Part 1 - Moments in time

What the eye can't see; equestrian photo controversy through the ages Why do fans of horse sport find it so difficult to believe their eyes when they see photographs of ugly riding? The usual explanation is that you can't make up your mind based on "a single moment in time". But fine art photographer and lifelong horseman, Crispin Parelius Johannesen, offers a different perspective: Perhaps equestrian fans believe too much in moments in time. Perhaps the strict policing of the moments in time published in the popular, equestrian press has given people the wrong idea about what riding really looks like. In this feature, Crispin Johannessen takes us through a short history of equestrian photography and moment-in-time controversy. From Edweard Muybridge to the present horse welfare debate. Copyright Epona.tv - all rights reserved.

Part 2: Why social media is killing horse sport

Sometimes your horse needs "more motivation than what is beautiful" "Sometimes your horse needs more motivation than what is beautiful" - the quote is from an article in Sweden's premier equestrian newspaper from 2016. In the aftermath of ugly warm up photos from Falsterbo Horse Show causing a scandal on social media, the publication sought to calm its readers by reminding them that riding isn't always beautiful. To photographer Crispin Parelius Johannessen, this quote sums up the problem faced by equestrian sport. Riding is not always beautiful. In fact, it is usually ugly. And nowadays, every spectator carries in their pocket the power to expose it. Copyright Epona Media A/S - all rights reserved All photos and video courtesy of Crispin Parelius Johannessen.

Part 3: Dance of the FEI stewards

FEI stewards are on an impossible mission. They have to be of service to the riders but they also have the job of protecting the horses against abuse from those same riders. As scientific evidence has emerged that competition horses are suffering from excessively tight nosebands, a new and thankless job has been added to the list for the stewards. They now have to be seen to perform noseband checks on nosebands which we all know are too tight to pass. And the stewards have to do this without embarrassing the riders or - Heaven forbid - give out any yellow cards for abuse. In 2016, photographer Crispin Parelius Johannessen decided to document the elaborate theater that is the mandatory noseband check. Here is what he found. Photos and video from Falsterbo Horseshow 2016 courtesy of Crispin Parelius Johannessen Copyright Epona.tv - all rights reserved

Part 4: Farewell Falsterbo

At Epona.tv, we don't just know that we're not welcome at horse shows. We also know why. We know because years ago, show organisers, stewards and riders used to be honest enough to admit that they didn't want us to show the ugly images from the warm up. Eventually, they learned not to say that. It doesn't sound like a very good reason to prevent journalists from doing their jobs, and major media outlets were becoming interested by all the secrecy. So the sport invented a new reason: Broadcasting rights. The IOC tried it in 2012. The FEI European Dressage Championships tried it in 2013. In 2017, Falsterbo Horse Show decided to introduce a hasty photo ban when it became clear that Epona.tv was documenting what was happening in the warm up arena. Here's the story of how we managed to get thrown out by the police for simply showing the world what equestrian sport really looks like. All still images used in this video are courtesy of Crispin Parelius Johannessen. This feature was originally published on www.epona.tv in 2017 Copyright Epona Media A/S - all rights reserved