The Emotional Connection

Bob Tabor’s Equine Fine Art  

There are many reasons horses have held a special place in our hearts: from a source of transportation to comrade in war to partner in sport to therapy animal. Their strength and sturdiness belies a softness and vulnerability of character. Horses are not fight but flight animals, so any sign of mistrust or danger will send them running. It is only through a respectful and careful approach that they will allow you comfortably into their company, notes fine art photographer Bob Tabor. Tabor understands the carrot method is best, especially the ones from Balsam Farm.

Tabor says, “There are two sides of photographing the horse: the graphic beauty of turning it into an art form by photography, and the emotional beauty of capturing the soul of the horse.”

Tabor had no previous experiences with horses when he was shooting the vineyards at the Wölffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack and found the stables where a therapeutic riding program CTREE (Center for Therapeutic Riding on the East End) was operating. “I saw this wonderful child on this horse who did not speak but with this connection made a beautiful sound, and everyone was so moved. From that moment I looked at horses as my special subject.”

His first book of photos, Horse Whisperings, sold out with the proceeds going to children with autism. Temple Grandin’s quote graced his cover, “Bob Tabor’s photographs reach into the soul of the horse.”

Of his fine art photographs Tabor says, “When I look at horse, they are sculptures. I look for the harsh lighting of the muscles and sinews and roundness. I earn their trust by walking up and talking kindly to them, and I wear my camera around my neck and am constantly pressing the shutter so they see me as part of that sound, the click, click, click so they are not intimidated by the camera. After 15 minutes I can put a long lens by their eye and they don’t run away.”

Another key to the trust is that Tabor only photographs horses in their environment without a background, “Then it’s up to me in post-production to take away the background or frame it. The horse has to be comfortable and be itself. It shows in the work.”

The resulting images, limited to editions of eight, can be customized by size. Connecting with those who acquire his work is as important as connecting with his equine subjects, “My artwork is an extension of me, and I want to look at your eyes when you see my work. I want that connection.”

Kat O’Neill and Andrea McCafferty of The White Room Gallery in East Hampton who represent Tabor comment on this special time of year for horses in the Hamptons, “Each year the Hampton Classic Horse Show brings together some of the most beautiful horses in the world. And the polo players are pretty cute too. Tabor’s lens has captured them both. But what resonates most with us and our collectors are the portraits of horses when not in play. The allure of the shots is in the intimacy. Even when the eyes are hidden or only a portion of the body is shown there is a quiet repose creating a soulful, silent conversation between the subject and its audience. Herman Melville said, ‘No philosophers so thoroughly understand us as dogs and horses.’ Some might argue cats should be included as well. But that’s a debate for another day.”

It is not a wonder that one of Tabor’s books is called Horse/Human: An Emotional Bond because there is a humanity in his four-legged subjects, “The connection between horses and humans is beautiful if you keep it natural and don’t try to dominate the animal.” Even in art the partnership between horse and humans is enduring.

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