 2026, and the gold-and-blue colors of the Maison remain a familiar sight around the arena. Competing under the Loro Piana banner were Edwina Tops-Alexander, Lorenzo De Luca, and Sheikh Khalifa Al Thani, each dressed in technical garments that marry performance with precision craftsmanship.
Courtesy of Loro Piana
Loro Piana’s presence extends across the event through two crowd favorites: the Loro Piana Trophy and the exhilarating Loro Piana Six-Bars competition, where riders and horses rise, leap after leap, to increasingly ambitious heights. It is sport at full stride, and a healthy disregard for staying close to the ground.
Courtesy of Loro Piana
Courtesy of Loro Piana
Courtesy of Loro Piana
Beyond the area, the Maison’s commitment reaches into the grounds themselves. Through its support of Piazza di Siena, Loro Piana contributes to the preservation of Villa Borghese’s iconic botanical and artistic heritage, helping safeguard one of Rome’s most treasured settings for future generations.
Horses, heritage, craftsmanship, and community are a perfectly executed course at Piazza di Siena. And somewhere between the thunder of hooves and the flutter of a Horsey jacket collar, Loro Piana’s long-standing love story with the equestrian world continues to gather pace.
Courtesy of Loro Piana
Courtesy of Loro Piana
Courtesy of Loro Piana
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