What may seem like common knowledge to some is not always common knowledge to others. Regardless, this article will assist anyone who is interested in pictures with their horses. Whether for family/portrait pictures or for equine promotion, it will benefit all.

Brush out their mane and tail

No matter what kind of pictures you are having taken, make sure to brush out your horse’s mane and tail. There are several products, which I will link down below, that can assist in giving your horse’s mane and tail a shiny, professional look. These also help to make sure the hair doesn’t get pulled out as badly. 

If you are worried about pulling out too much hair, you may need a new brush or to take more time gently brushing out the knots. By giving yourself enough time before your photoshoot, you can have their mane and tail brushed out nicely without pulling too much hair. In turn, this will alleviate your stress of having them look nice. 

In the case where you really don’t care about pulling too much hair, you will still need to have them brushed out. It may not be noticeable enough to you but as your photographer, it is very noticeable to me. These are pictures you will be looking at for years to come. Please take the time to be photo ready, for you and your horses. 

Confirmation photos or noticeably dirty - Give them a bath

The emphasis here is on confirmation, equine promotion pictures but also if your horse is very noticeably dirty. For equine promotion, we will be doing saddled and unsaddled images. This photoshoot is your horse’s time to shine, literally & figuratively.  The cleaner they look, the better the pictures will turn out. No one wants to look at pictures of a dirty horse, especially as a sale prospect. 

In the case where you have a dark colored horse, please take the time to clean them up. The dirt is more noticeable on their coat than on a light colored horse. I once had a photoshoot with someone who had a dark horse that had rolled around in the dirt and they did not take the time to clean them up. Their pictures did not look as well as they could have because their dirty horse was very distracting. Even if you don’t have time for a bath, at least use ShowSheen or something similar to wipe on and give them a clean look. 

When you do give them a bath, do it early enough for them to dry off. There is nothing worse than taking pictures of a horse with a wet coat or even a wet mane and tail. It does not look good for pictures. Leave yourself enough time for them to dry off, but tie them up until picture time so they don't roll around and undo the hard work you just put in. 

Have All Tack Ready

This goes for all pictures with horses, confirmation or portraits. Make sure to have all the tack and props ready that you want to use.  Please do not prolong our session by having me stand around while you look for your most favorite bridle you happened to misplace. Have it all ready by the time I get there or the place we meet up at. This will ensure time efficiency and less stress. I’m all about less stress. 

If you want to take it a step further you could even give your tack a quick once over with a rag or sheepskin to really make it shine. Honestly, not necessary though. Like I said, all I really care about is that everything is in one place and easily accessible once the photoshoot starts. 

Again, a lot of this may seem like common sense but is a good reminder for anyone who is looking forward to having pictures done with or of their horse. The more prep that can be done beforehand the smoother things will go in the long run.