Well that’s a pic alright. And I have to say I don’t feel that “some ugly” may be necessary. We are not performing life saving heart surgery. There is really very little excuse for ‘ugly’ other than one driven by market place necessity. As in, people want ribbons and professionals need ribbons to get paid. None of this is “necessary” for learning or progressing. It is overly harsh technique brought on by lack of education and greed.
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Actually I think that’s an illusion. The horse is wearing a rope halter with a lead rope, the lead rope is tied to the saddle horn. The tail end of the halter crown is flapping near the forelegs, but it is loose and not attached. The straps through the back rings are not tied to anything either; they are just “bedroll” latigo straps for tying trail gear, rain slicker, etc to the cantle. Those straps are long and flappy on this saddle, so the handler tucked them into the rings to be out of the way.
Not defending whatever is going on in the photo, but it is less ridiculously cruel than it first appears.
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Epona did not set up the cameras. That was the Gothenburg organizers.
That’s kind of what I thought too, I think the photo timing makes it look worse than it is. I did see two straps attached to the cinch — any idea what that is? Or is it another optical illusion?
I’m not a fan of the saddle-and-bronc mentality that is popular in some western crowds. It’s anyone’s guess if that’s what’s happening here or if the horse is already “bagged out” and is just feeling good.
In my own babies I prefer to introduce tack gradually so that they never have a stressful moment like what the image looks like — if they bronc in a panicked way, i take it as a sign I went too fast and they’re distressed.
Everyone has different methods. Many ways to skin a cat and I don’t think any one way to start a horse is the only way. Sometimes you have to try different things for different personalities. I’ve started horses who seemed broke from day one and I’ve started horses that needed careful, tactful introduction - no one size fits all.
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A valid point, however if he had already been “bagged out” and is just felling good, I believe he wouldn’t be wearing half of what he has on.
It might just be a keeper for the back cinch.
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Which part? The saddle? The rope halter?
I think your eyes are playing tricks on you. He isn’t tied to the saddle with anything other than the lead. What you’re seeing is the length of the rope halter top, which is kind of flying backward (understandably), and the front cinch and back cinch connected.
Again, the goal is not to have a horse bronc like that, but some do. Even in dressage land.
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To go back to the original topic. I do think these things are worth discussing seriously within our sport (and I mean as a collective equestrian world). The perception outside our walls is that we’re elitist and cruel (in the dressage and hunter/jumper world) or just cruel (saddleseat and western) or vain (the rest of the show horse world).
So it’s worth a true examination (if we want to keep our sports) and excoriation of those we DO think are cruel, practices we will tolerate and practices that we won’t. But that does require a lot of rational thinking and non-emotional discourse.
This is difficult, but I do believe it to be an imperative if we are to keep horses in our lives going forward.
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I think there is a dichotomy in there somewhere.
Some of the WORST horsemanship I’ve ever seen has come out of the people who only trail ride/hobby ride. Saddles that don’t fit, equipment put on wrong, rider with garbage position, etc.
The elite show world is rife with sketchy stuff too.
Somewhere in the middle is the model we should aspire to be.
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Sorry - I was speaking of people who are non-horsey, not the trail-rider onlies.
I also see a lot of that too! 
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I think you’re right and the shadows are making things appear distorted. Thanks!!
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I concluded the same after looking at the picture carefully.
