26/08/2026
Photographers at Horse Events 📸🐴
I’m so grateful for the amazing photographers who come along to our horse shows and capture memories that we can keep forever. Most are incredibly professional, talented and do a wonderful job.
But I’d like to ask — what do people consider professional when they are the official photographer at a show?
I attended a show where my horse did very well. Photos were taken in our first class, but after that, despite competing in several more classes, no further photos were taken of my horse. Other horses competing alongside us were photographed, and even when we were standing in the Champion line-up, the other horses were photographed while mine was not.
Personally, I find that disappointing and unprofessional.
If you take on the role of an official show photographer, I believe every competitor should be given the same opportunity to have their horse photographed, regardless of friendships, personal opinions or history with an exhibitor.
The same goes for the number of photos taken. Of course, some horses will naturally have more good shots than others, but when there are countless photos of friends’ horses and very few — or none — of other competitors, people notice.
A show photographer is there to capture the event as a whole — the competitors, the winners, the special moments and the memories — without obvious bias or favouritism.
Photography is such an important part of our industry, and good photographers deserve enormous appreciation for the time and effort they put in. ❤️
What are your thoughts? Should an official show photographer make every reasonable effort to photograph all competitors equally and without bias?
Photo taken by myself - Nicole Davis
