Equestrian event photography: shows, eventing and riders who want every round

Equestrian events are different from races in one important way: there's no finish line where everyone appears. A show runs class by class across several rings, sometimes over several days, and each rider might compete in three classes on two horses. Riders, owners and parents want every round, every fence and every rosette. This page covers how to photograph and organise an equestrian event so that people find their photos, using Photohawk Studio as the example.

Organise by ring and class

At a race, people think in places on the course. At a show, they think in rings and classes. "Ring 2, the 90 cm, Saturday afternoon" is how a rider describes their round, so that's how the gallery should be organised.

On Photohawk, a gallery holds as many collections as you need. A good scheme for a show:

1. One collection per class, named the way the schedule names it.
2. Grouped by ring and, at multi-day shows, by day.
3. Prize-givings in their own collection, because winners and their families look there first.

If several photographers cover different rings, agree the names before the first class and write them down. A mismatched name splits a class into two collections, and riders miss half their photos.

Times are your best index

Shows run to a timetable, and riders know roughly when they jumped. Sync every photographer's clock to the second before the first class. A rider who jumped at about 2:40 can open their class and go straight to that moment. It's the most reliable way in at equestrian events, because numbers and faces are often hard to read over a fence.

How riders find themselves

• Browsing by class and time does most of the work, as above.
• Selfie search finds a rider across every class and ring at once. Faces under riding hats are often clear from the front and on the approach to a fence. On Photohawk, the selfie is used for that one search and then discarded.
• Competitor numbers on saddle cloths or bridle tags can be searched like bibs when they're visible and readable. Side-on shots and fast movement make them less reliable than a runner's chest number.

Our article from the archive, how facial recognition saves equestrian photographers time, explains why face search changed show photography. For what happens to face data, read selfie search for event photos.

Get each class online as it finishes

Riders often want to see their round before they leave the showground, and owners who couldn't be there want it the same day. Upload class by class. With previews first, on every plan, the web uploader sends light previews before the originals, so a class can be online soon after it ends while the originals follow in the background. If a rider buys a photo before its original arrives, that original jumps the queue.

Showgrounds often have weak connections. The web uploader resumes by itself after a drop, so you can keep adding classes through the day and let the originals finish in the evening.

Selling equestrian photos

Equestrian buyers are often families and owners as well as riders, and they tend to want sets:

• Every fence of a round makes a set people buy together. An "all my photos" bundle is popular.
• Prints matter. A clean shot over a big fence, or a portrait with a rosette, ends up framed.
• Prize-givings sell to winners and their families; photograph every placing, not only the winner.
• Protect the previews. Watermarks and preview protection keep screenshots from replacing purchases, while riders can still recognise themselves.

On Photohawk, each plan has a monthly price and a commission on sales, with card fees separate; see the pricing page and our article on commission versus subscription pricing. If a show or a sponsor wants to give photos to every competitor, a gallery in Sharing mode lets everyone download free.

Young riders and privacy

Pony Club rallies and junior classes put children in the photos. Think about whether selfie search is appropriate for those galleries; on Photohawk it can be switched off for any gallery, and browsing by class and time keeps working. Tell competitors and parents before the show that photos will be taken and how galleries can be searched. Our GDPR checklist for organisers lists what to cover.

An equestrian show checklist

• Collections named from the schedule: day, ring, class.
• Clocks synced before the first class.
• A separate collection for prize-givings.
• Each class uploaded as it finishes, with previews first.
• Selfie search decided per gallery, especially for junior classes.
• The gallery link shared with the show secretary for their results.

Covering a show soon? Create a free Studio account and set up your first class.