Welcome to our first annual Hoofbeats 2023 Equine Photo Contest
Mini Prize: Random drawing of a $25 gasoline card to be given away on April 26th, 2023, donated by a member of the Mercer County Chapter Pennsylvania Equine Council.
Do you admire the quiet beauty of a Horse, Donkey, or Mule? Love taking photos of them to share with family and friends?
This photo contest is a FUN raiser that will enable us to help with many improvements to our local trails, events and other projects which benefit horsemen in the tri-county area. You also could win one or more very nice prizes.
The contest is open to any photographer of any age anywhere in the world.
All photos must be the work of the photographer who ACTUALLY TOOK the photo and submitted in a digital format through this contest site.
You do not need to be a member of the Pennsylvania equine Council to enter, vote or donate as a sponsor We want everyone to have fun with this contest but please read the rules for your best shot at winning one of the prizes.
Prizes
One PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD
BY (POPULAR VOTE)- Deluxe 23" Champion Rosette
- 2024 Hoofbeats Wall Calendar
- $50 Visa gift card (donated by the Mercer County Chapter Pennsylvania Equine Council)
One Judges Choice Award
(Top photo
picked by the judges)
- Deluxe 23" Champion Rosette
- One 2024 Hoofbeats Wall Calendar
- $50 Visa gift card (donated by the Mercer County Chapter Pennsylvania Equine Council)
(Ten) Photo Finish Awards
in order of
Judged ranking
- Random drawings and mini contests for prizes to be awarded throughout the contest
- Winners will be notified by email.
Ribbons awarded in the 2021 contest:
- This Equine Photo Contest is open to anyone, any age, and anywhere worldwide.
- You must SIGN UP to enter your image.
- You will be prompted to sign in whenever you enter more photos, vote, or view the leaderboard.
- Enter a photo of anything you wish, but to have a chance at winning, or having your photo printed in the calendar, there must be at least part of a Horse, Pony, Mule, Zebra, or Donkey as the primary subject.
- Any offensive or indecent photo(s) or depicting an unsafe or abusive situation will be removed without refund.
- Enter as many photos as you wish, you will receive a prompt for the $5 entry fee for each entry.
- Title your photo without using your name. Remember the title so you can tell your family and friends to have a look. You may include the breed or a caption or leave the fields blank.
- You and your family and friends may vote for any photos they like at $5 for 5 votes.
- Even winning photos must be in good resolution of at least 300 dpi and be in landscape view to be included in the wall calendar.
- If your photo is a winner but resolution is too low to be enlarged for the wall calendar, we may possibly use it in the planner that we are working on for 2024.
- Photos must be in full color and minor editing is allowed. Straightening, brightness ,contrast, and other minor edits are acceptable. Heavy edits will be disqualified from winning a prize, but the photos may be used elsewhere.
- Photos containing people that can be recognized will be asked for a signed waiver and release before any prize is awarded.
- Places and monuments, famous restaurants,horses and brands etc. must have a similar release. Whenever possible, keep it simple.
- The judging panel will not see your personal information. A discrete watermark is permitted but will be covered for the judging so if it is large, or over your subject, it will remain covered and thus will not qualify as a winner.
- By submitting an entry, you are in fact declaring the work to be yours and that no copyright is infringing on our use of the photograph in print, social media posts, newsletters, or newspaper articles.
- We are not claiming exclusive rights to the photo but we retain our rights to use the photo indefinitely. We will NOT sell your photograph or give any company the right to use it except for the sponsors and donors to show on their newsletters or social pages and websites.
- DEADLINE for ENTRIES and VOTING is 11:00:00 PM (Eastern Time) on Monday, May 1, 2023.
- The Peoples choice will be posted at the end of the contest.
- Judging for all other prizes will be completed by a panel of five judges who are very qualified as horsemen and (or) photography professionals. They will not see names or addresses while they determine their choices.
- The Judges are all excluded from entering this contest.
- For helpful hints on photographing equines, please visit the article on our Facebook page at
- Mercer County Pennsylvania Equine Council . If you like what we do, please like and comment or share. Thank you for helping us make a difference for Pennsylvania Horsemen.
The overall goal of the PEC is to make it easier, more affordable, safer and more enjoyable to own equines and participate in equestrian sports in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Among the PEC's accomplishments:
- The PEC was instrumental in the passage of the Equine Activity Immunity Act 93 of 2005. This liability legislation creates a competitive insurance market and results in improved access to horses, fewer barriers for new people entering the world of horse sports, less risk and more peace of mind for horse owners and growth for the state's horse industry. Legislation introduced eleven years in a row died in committee ten times. The first hearing ever was held on HB 896 in October, 2003. Similar bills had passed in 44 states, and 66 members of the PA House of Representatives signed on as co-sponsors.
- The PEC has taken the lead in trails issues, working with land managers and training trail riders as well as other non-motorized trail users to "Leave No Trace" and in the process ensure that access to trails will continue for generations to come. Land managers across the state are welcoming horse owners as partners in the ongoing challenge to build and maintain a sustainable trails system.
- The PEC has trained numerous fire departments how to deal with the special situation of horses caught in a barn fire.
- The PEC has assisted Penn State with the Economic Impact Study which showed that the equine industry has a value to the state of $10 billion.
- The PEC gathered experts to educate horse owners on a variety of topics from nutrition to manure management at Pennsylvania Horse World Expo.
- The PEC has provided help, support and information to countless horse owners facing challenges of all kinds, from legal to employment.
To be effective, the PEC needs to hear from, garner support from and be able to communicate with all the state's horse owners. Pennsylvania ranks fourth in the United States in numbers of horses -- our numbers are large and impressive. If we work together, we can ensure a healthy industry with the infrastructure, laws and protection we need to make Pennsylvania a great place to own and ride horses for generations to come. We can't do it without your membership, support, ideas and participation.
Join the PEC now!The Mission of the Pennsylvania Equine Council
- To represent and promote the interests of the entire equine community and industry in Pennsylvania.
- To provide educational programs for the equine community and the general public that lead to more effective management, safety and opportunities for equestrian activities.
- To enhance communication among all equine enthusiasts.
- To protect and preserve the equine heritage in Pennsylvania.
Join the PEC now!