Posing Horses, Pets and People: The Art of Organized Chaos
If you’ve ever tried to pose a horse or pet and their person together, you already know—it’s a little bit like herding cats. One looks perfect, the other blinks. One stands still, the other suddenly discovers an urgent itch on their nose. It’s a dance of patience, timing, and the occasional bribery snack!
But don’t worry…Posing horses, pets and people isn’t about perfection—it’s about capturing connection. And with a few tricks up your sleeve, you can create stunning portraits that look and feel natural and effortless (even if they weren’t). Here’s some tips and ideas you can use in your next pet and people portrait session…
1. Start with the Person, adjust the Horse or Dog
People take direction. Horses and Dogs…Not so much. So, I always position the person first, making sure their posture and expression are flattering, then bring the animal in close and gently tweak the horse’s or dog’s position. Once all is looking good, a quick que from you or your helper using noises like squeaky toys or horses neighing on your phone, will hopefully have those ears pricked and a sweet expression, well…for the most part anyway.
2. Ears Forward, Please!
Ok, if you’ve done this before, then you know how tricky it can be to actually get those ears pricked, combined with a soft but alert expression on the face. Nothing makes a horse or dog look more alert and engaged than a great set of forward facing ears, right? Using noises (I’ve been known to bark like a dog, grunt like a bear and neigh like a horse—zero shame), waving grass or recruiting a friend to rattle a bucket of stones. Whatever works! Just be ready to get the shot quickly, and I mean QUICKLY! Horse’s and dog’s get bored and become dull quickly, and will soon decide your silly noises aren’t worth their time, or their ears. So work efficiently and only use the noises for a few seconds, then stop. Just enough to spike their interest, but not enough to startle them.
3. Connection Over Perfection
A perfectly posed shot is lovely, but real magic happens in the little moments, when a rider rests their forehead against their horse or pet, when fingers tangle in a mane or their fur, or when a pet nuzzles into their human. Encourage movement, soft touches, and quiet pauses to capture the real bond between them. BUT, there’s always a ‘but’…save these moments for the end of your shoot so the energy levels have come down a little.
4. Be Ready for the Bloopers
Because let’s be honest—there will be bloopers. 100% Horses and dogs will yawn, itch their ear, sneeze and occasionally pull the most hilarious face. Embrace it! Some of my clients’ favorite images come from these perfectly imperfect moments.
At the end of the day, posing horses, pets and people is about creating an experience that feels fun and relaxed. Because when they feel good, the photos will reflect it. These tips are just the beginning, but if you want something a little deeper and more helpful, especially for posing horses and their people, check out my Posing Horses and People – Posing Cards. These cards are a great resource for any photography tool kit.
