ASK HQ

Q: What is a floating trophy?

A: Floating trophies are trophies that are given out each year at an annual show. They must then be returned to the show holding body to be

handed out to the next yearly recipient. Floating trophies are environmentally friendly; there is no need to buy a new trophy or award each year.

Q: How do I stand a horse up correctly for conformation shots?

A: Knowing how to take a good conformation shot is a great skill for any horse person to have. A conformation photograph can be a make-or-break factor in a horse’s sale, or if you are taking a photo for your records, using a consistent strategy will allow you to track his development accurately.

Our first tip is to wash the horse. Bath him, brush his mane and tail, and spray some coat conditioner to make him shine.

Once your horse is clean and ready for action, take him to an area with good lighting – barn shots rarely work! Ideally, you want the sun to be behind the camera, so pick your spot accordingly.

Next, you want to think about your background and the surface on which your horse is standing. Busy backgrounds detract from the horse and look unprofessional, so try to keep your background as clutter-free as possible. Similarly, it goes without saying that you want your horse to be standing on a flat, clean surface. This is trickier than it sounds, but even ground is vital if you don’t want your horse to appear artificially uphill or downhill.

In terms of position, you ideally want the horse to be standing with their legs ‘open’ or spaced out so that you can see all four legs. Make sure you have the legs on the side closest to the camera as the ones that are offset, i.e. the hind leg closest to the camera should be slightly behind the hind leg further from the camera, and the front leg closest to the camera should be slightly in front of the other front leg. Not only does this allow you to see all four legs, but it also enhances the appearance of the whole body.

Keeping your horse’s focus while you take the shot is the next trick. A distracted horse can easily ruin a photograph by looking away at the wrong moment.

Having treats or playing horse sounds can work well. Once you have the horse’s attention, try to get them to stretch their neck slightly down and out to show off their musculature. A tense horse with his head in the air will appear to have a hollow back and look under-muscled, so encouraging the head downwards is important. If you have a handler, they can step back from the horse and perhaps (if safe) kneel on the ground to encourage the horse to stretch towards them.

When taking your photo, aim to stand at the girth line to avoid being at an angle that distorts the horse’s body. Do not stand too far back or too far forward.

It takes time, patience, and practice for both the horse and the handler to get a good conformation shot. Don’t get frustrated—you will get it right eventually!

Q: My horse’s sweet itch has not gone away completely this winter. Why is this?

A: Sweet itch in horses is the term for the itchiness caused by the saliva of biting midges. It typically appears in spring and often settles by winter. The condition is usually seasonal because, in sufficiently low temperatures (i.e., below four degrees Celsius), the midges do not fly and don’t bite the horses. Sweet itch results from an allergy to the saliva of these biting midges, so if the midges don’t bite, the skin can recover.

In your question, you do not mention where in the country you are based, but if temperatures with you are not consistently low enough, it is likely that the midges are still biting; hence, the sweet itch remains a problem.

Another explanation could be that your horse’s sweet itch is particularly severe, leaving him with uncomfortable skin that he scratches even without the causative midge bites. For these horses, the ‘itchscratch’ cycle can be challenging to break.

Either way, we recommend chatting to your vet about the issue and asking for advice on how to make your horse more comfortable.

TOP TIP

If you are looking to buy a horse during the colder months, be aware of the risk of purchasing a horse with sweet itch. As the condition is usually seasonal, many horses will have no signs of skin disease during winter, only to flare again when spring and summer come around. To protect yourself, look out for any signs of irregularity and discolouration of the horse’s skin in winter. This tends to be most evident if the horse has been clipped. Similarly, if the mane or tail is thin, do not just dismiss this as being due to a rug or hood that rubs. Instead, make sure to enquire with anyone who knows the horse about a history of skin issues.