VideoThere’s not much Amy Dragoo won’t do to get the perfect horse-and-rider shot. Over the 24 years she’s been shooting the Kentucky Three-Day Event, the equestrian photographer has endured blinding heat, thunderstorms, mud, snow and tornadoes to capture her award-winning images.
One year while shooting at the Head of the Lake during a downpour, she camped out in a Porta Potty while waiting for riders to tackle a tricky water combination. “I remember Bruce Davidson finally coming through and riding it like it was an equitation class,” Dragoo laughed, with her infectious giggle.
Another year at Kentucky, she got stuck in the mud at a creek crossing trying to get a low shot of William Fox Pit over a ditch. “Some very nice people came and took my cameras and helped pull me out,” Dragoo recalled. “When I got back the media center, I had to hold the back of a toilet while they pulled my boots off because they were stuck to my feet.”
Whether she’s shooting “The Best Weekend All Year” at Kentucky, the FEI World Cup™ Finals or a small schooling show, Dragoo meticulously scouts out the site’s field of play, course design or dressage arena and potential backgrounds in order to choreograph her sequence of shots. This allows her to strategically capture an action shot and then pivot to also snap emotional post-ride reactions.
In addition to the razor-sharp focus, creative angles and stunning backgrounds that define her imagery, you’ll notice that each one of Dragoo’s shots tells a unique story with artistic framing, an emotional horse-and-rider moment or the myriad of aesthetic or germane details she’s worked into the backgrounds and foregrounds.
As we kick off our live coverage of the 2026 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, we wanted to introduce you to our intrepid photographer, who’s been shooting for Practical Horseman more than 30 years. While we can’t give away all her secrets, Dragoo kindly shares some of her pro tips to help you shoot your best photos at Kentucky or any equestrian competition.
The Failed Biology Major Finds Her Artistic Eye
Fortunately for the equestrian community, Dragoo’s photography career was born after she failed organic chemistry at West Chester University in southeastern Pennsylvania. “I like to say I got my start because I was a failed biology major. The same semester I was failing organic chemistry, I happened to be taking photography as an art credit,” she said. “It just clicked with me and went from there.”
To viewers, Dragoo’s creative eye is evident, but the ever-humble artist says it come downs to lots of practice and hard work in the field. “My inspiration is constantly a work in progress. I take away fresh ideas from every event I cover,” she said. “When I first started shooting equestrian events, I didn’t look at other photographers’ work because I didn’t want to copy them. Now, I’m comfortable enough in myself to find inspiration in others’ work.”
In addition to her work as an equestrian photographer, Dragoo, who lives in Coatesville, Pennsylvania—just down the road from Boyd and Silva Martin’s Windurra Farm and Phillip Dutton’s True Prospect Farm—also spent 20 years shooting for newspapers where she covered a variety of sports almost daily.
“So, I’ve always followed photographers from different sports for inspiration, too,” she said. “I come to shooting equestrian sports from a journalistic perspective, but I also know what a ‘correct horse’ image looks like as far as form.”
Tackling an Event Like the Kentucky Three-Day Event
When shooting dressage in Kentucky Horse Park’s massive Rolex Stadium, Dragoo chooses her vantage points largely based on the test and arena layout. There are usually three designated media areas in the arena with one pen facing the grandstands to provide dynamic backgrounds with the crowd. “For dressage, the test typically calls for a lengthening of stride across the diagonal and another lengthening in the corner of the ring by the VIP tent so that gives you two nice views,” she noted.
The media also has an area under the tower that offer shots of riders coming up the ramp as well as views down toward the judges and centerline. “For dressage, I always plan for the particular movements I want to capture. When I’m shooting all or most of the riders, like I often do for Practical Horseman, I always vary up my frames and angles,” Dragoo explained. “I don’t want to provide photos of everyone doing the same movement in the same test, so I shoot verticals and horizontals of different movements from different vantage points.”
Dragoo follows a similar tactic when shooting stadium jumping and often positions herself where she can snap the riders’ final fence and gallop through the finish timers. “That’s where you can anticipate an emotional reaction as well as cheers from the crowd,” she said.
Tackling cross-country day from a photographer’s point of view is a whole different ball game. In addition to shooting for Practical Horseman at Kentucky this year, Dragoo will also be serving as the event’s photo manager and official photographer. As photo manager, she has access to a golf cart, so she can maneuver around the massive 4-mile course to shoot different fences and combinations from a variety of vantage points. Most of the media and spectators, however, are on foot, so Dragoo recommends studying the course beforehand to determine which fences would make the most interesting shots.
“You need to come up with your plan of attack for cross country in advance. Do you start at the farthest fence and work your way back? Or do you start at the Head of the Lake? Think about places on the track where you can capture multiple fences,” Dragoo advised. “You also have to plan for pedestrian traffic and road crossings for areas where you can’t go through the ropes when a horse is on track nearby. More than once, I’ve put myself in a spot where I had to turn around because I couldn’t get across. So, walking the course and planning your shots is a key part of the process.”
Tips for Capturing Your Best Shots at Kentucky
Despite her experience shooting at Kentucky, Dragoo notes that she always learns something at the eventing world’s favorite U.S. competition. Here, she shares some of her top tried-and-true tips to help you snap your best Kentucky Three-Day photos.
Tell a story: When trying to capture quality shots at Kentucky, Dragoo advises using the best camera you have—these days even cell phones can snap quality images—and taking advantage of the park’s plethora of scenic backgrounds. “Kentucky is lovely because there are so many options,” she said.
On cross country, for example, Dragoo suggests using the large crowds to find an artistic frame. If you’re shooting a horse and rider across the field, she recommends experimenting with different focal points such as placing the horse and rider in a small portion of the frame to create a sea of people in the foreground.
“Then, it suddenly becomes interesting. It tells a story. That’s what I always try to do as a photographer—tell a story. I want to document the experience, so it’s not just a pretty horse jumping a fence, but it gives viewers the experience of actually being a theater player,” Dragoo said. “It’s all about the reactions—the kiss-and-cry moments and the fans in the stands who catch my eye. It’s the journalist in me.”
Get close and keep shooting: Whether you’re trying to shoot dressage, cross country or stadium jumping, Dragoo suggests getting as close as you can to the action, especially if you don’t have telephoto lens, and to just keeping shooting without always envisioning the perfect frame beforehand.
“So much of what I capture is unplanned and happens when I’m lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. I set up and plan for certain shots, but a lot of it is off the cuff,” she noted. “Personally, I like to have some sort of eye connection with the horse or rider or both for the intensity of it. That’s my general approach, but it doesn’t apply to everything. I want variety, too.”
Plan for lighting: Dragoo also notes that you’ll have to contend with different lighting situations, because the sun will either be behind or in front of the course depending on whether you’re shooting the four star in the morning or the five star during the second half of the day.
“If the sun is directly behind a fence, you’ll have to manually expose for it. This is done all the time but is harder for amateurs to master,” she said. “If possible, move to a different location where the sun is behind you. If you can’t, try to get something creative. It’s Kentucky—you’ll have to wait another year to shoot again—so you might as well try everything.”
Bites of the apple: To boost your chances of getting quality images, Dragoo suggests shooting combinations. “Shooting bursts at combinations gives you more bites at the apple. I suggest starting with a wider frame for the first part of the combination and then allow it to get tighter as they travel toward you,” she advised. “This is a great and easy way to also get variety in your shots.”
Pay attention to perspective and background: Finding a unique perspective, Dragoo notes, can also help you create an eye-catching photo. “Shoot from a seated position instead of standing or from the side versus straight on,” she suggested. “Standing next to a ditch jump instead of above it, for instance, gives you a cool shot because you’re seeing it from a lower perspective.”
It’s equally important to consider your backgrounds. “It’s amazing how often a Porta Potty or a vendor with a loud banner can sneak into your frame. One year at the Head of the Lake, there was a vendor behind the drop jump with a huge sign for ‘Ice Cold Beer’ in bright yellow and red,” Dragoo said. “It unfortunately drew your eye away from anyone in the foreground and made the shots kind of distracting.”
Follow the media: When trying to determine where to stand to get the best shots, Dragoo, who as photo manager builds and selects sites for the media photographer pens, suggests scanning the crowds for the pros (they can easily be identified by their blue-and-white media vests).
“You can’t stand in the media pens, but that will give you an idea of where some good vantage points are. I also plan the pens for a variety of lens’ length because not everyone, including the media, has a giant telephoto lens,” she said. “Some of the professional photographers find their own spots, so if it’s really crowded near the media pens, look around to see where they’re shooting from.”
Consider your ‘style’: Before heading out to the Kentucky Horse Park this year, Dragoo suggests looking at a variety of professional shots to determine what you like or don’t like about them. “What draws you to the images you like? What angle were they taken at? Did it have a shallow or deep depth of field? What was the lighting like? When you’re on site, just look around to see what the professionals are doing,” she said. “And if it’s quiet, you could probably even talk to us or ask questions. I promise—we’re not too scary!”
For More
To check out more of our coverage from the 2026 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, click here.
Thanks to Dechra for our coverage of the 2026 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event. It includes lead-up events, rider interviews, competition reports, horse spotlights, photos, videos and more.