gordon elliot should be ****!!!! I dont think GE is an abuser of horses, and as to what he gets up to in his private life thats his business and should not affect racing. The story behind the photo may never be verified, and thats for GE to sort out.
I think theres a lot of stuff that happens in he world of emergency services which if made public would cause outrage. However these people are doing extremely difficult and harrowing jobs and providing they keep things private I think whatever way they find to cope with the stresses is acceptable. I'm not saying that GE's photo is acceptable but these people have to deal with death of horses on a regular basis and as such have to find ways of normalising it so they can keep going.
I think the ban is reasonable, not excessive, and a lesson has been learned for everyone in the industry.