A Guide to VideoTaping Ponies For Sale or Stud
by Karen A. Fildes, Caer Avallach Farm

In many ways, selling ponies and standing stallions today has been made easier by the advent of the Internet and the ability of people to search far beyond their home area for the perfect match. It is important to remember, however, that anyone searching will most likely want to receive a video and photos of your pony prior to driving a great distance or even flying to see your pony in person. In many cases ponies have been bought from good quality video alone, and therefore the video has become a central piece to marketing ponies successfully.

Preparation is Key
The video you are assembling will be the customer's first impression of both the pony that you have for sale or stud and you as the person or farm who is marketing it. There is no use taking the time to film your pony if he is not well groomed or in ill health. Take the time necessary to bathe, clip and present your pony in the manner in which he will be used. If this is an A quality hunter pony, for example, the pony should be well groomed with a pulled mane and presented in a clean, well-fitting bridle. Think of the video in the same light as you do show preparation and it will go a long way in your presentation.Clearly a foal or prospect may not need the same level of preparation, but they should still be presented in the best possible condition and in good weight.

Barb Young, of Rainbow Farm Unltd. in Montrose, CO, suggests getting together with another pony friend who also needs to video and/or photograph sales ponies. "A friend and I do this a couple of times a year - especially with the youngsters who change so fast. We bathe, clip and braid, and the do photos and videos."

Make sure you have good video equipment and plenty of video tape - tripods often help keep the camera steady during those all important conformation shots. Have some helpers on hand and have a clean area in which to film. Select an area for conformation shots that has a pleasant but non-distracting background. You can even add an "extra touch" by throwing down some bark mulch or shavings on the ground to present a clean foooting area and to level off the ground.

Make certain that where you set up the camera for the working parts of the tape has a good, clear view of the pony and use your zoom. Nothing is more frustrating then squinting to see a far-away pony on a tape, or trying to see his movement through fencing, or watching a picture that jiggles and bounces around because the camera wasn't held still.

What to Include
One of the questions many people ask is what should be included on a good quality video. The answer really depends on what it is you are presenting to the customer. If you are selling a foal or weanling, you will present something very different from that of a seasoned show pony, and your tape will likely be much shorter.

As a general guideline, all tapes should include the pony standing up for conformation without wearing any saddle with short (less than a minute) clips from both sides, as well as directly from the front and directly from the back. Remember that the purpose of these angles is to judge the pony's conformation from all sides so make sure the handler is not standing in the way. Also make sure that the pony is standing on flat ground, so as to not look uphill or downhill.

Next have the pony led directly away from the camera at a walk and then directly toward the camera at a walk. A straight line is very important here. Repeat at the trot. This serves the purpose of showing the buyer how correctly the pony moves - does s/he exhibit any winging, interference or other faults?

If you are presenting a young pony that does not yet know how to lunge or a stallion, the next step will be to show the pony loose in a confined area like an arena or round pen. To do this successfully, get some helpers spread across the ring that can help keep the pony moving, in a relaxed fashion without chasing him. Try to show the pony at a working trot for a few times around the ring and then at a canter. This segment does not need to be very long as the customer will be able to judge movement in just a few minutes. Don't bore the viewer with 15 minutes of trotting circles!

Ponies that will be expected to jump (i.e. hunter or event prospects and stallions) should be free-jumped in the video if possible. Set up a jumping shoot along the wall or fence side of the arena that includes a small jump or ground pole to a bigger fence and again have plenty of helpers off camera to keep the pony moving. This will allow buyers to see the "natural" jumping ability of your pony, without the aid of the rider helping out. Film the pony going through the shoot a number of times and get enough footage to include 4 good passes on the final tape.

Showing the pony lunging or ground driving can also be very helpful for prospective buyers, but keep the segments short. Again seeing the pony go around just a few times lets them see what they need to about his or her movement and way of going.

The Under Saddle Segment
Under saddle work is key for those ponies that are being sold as riding ponies. Even if just green broke it is important to show what they know. Ponies being marketed as children's mounts should be presented with children as their riders - the exception being if the pony is very green or a stallion and being worked with only by a professional. Ponies will act differently for adults than they will for children, and it is important to present them accurately in that regard. Customers will often become suspicious if they see the pony being ridden by a trainer, rather than a child, and will assume that there is a reason why. Head off any concerns by putting a child on to start. If you don't have any children at hand, contact your local riding club or stable and ask if anyone might be interested in catch riding for your videotaping. Believe it or not many riders love the idea of being the "little professional" for clients. Note, too, that anyone riding a pony for a video should be wearing an approved helmet.

Your pony's discipline or specialty will determine what will actually be presented as the under saddle portion of your tape. If you have a dressage pony, film him or her completing one of the tests. For a hunter, show a segment on the flat and one or two courses. For an event pony you may want to show a cross-country segment as well. Again, keep the segments short! You do not need endless times around the ring at a trot. Do show the pony clearly going in both directions and changing leads in both directions, if presented as knowing how to do so.

If you are presenting a stallion on your tape, it is very important to show some of his offspring if he has any on the ground, as well as their dams. This is the only way to know what qualities he is passing on to his foals, and how he improves on mares.

Assembling the Final Tape
After you have taken the time to film, the next step is to edit the tape together to create a finished product. Keep your individual segments short but clear, with the final tape being no longer than 15 minutes per pony. Youngsters who are not presented under saddle should be even less. It is perfectly acceptable to make one tape that shows all of your sales ponies, but each pony should be clearly indicated so that the buyer can easily tell where one pony starts and another ends. If you have three gray larges, it can be difficult to tell them apart if the video runs one segment right into the next. Using title screens or other editing extras can help with this issue, as well as a clear, typed index of the video contents.

Having a music track that plays over the tape can make the tapes more interesting as well. If you opt to include music, try to choose something that works with what the pony is doing in the tape.

Video Tape Etiquette
It is best to have videos taped, copied and ready to send out before you advertise your sale pony or stallions. How you decide who gets tapes and who doesn't is completely dependent upon your business practices, but if you promise to send a tape, do so in a timely manner or else the customer may loose interest.

The subject of returning tapes can be a sore one. The truth is that most buyers do not return tapes, so consider it a cost of sales when you send one out. Your best bet is to buy inexpensive tapes and just expect them to not be returned. Some farms charge a fee to send a tape, but this may also cause buyers to not bother to request one. Most importantly, never send a tape that is the only copy of your footage in case you do not get it back!

Videos and quality photographs can be a wonderful way of professionally marketing your sales ponies and stallions. Take the time to put the necessary preparation into making a professional looking tape, and it will pay off in the end. Remember that every tape you send out is a reflection you and you ponies!