1/1600, f5.6, 330mm, iso400 seems like good choices for this shot. The action is captured well. You captured their faces in a difficult shot (fast motion).
Suggestions -
blur the power lines and buildings behind in photoshop - it does not fit era
more saturation in grass
try to bring more details out of the black horse on left
Cloning some more space on left (or if reshooting giving more space to run in to would improve)
I agree with Scott completely.
Looks like a fun event and shot, but the modern background has to go. A bit of shadow recovery is needed. I'm not sure you can really do much with the grass.
Composition would work well with BW with toning, including, of course, sepia.
I love the horses in the shot, I think you captured them well. My concern is for the guy over on the left. I think he's going to get shot. His buddy in the middle looks like he's going to take him out, then take a tumble himself. The horses for those two being completely off the ground looks great, though.
If you're planning on doing any more to it, I agree with everyone here that removing the poles would help your shot, maybe re-looking at the crop you have and taking away some of the top and bottom, but adding back to the sides a little. I think cropping everything above the top of that brush line would help bring balance, so that the color looks more uniform. Your focus is on them instead of the horses, so my eye goes right to their faces, but right now their not really a strong center of focus to me. The grass and the poles pulls me as a distraction when I look at it. It's got drama and interest, though.
Ty,
Looked at it a bit more. Ideally you'd have less on top, more on the sides, as photomoto said. I do think a conversion to BW/toned would help quite a bit. And you might add some noise/digital grain and vignetting as well. Apart from the crop and shadow recovery, the problem is that you have a vibrant, sharp, colorful capture, with guys who even have clean, barely wrinkled/worn jeans. So you've got to work away from a clear, sharp modern capture to a period-style match of the subject. Definitely worth working on.
Happy to post a conversion if you'd like.
Scott G
This is something completely beyond your control but their clothes are too clean. If this is a picture to show these guys doing what they do, it's fine ( the suggestions above are good ones). If it's supposed to capture the way it was "back then" I believe all the equipment would need to be roughed up some. The suggestion to render it in monotone might present a way to overcome the issue, though.
