What do YOU like to see on a stud card?

[Dotilas]

Right, very curious now.

If you are looking for a stallion, what things do you like to know about them? What pictures do you like to see? How do you like it set out to you? What makes a stallion appeal to you?

Sorry for so many questions, but my curiosity got the better of me!

 

[jenbleep]

well im not really in the market for a stallion........not really in the market for a horse period! cant afford it! but if i were looking for a potential stallion is want to see a picture of him moving, or jumping, (or whatever your chosen displine is,) his children (cant spell prodajy!) id want to go and see him in the flesh too, see what his temperament is like. price, and id probably go for a dark bay or coloured stallion. but of course you can never be sure of what comes out the other end of your mare! oh and good strong hindquarters and sound legs xxxxx there are lots of things ive probably missed out!

 

[ColouredFan]

Our mare us due to foal tomorrow and has waxed up this morning! when we were looking the stud cards the ones that stood out had the following, static and dynamic pictues of the stallion and as may offspring as possible, competion record of stallion and offspring, anything else relevent to that stallion ie colour genetics if coloured height, colour age bone etc plus a diagram showing his breeding

 

[Dotilas]

So if the stallion has 3 offspring, 1 born early hours of this morning, so no pictures yet, you would want pictures of them all? Like this?
Styalways Tom Thumb colt born 2003

Flecknoe First Impression filly born 2006
Which picture of this filly would you use?

 

[josie_s]

Sorry but I dont think I'd use any of those pics of your filly. I'm sure none of them are doing her the justice she really deserves. Try and use professional pics if at all possible

 

[Dotilas]

These were last minute pictures yesterday LOL!

I think we might trim her up tomorrow and take some more? How should she be standing?

Oh, and is anyone willing to give me your views on the stud-card so far? PM me your email if you are

 

[jenbleep]

square, (or as square as you can get a youngster!) or with hind leg separated. (one leg back) head up, looking interested at something, or a action shot of her trotting would be good. and on a sunny day! xxx no offense but the second picture she looks very uninterested!

 

[Dotilas]

So would the first picture be fine, as long as it was smarter??

So she is brushed off, trimmed up and looking somewhere?

 

[Tia]

Pay attention to your backgrounds is my big advice! People like to see a nice background, with the horse smartly turned out, preferably showing all 4 legs but standing squarely. If the photographer stands slightly to the front of the horse then he can get all 4 legs in. Take pics on a sunny day not a windy day.

Once again - don't forget about your background.

 

[Dotilas]

Would you say it was okay to put a picture o the stallion loose-jumping in a menage? Or is that not the done thing?

I would be putting these two pictures on...

Do I crop/edit them in any way?

 

[Tia]

I wouldn't, however lots of people do. If you were going to use one then the second one is better but you want to photoshop out the yellow and white pole.

I purely like to see conformational shots....but that may be just me LOL!!

 

[Dotilas]

When you say you like to see conformational shots, what shots do you prefer? Which angles do you want to see and how would you want the horse to stand?

 

[Tia]

The first picture of the stallion (I presume is the one you are talking about?) is sort of there....but not. The background, although pleasant, cuts him up a bit in my opinion. He also needs to move the front leg back a bit to make him stand square because the way that picture is taken it makes him look like there is something seriously wrong with his front pastern. His rear legs also look as if they are slightly cow-hocked so you need to have him straightened out a bit all over.

However, in my opinion, the angle of the shot is perfect - just slightly in front of him so that all 4 legs are on display.

If he is broken to ride then a nice photo of an uncluttered arena and him trotting in it is always a nice thing to see. I'm not keen on jumping shots as I said, however there are plenty of stallions who do have jumping shots although their shots are generally less busy than your ones.

You are trying to have the potential customers focus on the horse not all the things going on around the horse, so to show him to his fullness you need to spend time getting all these things, which may seem incidental, right.

*edited to say* One other major thing - make sure the sun is shining on him! Don't have any shadows because that really looks naff and you can't see him properly.

 

[htobago]

I tend to send breeders quite a few photos of my Arab stallion when they enquire about him - a head shot, a conformation shot, a couple of 'action' pics, etc. Along with info about his show record, breeding, character, etc. He's only 3 and this is his first season, so there are no progeny to show people yet, but as soon as he has some foals on the ground next year I will include photos of them as well.

The pics I have are not perfect, and he's more beautiful in real life, but most of the breeders who are using him have seen him at shows - I think it's quite important to get your stallion out there in the show ring: then if he's good he will 'sell himself'! My boy is proving very popular, even though it's only his first season, partly because of his bloodlines, but mainly because people have seen him winning championships etc. at shows and admired him.

Here are a couple of the pics I send out:

 

[Tia]

I love your head shot, but I would never use the second photo...what IS that in the background?? It looks like a train LOL!! I spent more time trying to figure out what it was rather than looking at your beautiful horse

.

 

[Dotilas]

Your arab is lovely htobago!

Tia, the first picture is his son

This is him, sorry for the poor quality but I don't have the original and I have cropped this off a dodgy scan of his stud card I took off my friend's car window

My friend and I are not very keen on the picture at all, not sure why, but it's got to do for the moment untill the flower beds come out and we can stand him by them

If we were to say that he was ideal for breeding riding/show ponies, show/working hunter ponies or event ponies would you expect to see a photograph of his jumping style?

 

[Chambon]

I like to see all the details - age, height, colour, bone, breeding, registration/s and whether graded and with who. Then some good pictures of the horse stood up and moving/jumping. Progeny shots are a bonus but not essential for a stud card, but I would want to see the progeny before I choose a stallion.

Often it's the little details that get forgotton, like height and colour (which isn't always obvious from a photograph!).

Also, important to put stud fee, whether AI available (fresh/chilled/frozen), terms (NFNF/NFFR etc) and the location where the stallion is standing.

 

[htobago]

[ QUOTE ]
I love your head shot, but I would never use the second photo...what IS that in the background?? It looks like a train LOL!! I spent more time trying to figure out what it was rather than looking at your beautiful horse

.

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks! Sorry - second photo was taken at the AHS National Championship Show at Malvern; not a great background, I agree

, but many Araby people recognise it! And I always say where it was taken. I should have said here that both photos are of Tobago as a 2yo last year, and that I will be getting some new ones done this year.

These pics must be reasonably OK, though, I think, because we have a lot of super mares booked to him! But then as I said most of the breeders had seen him at shows. One told me she'd been waiting to use him ever since she saw him as a yearling!

Here's another pic, just for fun, also taken last year:

 

[Tia]

That's a lovely photo! Truly captures his spirit. He's a beautiful horse so I'm not surprised he is pretty booked up.

 

[Tia]

If he is being used as a jumping stallion then perhaps a jumping shot would not be out of order but try to get an uncluttered one so that the whole action of the horse is on view.

Chambon has picked up on the regular things that often people miss out for some reason or another. Perhaps they get so hung up on other things that they forget about the really important things like size, pedigree etc.

 

[amandaco2]

a really clear confo shot against plain background and a few of him at his peak in his sphere.
maybe one of his sire and progeny plus abit of blurb about them too
abviously all stuff like height, lines, achievements, gradings etc written on too.