Polo: Equine Warriors

POLO:

E QUINE WARRIORS

P O RT R A I T S ACC EDITIONS

BY

B OB TABOR

Simply mentioning the sport of polo brings to mind a rich tapestry of images.

You might imagine fashionable ladies with gorgeous hats shielding them from the summer sun, or brightly-clad players astride lean ponies, thundering down the emerald turf with mallets waving high in the air.

Perhaps the word polo evokes festive gatherings, with well-heeled patrons in box seats, clinking cocktail glasses and sampling delicate hors d’oeuvres. Or, for you polo could be a more modern, casual affair, focused on the athleticism on the field of play rather than who’s who and what’s what on the sidelines.

The film and television industries have embraced the fabulous and historic imagery of polo, using clubs, grounds, and matches as glamorous backdrops.

So has the world of fashion, using those same scenes OREWORD to showcase the latest looks in magazines heavy with page upon page of stylish photography.

L ISA K EMP , K EMP E QUINE So when Bob Tabor told me he was going to explore the I NTEGRATED M ARKETING imagery of polo from the view of the horse, I found that AND P UBLIC R ELATIONS to be an exciting prospect.

F

In Bob’s first book, Horse Whisperings, he showcased the gentle, intimate side of the equine world. Using only natural lighting and a slow, easy approach, Bob meets a horse where that horse feels comfortable, and that comfort allows the personality and essence of the horse to shine through his images. He’s understood that to capture the soul of a horse with his camera, he’s got to overcome their natural fear.

Born from mounted armies that swept back and forth across the vast Asian plains, conquering and re-conquering, polo was a game these courageous equestrian warriors enjoyed to keep in shape for future conquests.

A LEX W EBBE , Today, the descendants of these toughened four-legged P OLO W RITER fighters line up on the manicured lawns of polo fields around the world, chiseled bodies at the ready, noble heads bobbing in anticipation of the start of the game, fearlessly ready to go to battle once again.