Horse Prep Tips

My top tips!

Bathe your horse the night before and stall over night if the shoot is fairly early. Having a mostly white horse, it typically takes me a good hour and a half to 2 hours to get her camera ready, so if the shoot is afternoon or later, just make sure you give yourself enough time to allow them to dry and get the finishing touches done.
Use a sheet or covering of any kind to help keep clean if possible if bathing the night before.
Trim whiskers, any excess hair on legs, ears, etc… as if you were showing. I personally like fuzzy ears and feel they look better in photos so only trim the extra and don’t completely shave them down.
Have green-spot remover and towels / wipes on hand for the morning of the shoot.
Always have a clean halter to use after the bath to keep their face as clean as possible, especially if they have any white on their face.
Use clear hoof polish on clean hooves!
Don’t go overboard on the shine! A little body shine on their neck and hindquarters is great but it can cause some weird light reflections if overdone on their face, so just keep it very minimal. We want them looking natural, not like plastic ponies!
Please remember to also clean your tack before the shoot as well! No one wants to see a saddle with mud caked on the stirrups.
If you have a Paint or Appy, make sure that you wear solid colors so that you don’t clash with your horse. If you have a solid colored horse with little to no markings you can wear a bit of pattern but still not much so that it doesn’t over do it.
Don’t over do it with the fancy silver on halters/ bridles, it deters away from the horse in most situations, but make sure to PLEASE clean all silver that you do have!
“Train your horse” for what you intend to do for photos. Don’t expect to lope across a field bareback if you haven’t done that before. Also, making sure that your horse knows how to stand still when asked is one of the most helpful things ever.
I’ve linked my favorite products to use that help get my horse looking her best!