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Selling your horse: Taking photos

January 1, 2005

Expert advice from Horse & Hound on choosing the perfect photograph to help sell your horse quickly to the right home

Including a photograph when advertising your horse will increase the likelihood of you making a quick sale because potential buyers will have decided that this is the type of horse they are interested in buying, before making that all important call.

However, any old picture of your horse won't do the trick. You need to consider what impression you want the buyer to get and then choose an appropriate picture, which is clear and sharp.

If your horse is being advertised as a show jumper, for example, then the picture should show the horse's technique over a fence, while a photo of a dressage horse should show its paces. Equally, a child's first pony should be pictured being ridden by a small child.

A side-on shot showing the horse's conformation will give a good view of the animal, especially if it is a youngster or show horse, but make sure the background is not too dark or "busy". While a pretty headshot may be eye catching, it can suggest that the rest of the horse is being hidden for a reason, which may put off a potential buyer.

Fine weather always helps a picture look good, but make sure the sun is behind the photographer, to avoid shadows appearing across the horse. Don't be too ambitious with the type of picture you take. A clean, sharp, still image is better than a blurred, moving one.

Using professional photos

You can use the services of a professional photographer, with their permission, but photographers must be credited in any advertisement in which their work is used. The classified sales team will check with the photographer before accepting an advert.

If you intend to use a professional photo with your ad please supply the name of the photographer with the image and state that they have been contacted and have given their permission.

Supplying your photo

If you are placing your advert using the online booking system then please ensure that the image you are uploading is in jpeg format (imagename.jpg). The image should be a minimum of 200x200 pixels at 150dpi to ensure the photo will retain it's quality when reproduced in the magazine. For the very best results both online and in the magazine we recommend that images are supplied at 800x600 pixels.

If you are placing your advert over the telephone at 0800 731 0616, then the image should be emailed to H&H_Ads@ipcmedia.com. Alternatively a hard copy photograph can be sent by post. Hard copy photos will be returned if an address is supplied, but we recommend that precious or valuable pictures aren't sent by post.

Sell your horse with Horse & Hound

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