My Favorite "Go To" Poses with Horses
Being in front of (and behind!) a camera can be intimidating and adding a moving animal into the mix can seem like an overwhelming task to tackle. Over the years as an equine portrait photographer, here are my favorite “go to” poses that flatter both gals + horses!
First and foremost, my number one goal while posing clients is safety. I want to make sure both my client and their horse are as safe as possible throughout our shoot. As horse people, we all know how quickly things can escalate and I never want to purposely put a client or their equine partner in harms way. I always try to ‘ask’ for poses rather than demand them, I will ask a client “Do you feel safe doing x, y, z?” so they feel comfortable saying no if it’s not something they feel safe doing with their horse.
As the photographer, I direct my clients nearly 100% of the time. I tell them exactly where to place their hands, move their feet and where to look. I never want a client to feel awkward or uncomfortable in front of the camera, so I give as much direction as possible so they feel confident during posing.
#1 Standard Pose
I typically always start off with “safe” poses so I can get a feel for how the horse is behaving before working our way into other poses. “Safe” poses to me are keeping the client next to their horses face with them holding onto the lead rope or reins, so they can easily control the horse if they start to move. My favorite pose in this position is to have the client reach up with the arm closest to their horse and touch them to show connection in the image, like these examples:
#2 Directly in front
From the standard pose, an easy next step is to ask the client to step directly in front of their horse. This is a pretty safe pose also as my clients will typically still be holding their halter, reins or lead rope and they can easily step back away from their horse if they startle or act up. Here are some examples of that pose:
#3 Hugs + Kisses
The ultimate way to convey your subjects love for their horse is by asking them to hug or kiss their horse. Asking them to kiss their horse on their nose or above their eye are my two go to prompts. Here are some examples:
#4 Bareback Poses
I think it’s everyone’s dream to get a stunning bareback shot with their horse, am I right?! I know I dream about it. For this pose I always double check with my client to make sure this is something they are comfortable with and I have my assistant or their friend/family member/trainer hold onto the horse while I get myself in position to shoot. I always have someone nearby within a couple feet of my client to help if the horse starts moving. I typically always start with the standard way of sitting on a horse (one leg on each side) then if things go well I’ll have my subject swing one leg over so both legs are on the same side. Here are some examples of this pose series:
#5 Sitting on the ground
This is the pose I am most careful with and only use when I feel confident that my client’s horse isn’t going to move around a ton. Like the bareback pose, I keep an extra person right next to the horse holding them in place until I am ready to click my camera. I remind my clients that if they feel their horse start to move to immediately pick their hands up off the ground and roll away if they need to. Luckily, most horses just want to eat grass during this pose and move minimally. Here are some examples of this pose:
I hope you enjoyed reading through my favorite “go to” poses for gals + their horses! There are an unlimited ways to pose, so don’t be afraid to try new + old ideas during your next shoot!
About the photographer…
Rachel Reilly is a Midwest based equine, wedding + senior portrait photographer serving clients coast to coast. After growing up showing in the AQHA, APHA + POA circuits she has turned her love for horses into a full time photography career.
