A relative of a friend of a friend was taking photographs at a horse show recently when she was informed by a representative of event management that photography by spectators was prohibited. It apparently didn’t matter that the only rider being photographed was a relative, or that the photographs weren’t going to be sold to anyone. Instead, the issue was the official photographer’s “right” to be the only person allowed to photograph the competition.

I haven’t done any horse show photography for decades and my interest now centers on copyright and the legalÑand illegalÑuses of images made by someone else. Back in the day, though, paternal horse show managers out to zealously protect my ability to make money with my photography were non-existent.

To get a better idea of how much the equine photography game has changed since I last stepped into a show ring with a camera, I contacted Carien Schippers. Carien is the founder of Equine Photographers Network (EPN), a comprehensive online resource for horse photographers. She had a lot to say