ID Photo Submission Guidelines

Identification (ID) Photo Submission Guidelines

Identifying individual horses is at the core of Onaqui Catalogue’s mission. We strive to create an up-to-date, comprehensive catalogue, which means we collect photographs throughout each horse’s life. Through the hard work of our community (people like you!), we maintain a database of thousands of images which we distribute to the public through our catalogue.

ID Photo Submission Form

Taking Photos Safely

Your safety is the top priority, and it’s also important to ensure that your presence does not disrupt a horse’s natural behaviors. Please take photographs from a distance of at least 100 feet to minimize disturbance. (This is the length of ~1.5 semi trucks).

If the horses become agitated or change their behavior due to your presence, increase your distance until their behavior returns to a neutral state. Signs horses are being affected include horses approaching you, lifting their heads, gathering in a tighter group, or moving away.

Taking ID Photos

Identification photos capture unique, visible characteristics of a horse. Two common attributes among all horses are their hair whorls and white markings. Below are guidelines for how and when to take ID photos. The perfect photo will not be achievable every time, so just try to hit a few of the points.

Face Photos

  • Horse is looking directly at the photographer
  • The horse’s forehead whorl is visible and in focus
  • The horse’s forelock is not covering markings
  • The horse’s ears are forward

Profile Photos

  • The horse is directly in profile, not facing or angled towards the photographer
  • All four legs of the horse are in view
  • Legs are not obscured by grass/rocks/other horses

What Photos are Needed

Horses’ coats undergo seasonal changes and they may also alter as the horses age. We therefore need to continually update a horse’s photos. If you see a horse that looks like it needs an update, we sincerely appreciate any photos you can send! As you scroll the catalogue, keep an eye out for the photo icon which indicates we know we need an updated photo for that horse.

Each Horse’s Suite of ID Photos Contains:

  • 1 face or front-on photo
  • 1 photo of the left side
  • 1 photo of the right side
  • Profile photos ideally include one summer photo and one winter photo

Ages ID Photos are Taken