I had the pleasure of photographing Nina Clarkin, her family and her top string on a scorching September afternoon. I had been a huge fan of Nina’s for a while, admiring her incredible skill and sportsmanship as the world’s best female polo player.
When I arrived at her yard, I saw a beautiful drive leading up to the fields, with sunshine twinkling through the trees, so I knew we had to start there! Her string of gorgeous polo ponies included top model Basil, super star Trilogy, top ponies Flipper, Nipper, Grappa, Clover and gorgeous grey Teddy. There aren’t many top sports horses you could hold all together without there being carnage but polo ponies are so used to being exercised together as well as running into each other on the field that a quiet walk together is not too overwhelming!
We made sure to get some shots of Elin Haf Jones, Nina’s fantastic groom, with the string. I did ask if she had any favourites but I couldn’t get her to admit to any, although she seemed to have a soft spot for the beautiful Basil!
Between shots of the family, I noticed her daughter Elizabeth riding her pony Lupa through the yard, reading Harry Potter. Elizabeth is an avid reader so I immediately saw an opportunity to create a really special selection of images. I sat Elizabeth by the base of a tree and popped a polo in the pages of the book so it looked like they were reading together and got a gorgeous set of images!
