Polo Ralph Lauren's Latest Campaign Celebrates Black Equestrians
What images immediately come to mind when someone mentions polo matches? Most likely horses, women dressed to the nines in frilly floral dresses and men in dapper spring-themed suits. It's an event frequented by royals and the wealthy upper class—Gossip Girl and Pretty Woman taught us that. But Work to Ride, a Philadelphia-based non-profit organization that gives disadvantaged urban youth the opportunity to learn, train, and develop life skills through equestrian activities and horse care, is changing that—and Polo Ralph Lauren is telling their story in its latest campaign.
In the campaign, shot by Sharif Hamza, the Work to Ride crew are decked out in Polo Ralph Lauren's signature styles, including classic Oxford Shirt, Silk Narrow Tie, Mesh Polo, and more. We learn the stories of Work to Ride alumni—Daymar Rosser, Kareem Rosser, Shariah Harris, and Malachi Lyles— who all have multiple accolades under their riding belts and have helped the organization grow over the years.
In addition to the campaign, Polo Ralph Lauren is gifting Work to Ride with a grant that "will directly fund collegiate scholarships for the Work to Ride high school athletes."
Founded in Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park, Work to Ride not only teaches kids how to ride and care for horses, but also teaches them discipline. Designed for kids ages seven to 19, students are tasked with maintaining the stables, which they are paid to do, and have the opportunity to join after-school tutoring sessions to keep their grades up.
"We want them to get good grades; we want to expose them to a wider world, provide them with as much opportunity as we can, and introduce them to as many new things, within our power, that we can," Lezlie Hiner, founder of Work to Ride told Polo Ralph Lauren. “It’s gone from just trying to get them through high school to, at this point, really stressing moving onto college. And that’s not going to be for everybody. We don’t groom them to be professional polo players. The polo is a vehicle.”
Read more about Work to Ride's story and members on ralphlauren.com.
Nerisha Penrose Assistant Editor Nerisha is the assistant editor at ELLE.com, covering all things beauty and fashion.