Horse and Rider Session Prep Guide
- Make sure your horse is groomed and ready to go at least 10 minutes prior to your scheduled session start time. Do your best to ensure your prep process is as calm and stress free for your horse as possible to ensure they are relaxed and not anxious for their session.
- If you bathe your horse, do so early enough that you are certain they will be completely dry for their session. If you have access to a stall, I recommend bathing the day before to make sure you don't have any problems getting them dry. If they are damp at all, you will be able to see in pictures so this is very important.
- I recommend using a shine spray on their bodies such as Show Sheen. This will help them have that shiny look for their pictures. Also, a very small dab of Baby Oil or Vaseline on their noses and in their ears can help get rid of any dusty looking areas especially for dark horses. Oh and don’t forget the fly spray to keep the bugs away!
- Their feet will be in some pictures, use a hoof polish if you have access to one that dries and the dirt will not stick such as SuperShine Clear Polish.
- Make sure your horse’s white socks and markings are free to stains. I recommend using baby powder or Shapely’s White Spray.
- If you have multiple horses that are being photographed please ensure they they are all ready to go, and easily accessible prior to the designated session start time.
- Last but not least, if you have had your horse in the cross ties for hours on end getting them ready for their photos, make sure to give them a break in their stall prior to my arrival to allow them to rest and pee if needed. I find that horses that stand in the cross ties for long periods of time before photos tend to be antsy during their portraits.
Day of Shoot
#1. DIRT & DUST
Ensure your horse is free of dirt, if you bathe your horse make sure they have enough time to dry. Check inside your horse’s ears, nose, and in the folds of their eyes. Look for any spots where their hair may be ruffled up or not laying smooth.
#2. CHECK THEIR WHITES
Make sure any white on their legs or face is free of stains. Don’t forget to use Baby Powder or White Spray .
#3. PAINT THEIR TOES
Ensure your horse’s hooves are clean and free of dirt, I recommend applying a clear polish such as SuperShine Clear Polish.
#4. MANE & TAIL
Don’t forget to get those tails combed through and use a shine product on both their mane, tail, and forelock. Also, plan ahead of time, if you need to pull their mane do so a few days before. If your horse’s mane has any fly aways or stands up on end make sure and use bands or a neck wrap to tame their mane for a few days prior to their session if you do not plan on braiding or banding for the pictures.
#5. MAKE THEM SHINE
Preparing your horse for weeks prior to the session by intensive grooming can help with their natural shine. Make sure you don't leave any wet spots. I recommend a small dab of baby oil or vaseline inside of their noses or ears to help darken up those spots that tend to look dusty on dark horses.
#6. CLEAN YOUR TACK
Make sure your tack is clean and free of cracks or major blemishes. Also ensure any bits are clean and polished. I recommend a bridle with a simple bit for pictures. If you are planning on wearing boots for your pictures, make sure they are clean and polished as well.
#7. THE AISLE WAY
If you added on Black Background Portrait make sure to pick up the barn aisle way. I will set up in the barn aisle way on an end that is free of direct sunlight shining in. Please ensure that the barn aisle way is free of dirt and hay.
#8. BE ON TIME
Please make sure to plan enough time for any potential traffic, delays with Hair & Makeup, or any circumstances that may arise. If you arrive late to the session or are not ready to go a the designated time, the session will be cut short as sunset will happen and we will run out of light.
Tips for a Better Shoot
1. Even lazy horses need to be lunged. That’s right, even those who barely break into a jog when heading in from the pasture at dinner time needs to be lunged. That’s because photo shoots aren’t part of the normal routine, and therefore he’s not going to be functioning at his normal energy level. Think about it: my camera and me are all new experiences for your horse, and even the sleepiest horse perks up when he sees or smells something new and unfamiliar.
2. Spirited, green or young horses will stand better. If you’re interested in a black background session or want to have a lot of posed photos with your horse standing still, you’ll need to lunge your horse to help ensure they can stand quietly for short periods. During a session, I love to capture photos of you and your horse in motion, but there are also a ton of poses that only work if the horse is willing to stand quietly.
3. Can’t lunge the day of? Go for a long, sweaty ride the night before! Sunrise sessions are some of my favorites, but that means you and your horse have to be bright-eyed, beautiful and dressed to impress awfully early. If you can’t fit a lunging session in on the morning of your shoot, make plans to go for a long, sweaty ride the night before – it’ll have much the same effect!
What to Wear
Color can really add a lot to your images. Bold colors will quickly make you the center of attention while neutrals will add a soft vibe to the portraits. When photographing with horses, keep in mind the coat color of your horse. Red horses (chestnut, bay, sorrels, red roans) look great with rust and earth tones. Blue horses (black, blue roans, grey) look great with bolder colors. Yellow horses (palomino, cremello, buckskin) look great with neutrals and bolder earth tones). White, pale tones & light blue go with any color horse.
Things to avoid: neon colors + clothing with large prints, wording or logos! Neon colors can reflect back onto your body and give unflattering skin tones and large prints/working/logos can be very distracting and take away from the overall image.
Not sure which color to wear? Go with white! It’s a classic choice that looks good against any background and with any color of horse.
Another great way to get the most out of your shoot is to have a variety of outfits! Change up the tones, styles, textures and layers throughout your session to bring visual diversity to your images. Hats + jackets are the super easy way to quickly change up your look. Charlie 1 Horse hats and denim jackets are super trendy right now and will photograph great.
I always tell clients that a good base of outfits are jeans + a cute top followed by a flowy dress. Dresses always look so soft and stunning next to a horse while jeans + a top are a classic look that we can do more poses with.