If what I see on a daily basis on social media sale sites is any indication, we need to have a refresher course on basic photography of livestock, specifically, horses. I believe that most of the photos used on these sites are taken on cell phones, which is fine, as that’s the only camera many people have. The quality of the photographs themselves are not what I’m even critical of, as in pixels and all that jazz, it’s the lack of effort in actually having the horse in a good position and ready to have its picture taken. It may take a little effort, but the effort pays off. Here’s how. It should go without saying, but apparently I need to say it: remove fly masks, fly sheets, fly boots, tail bags, tail braids, and put a decent halter on that is adjusted correctly to fit. Brush out the mane and tail, trim the bridle path if there is one, and curry off the hay and dirt. In other words, act like you’re proud to be offering this horse for sale. I believe there are several things that a potential buyer likes to see in an add.
conformation,
leg straightness, and
pictures or a video of the horse being handled and doing its job, whether ridden or on the ground.
Conformation photos take some time, but they can sell or not sell your horse. I want to be able to see how the horse is balanced, as in angles of shoulder and hip, neck shape and placement, how the head is carried, withers (if a riding horse), and length of hip. Conformation for me also includes how high or low the hocks are placed, and the length of the forearm as compared to the cannon bone. This is separate from the straightness of the legs. To take a conformation photograph from the side, I prefer to have someone hold the horse and move them around as needed, but in a pinch will tie a horse to a clean fence or trailer. I don’t want a distracting background in the photo, as I want the viewer to focus on the horse. When you position the horse’s feet, I like to have the near legs positioned directly under the body. Not with the hind leg stretched out behind or too far forward, but squarely under the body, one on each corner, if you may. The hind leg stretched behind tends to diminish the length of the hip, hollow the loin and flatten the croup. The offside legs I like to have positioned so that they are showing on the inside of the closest legs in the picture. That seems to balance the horse nicely, in my opinion. The horse’s head should be level or slightly up to show the shape of the neck and how it ties into the shoulder. When taking the conformation photos, be closer to the hind quarters than the head, otherwise the head will look disproportionately large. Kneel or bend down so that you aren’t looking downward toward the horse also. Same deal, it messes with the proportions of the horse. Leg straightness is critical to me when buying a horse. There are so many things that can go wrong with a horse as far as soundness, that starting off with crooked legs seems like a bad idea. For front legs, I want the horse to stand facing the camera, legs even. I can tell in that picture if the horse is in or out at the knees, how the cannon bone comes out of the knee, how the pastern joint lines up, whether it toes out or in, and if the coronet band is clean and hoof nicely shaped. It’s also clear whether the horse stands straight under the shoulders or whether if slopes in toward the feet. For the hind legs it should have the tail held out of the way or tied up so the view isn’t impaired. I want to see what kind of inside and outside muscling is on the upper leg, how straight the hock and cannon bone tie together, and whether the fetlock and pastern are straight. Any blemishes on the front or hind legs may be visible in these photographs. If there’s a scar on the limb, a detailed photo of it might be in order. A video is nice if you can get it and do a good job of it. Whatever the horse’s skill set is, that video should show that horse doing that. If it’s a rope horse, show it roping. If it’s a barrel horse, show it running, or at least loping, the pattern. A ranch horse should be shown doing ranch work, such as traveling in rough country, roping in the pasture, maybe dragging calves to the branding fire, or any other thing the horse is able to do. If it’s a trail riding horse, show it doing the things that it might encounter on a trail ride through the hills, such as crossing water, stepping over logs, and riding out alone or in a group. I’ve seen very good videos done of horses that weren’t of riding age yet, simply being handled on the ground, showing manners, softness in the face, picking up and holding feet, loading in and out of a trailer, standing tied, etc…. Videos aren’t always possible so good photos of horses doing what they can do are nice. If that horse is safe for the whole family, show that by having the whole family do things with it. If it isn’t kid safe, for heaven’s sake, don’t show it packing a kid around, okay? If it hasn’t been ridden, showing it packing a saddle around doesn’t mean much to me and is misleading. When you get your pictures and video all edited and looking nice, take a clear picture of the registration papers if there are any, so that they are readable, even on the small screen of a cell phone. Now you’re ready to download all this on to a sale ad. In my opinion, there is absolutely no need for loud, raucous, or even pleasant, music to be playing while I try to watch the videos. It does nothing to enhance the horse, and I find it annoying enough that I might just skip on over the whole ad. Surely I’m not the only one who feels this way. The horse market has cooled somewhat this fall, so be realistic on your asking price. If you think your horse is worth $20,000, then you’d better have put the effort into the presentation of the sale ad. If you’re asking $4800, or even $2500, your effort should still be the same. What I’m saying is this: if you want to sell your horse, make the effort. Taking a badly lit photo of a horse on the other side of a sloppy fence, eating hay, with its head out of proportion due to being closer to the head than the hiney, doesn’t inspire me to pay a four or five digit price for it. If you put $200 effort into the pictures, that’s probably what the horse is worth.
This photo shows that basic conformation on this horse. Preferably, she would have her head straight to show how it looks, but working alone doesn’t always lead to the perfect photo. She’s groomed, shiny and against a background that doesn’t detract from her.
Jan was raised on a ranch in far western South Dakota. She grew up horseback working all descriptions of cattle, plus sheep and horses. After leaving home she pursued a post-graduate study of cowboying and dayworking in Nebraska, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming and South Dakota....
