My 5 top tips for preparing your horse for a photo shoot.
How to prepare your horse for a photo shoot. It may seem quite obvious, however I have a few top tips, which I think you may find helpful.
No.1
My No.1 tip would be – always make sure your horse has had plenty to eat before the shoot. A hungry horse never makes a happy model. Making sure your horse has had ad-lib access to good hay/haylage for at least 2 hours before the shoot pretty much guarantees that we won’t be starting the shoot with a hungry horse.
No.2
Consider the locations you would love to feature on your shoot beforehand & if you think your horse may be a bit anxious going to any of them, try to take them there a few times before the shoot, to familiarise them.
I do so many lovely shoots (especially in the summer) where we use parts of the owner’s garden, an area which the horses don’t often visit, to feature different floral backdrops etc… for some horses, this isn’t a big deal & they quickly settle in the new environment, however others may need a little more time before feeling confident. For those more anxious horses, visiting the new location a few times before the day, will make them feel much more relaxed during the shoot.
No.3
Picture this (and I’m sure many of you can) it’s the night before your photo shoot, your horse is bathed and all ready for shoot day. You go to see them the next morning and low and behold, they have managed to gain a stable stain or two. What do you do?
On a warm summer’s day, or if you have a solarium, drying time is very fast & so the best thing to do is wash that area quickly, as long as you have about 30mins-1hr of drying time.
But what about for colder months? Maybe it’s 7am on a winter’s morning before your 8am frost shoot. In a scenario like this, I would recommend making the best job of dry brushing the area as you possibly can & if you’re left with a bit of a stain, I can work some photoshop magic. Unfortunately fixing wet hair is much harder than removing a stain, so avoiding damp patches is really important
(Pictured below is my horse, who is aptly nicknamed the poolomino, as an example of the magic I can perform when editing)
No.4
For a winter photo shoot, if you are planning on clipping your horse, I’d recommend allowing for 1-2 weeks of hair growth between your clip and the shoot date. If there are any clip lines visible, they will be much less obvious after this time period.
No.5
I always recommend a leather head collar or bridle for your photo shoot, as it looks so natural and doesn’t distract from the moment between you and your horse. If you are planning on purchasing a new head collar to bridle for your shoot, do check that your horse is comfortable in it & that the leather is soft and sits well a week or so before the shoot. Some leather can take a little while to soften & rigid tack can be both uncomfortable for your horse & look unnatural on photos, so it’s always a great idea to start using it lightly & maybe using a bit of moisturising leather balm to help soften if needed.
Thank you so much for reading my top 5 tips for preparing your horse for a photo shoot.
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