Am I being unreasonable? Strangers taking photos.

[Sleipnir]

Yes, I get that my gelding is attractive and a show-off. I am fully aware that our hacking largely consists of a nature reserve and we often meet hikers, dog walkers, families with children, cyclists and so on. I am always polite, stop to chat an let people pet my boy, give them my yards' contacts if they're interested in lessons and tell them anything they want to know about horses. Sometimes, however, strangers want to take photos of my boy and I mostly refuse. That's when they sometimes get nasty and refuse to understand my refusal! Don't get me wrong, I'm a very polite person and never get snappy, but I really don't want photos of my horse and myself showing up on someones' facebook feed or on other social networks, especially with several horse theft cases happening in nearby areas.

So...am I being unreasonable? Is it common practice to take photos of strangers and their animals? How do you react when people take photos of your horses while you are out hacking or on the yard/your property? I don't want to come across as rude and snobbish, but I do think I have to draw a line somewhere! (Cookies and mulled wine to those who read through - winters' here!)

 

[bonny]

Not anything you can do to stop people taking photos but I guess if they ask and you don't like it you can say no. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Orca]

It wouldn't bother me but I used to have quite unusual hair and was stopped on more than one occasion by people asking for pics. I found that weird! My horse is a far more worthy point of interest (imo!).

 

[Nudibranch]

Wouldn't bother me, and to be honest I always feel like I'm doing my bit for rider/non rider relations by accomodating people, within reason. We have a bad enough name sometimes as it is.

 

[tiga71]

I don't mind if people take photos. If they look like proper photographers I will ask for their contact details so I can email and ask for an image or two.

I would not tell them where I am stabled though. To me it is much riskier to tell them where exactly your horse is kept. If people ask where I keep him, I just say the village, never the name of our yard. If it is another rider I may tell them the name of the yard if they seem ok. But never random people.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Over the years I've had a lot of tourists take photos of me and my sheep dogs and now my horses. It doesn't bother me.

If they look like dodgy horse stealers then I would understand the issue.

 

[rara007]

Wouldn't bother me to be honest Obviously happens a lot competing driving around the great parks, so it doesn't seem odd when I'm asked on the more 'towny' areas. I don't let anyone follow me home though if we're hacking and meet others/travellers and wouldn't tell a stranger where we are based more than a rough region of the county. Mine are small (but not tiny) older geldings so not massive targets.

 

[D66]

You don't need to ask permission to take a photo in a public place, so they are just being polite by asking. You could say you would rather they didn't and explain why.

If you don't want your pic taken you need to stay at home, out of sight of a public road.

 

[Overread]

Even if you say no remember that chances are if there are any roads/footpaths/grassy tracks that look nice to walk on nearby chances are your horse has been photographed before.

Photographers are an odd bunch - a very simple scene one might take for granted as just life can be interesting to a photographer and snapping away is what they want to do.

That said if they do ask you are certainly within your rights to say no; be honest at the time with them and try to avoid being sharp or quick to shout out the no. If you're a little frustrated because you want to be on with your ride not chatting (and that's perfectly acceptable- we all get like that) they try to plan to avoid popular routes or learn to speed up a tiny bit as people get close so that you can perfect the passing by hello and clip past before they get a chance to stop you for a chat.

 

[silv]

Wouldn't bother me, and to be honest I always feel like I'm doing my bit for rider/non rider relations by accomodating people, within reason. We have a bad enough name sometimes as it is.

This, plus I live in the wine region of NZ, we get busloads of people doing winery tours, have been photographed countless times. To be honest I always find it quite flattering that someone wants to take my horses photo.

 

[minesadouble]

Wouldn't bother me either, I once galloped along a grass track on some National Trust land we can ride on. When I pulled up a man asked me if I would do the same again so that he could take a video and I was happy to - horse was over the moon to be able to do it again!
When my Vizsla was a pup I had him on the beach and a German lady asked if she could take some pics, I obliged and she took loads of him, she tried to tell me the name of her website but my German is rubbish and I was gutted I never got to see them!

 

[Sleipnir]

Ah, I guess I was just being paranoid. Thanks for your opinions, all. Staying at home is impossible, Horse loves a good gallop in the woodlands too much.

 

[luckyoldme]

I was really flattered when i got asked if someone could take a photo of my horse when we were out a few weeks ago. There again im getting on a bit and so is my horse and we have to make the most of any little compliment we get!

 

[OwnedbyJoe]

When I was about 12 a bloke stopped on the road outside our yard and asked to take a photo of me and my (unusual golden bickskin) gelding so he could paint an oil painting of us... We got an invitation to the exhibition: it was great fun (couldn't afford to buy the pic though).
Also when I was just starting out a gent at local events used to ask to take our pics sometimes so he could build up a portfolio.. His name was Kit Houghton. One of his early pics of us is till on my mantelpiece.

 

[Shay]

Welcome to the world of anyone who hunts! And the people who take the photos are not well intended.

Sadly if you are in a public area you can't prevent it. We have lovely folks who feel the need to wear balaclavas taking photos of us - and the children - most weekends.

 

[jumbyjack]

It wouldn't bother me, maybe if white van man who was wearing dealer boots, a lot of gold and a 'horse thief' t shirt stopped me I would be cautious! This is why I had my mare freeze marked on her shoulder though, it's very obvious and the first thing a PHT would spot.

 

[Princess16]

Wouldn't bother me either we can't really live our lives in fear all the time and the chances of someone wanting to take a photo with the intention of coming back to steal him is quite remote IMO. The fact they asked you first is polite and if you're not happy about it just say sorry haven't got time I'm in a hurry to get back etc or speed up before they have a chance to ask.

Now I've gotta ask as your boy is so Gawjuss can we have a photo please

 

[Katikins]

I frequently take photos of dogs and horses when out and about. Usually the dog owners I will try and ask but the horses I usually can't as they are either too far away or are cantering/galloping up the beach. If they are asking then they are just being polite as there is no obligation legal or otherwise to ask permission when you are in a public area. Equally, the copyright of the photographs taken remain the copyright of the photographer, not the subject, unless the copyright is bought.

Situations like this make it rather difficult to stop and ask for permission

Please note the watermark is my own - not button pressing required

[Content removed]

 

[LeannePip]

It doesn't bother me too much - when i used to take my youngster to the ice cream van as a baby there was always hoards of people wanting o take pics of her!

The oddest one was at one boxing day meet we were fairly early and not many of us there when a family of about 10 Chinese tourists turned up and started snapping away furiously from different angles with various members of the family! No body asked (probably due to the language barrier) but it wasn't a problem and the horses enjoyed the attention. Always makes me chuckle to think there might be an entire photo album of my sister and I somewhere in the world - very bemusing!

 

[Dry Rot]

Interesting response. I think it must be a generation thing as in the past I think a lot of people would have objected. I hated my picture appearing in public. But now, with things like FB, it is common, even 'selfies' which I don't understand. I enjoy my anonymity, though I suspect my cover is mostly blown on here, and wouldn't like my photo appearing in the Press, for example. But it is a fact of modern life and another thing we just have to put up with. Nice to be asked though. Bear in mind that horse riders are usually elevated above the rest of the world (unless you ride a miniature!) and it is very easy to be seen as looking down your nose. Is that the image of horse riders we really want the public to have?

 

[fatpiggy]

Interesting response. I think it must be a generation thing as in the past I think a lot of people would have objected. I hated my picture appearing in public. But now, with things like FB, it is common, even 'selfies' which I don't understand. I enjoy my anonymity, though I suspect my cover is mostly blown on here, and wouldn't like my photo appearing in the Press, for example. But it is a fact of modern life and another thing we just have to put up with. Nice to be asked though. Bear in mind that horse riders are usually elevated above the rest of the world (unless you ride a miniature!) and it is very easy to be seen as looking down your nose. Is that the image of horse riders we really want the public to have?

I've had people take pictures of my horse with long lenses while I was out riding - the only way they could do I since she knew what cameras were, that they went flash, and were therefore best avoided. I never worried about it because they looked like the sort of person (like me) who took a camera out on their walks and if they came across a nice scene, they snapped it. One time a couple who I think were Japanese tourists got their video camera out as she was playing in the local water park. She loved to bang the surface of the water and make as much splash as possible, then change legs and do it again. I was feeling very pleased with myself (more fool me) when she let the side down big style by dropping like a stone and trying to roll in the water with me up to my knees , feet still in the stirrups. I screeched like a banshee and she got up, scooped me back into the saddle on the way up and we made a hasty, dripping and thoroughly embarrassed departure (I don't think she was embarrassed, she liked playing tricks on me) - all immortalised on video. I went around the corner and had to take my lovely leather boots off to empty the water out of them!

 

[Merlod]

Our road hacking is around a very pretty village and peolple love to stop and take photos.. one family even pulled over to ask if they could take a picture, I don't mind in fact it's quite flattering

If it really upsets you just turn your horse when they take photos so they get a nice bum shot or bog off at speed!

 

[rascal]

It would bother me if someone was taking pictures, but then I HATE having my photo taken anyway!

 

[stormox]

I live near a beach,and over the season hundreds of tourists come down and take pictures when Im riding down there- or even tacking up-am I bothered? No, and Im a bit flattered honestly that someone likes my horse enough to take a photograph.

 

[ester]

Ditto we have had lots taken on the beach, not helped by my mum riding a blonde bombshell . I wish I had gone back and asked for some of the pics on email .

 

[Crosshill Pacers]

My father and I used to have our photos taken quite a lot when herding the sheep back up to the mountain - it involved a 2 mile stretch on a main A road and a couple of hundred sheep coming towards vehicles followed by a man on a chestnut and a girl on a pony always seemed to attract cameras out of car windows! That evolved to photos of us on our two pacers, one of which was showing off for the cameras by prancing around like a dressage pony and snorting at EVERYTHING (three guesses for who was lumped with riding that one!). We used to just smile and wave and figured we'd be part of someone's 'holiday story' when they returned home to wherever they were going.

This was in the pre-Facebook days though...although if him and me did the same thing now (unlikely as his riding days are behind him) I still don't think we would mind. I'm a diva for the camera though and have found myself waving for the camera out hunting when there are anti's around taking pictures. I don't mind a photo as long as they catch my best side!

 

[LilacWillow]

Just remembered, when I was 14, a man took a photo of me riding. I was at a distance so he didn't talk to me. Is that allowed?

 

[skint1]

I've had people take pictures of my horses in their field, which is fine because they are indeed beautiful and not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to take that in every day, but, as far as I'm aware, no one has ever taken one of me on my horse . I'd feel a bit self conscious about it, I look like a sack of crud on a horse, it would probably end up on some forum or facebook page with everyone pulling me apart for just about everything.

 

[pennyturner]

I have had the delightful experience of someone presenting me with a photo, taken 10 years ago, of a pony I no longer own, with my eldest daughter, aged about 2, perched on top.

The photo was taken without my knowledge at the time. Imagine how delighted I was to see it.

 

[OWLIE185]

Used to get our photos taken load of time when I use to ride my horse in London especially Hyde Park. Great fun!