Please give advice on indoor equine show.

[JerryPH]

For flash its something to ask the organisers about first - if they do say yes, but you still have doubts then if you can the best thing would be to get their really early to the event (or even a day before if many of the horses are kept onsite overnight) and ask the riders in person about the use of flash/

Those are some very good suggestions. If I wanted to do one of those events thats is exactly what I would do (either come early or the day before and talk to the owners/riders). That would also give one the chance to scope out the area and see where the best angles for good shots would be too... and perhaps, if lucky, get some personal one-on-one time with a few horses and riders?

 

[Silverdreamer3]

my response was as a rider/exhibitor. The photographers who have taken my pictures at the shows are usually around 30 feet away when they shoot. The main thing that spooks them is when you are outside the arena shooting with a big flash catching them at weird angles. I know thatone from first hand experience.
Basically show horses are used to it and if not then they get used to it real quick. All indoor horse shows are shot with flashes. Well at least all the ones I have been to.

 

[gsgary]

my response was as a rider/exhibitor. The photographers who have taken my pictures at the shows are usually around 30 feet away when they shoot. The main thing that spooks them is when you are outside the arena shooting with a big flash catching them at weird angles. I know thatone from first hand experience.
Basically show horses are used to it and if not then they get used to it real quick. All indoor horse shows are shot with flashes. Well at least all the ones I have been to.

Not over here in the UK, i would be thrown out for using one, i was once shooting Zara Philips doing dressage (outside) with a 1D+300mmF2.8L and the lady next to me had a point and shoot that kept flashing and the judge kept telling me to turn my flash off or i would escorted away

 

[musicaleCA]

my response was as a rider/exhibitor. The photographers who have taken my pictures at the shows are usually around 30 feet away when they shoot. The main thing that spooks them is when you are outside the arena shooting with a big flash catching them at weird angles. I know thatone from first hand experience.
Basically show horses are used to it and if not then they get used to it real quick. All indoor horse shows are shot with flashes. Well at least all the ones I have been to.

Not over here in the UK, i would be thrown out for using one, i was once shooting Zara Philips doing dressage (outside) with a 1D+300mmF2.8L and the lady next to me had a point and shoot that kept flashing and the judge kept telling me to turn my flash off or i would escorted away

Meep. I would've been very disgruntled with that woman. Would've even gone so far as to show her how to turn the damn thing off.

 

[JerryPH]

Not over here in the UK, i would be thrown out for using one, i was once shooting Zara Philips doing dressage (outside) with a 1D+300mmF2.8L and the lady next to me had a point and shoot that kept flashing and the judge kept telling me to turn my flash off or i would escorted away

I'd have NO issues pointing the finger to the woman beside me if it was her fault. When it comes down to me being thrown out for something that I was not doing or some clueless woman getting a few extra shots from a P&S that was flashing... oh, I would be VERY loud about it, if I needed to be.

 

[Silverdreamer3]

yes flashes on the outside of the ring bad idea. I guess I should have made that more clear. When the photographer is in the ring though that is different. I can't post my pictures as they are of me but I did not take them. All when inside are taken with the flash.

 

[gsgary]

my response was as a rider/exhibitor. The photographers who have taken my pictures at the shows are usually around 30 feet away when they shoot. The main thing that spooks them is when you are outside the arena shooting with a big flash catching them at weird angles. I know thatone from first hand experience.
Basically show horses are used to it and if not then they get used to it real quick. All indoor horse shows are shot with flashes. Well at least all the ones I have been to.

Not over here in the UK, i would be thrown out for using one, i was once shooting Zara Philips doing dressage (outside) with a 1D+300mmF2.8L and the lady next to me had a point and shoot that kept flashing and the judge kept telling me to turn my flash off or i would escorted away

Meep. I would've been very disgruntled with that woman. Would've even gone so far as to show her how to turn the damn thing off.

Getting the shots was more important (Queens grandaughter) Zara Phillips Conquers the Eventing World

 

[Reese's PB Luver]

Some horses are fine with flashes, some are not. Some horses who haven't ever spooked to a flash will spook to one either randomly or because it was in a new place. Horses are just not very predictable when it comes to spooking - something they have walked by every day can suddenly cause them to spook once, for no known reason. Sometimes you don't even know what spooked them, as nothing out of the ordinary happened in humans' eyes (yours and bystanders'/trainers').

A spooked horse can be dangerous for the rider, other riders/horses in the arena (if any), and even bystanders outside of the arena (if the horse crashes through or sends the rider through the air into/over the fence). This is especially true if the horse show the OP is photographing is a small, non-accredited show with beginner riders and all that (beginning riders wouldn't necessarily know how to handle a rearing, bucking, or galloping spooked horse - or how to stay on one). The OP didn't say. They also didn't say if they were just doing this as an audience member or if they were hired to take photos.

I don't recall seeing any horses spooked by flashes at the shows I've been in, but most of them have been outdoor shows. I did see one show where there was a CRAZY horse - darn thing wouldn't stop bucking until it was time to start the course!

And, yeah, haha - it always makes me shake my head when I'm at or watch on TV sporting events where all these P&S flashes are going off all over the stadium, even from the highest seats! Do those ppl really think their flash is going to help? Or do they just not know how to turn it off?