2 Questions Western Pleasure and Martingale

Question
1) I have a passion for horses! I think they are one of the mose magnificent creatures on this earth, so I get very angry when I see these animals being abused!
I have observerd horses in the feild in thier natural state and under saddle and the only times I have ever seen a horse with his neck straight out from his body is when he is asleep, sick and/or hurt or depressed. I have been told by trainers that this is the goal of the of "Western Pleasure" discipline.
Q) Why would anyone want to train a horse to preform and in such an unnatural position. When a horse is happy aand proud, his head is high his neck is bowed his ears up and his eyes bright. I have seen horses that a champians in western pleasure that look ill, thier eyes look like they are crying. It seems to me that the pleasure is for the rider, not the horse. I have been told by veterinarians that this is harmfull to the horse if the position is prolonged. Why are the veterinarians putting a stop to this abuse?
I truely love the western looks, the saddles and all of it! But if it means harming the horse I will speak out against this cruelty until it stops!
2) I know a martingale is used to steady a horses head or to check the upward movment of the head! I have seen martingales used in many rodeo speed events like "Barrel Racing" and "Calf Roping"! This peace of equipment as I understand it, is used to correct a problem in the way the horse carries his head. I seems to me that there are a lot of horses that have a problem in this area or there are a lot of people that are not taking the time to train the horse properly so he dose not have to have this restriction on all the time.
Q) Is there another reason for the extensive use of the martingale, or is this another form of abuse and more evidence of POOR training on the part of "Western Riders".
I have never seen a martingale used in performance in any of the "English / Dressage" events.
Please understand, I am not against "Western" events! If fact, I think the "Western" Gear/Outfits are the most stunnng and a Great part of our heritage! But as it is a part of our heritage I believe it is our responsibility to make sure we are doing everything in our power to present ourselves in the best possible light. For then and only then will the our heritage of "Western" events carrie over to Europe and the rest of the world.

Thank You for your time and I hope you respond to this email. Sincerly,
Daniel  

Answer
-well that was quite the e-mail.  It seems to me that you ARE bashing western riding...just from what I read.  In fact horses naturally carry their heads low...it is when they are most relaxed, as you stated, "when he is asleep", that their heads hang low.  If you are not a western instructor, and from what I gather you are not, then you wouldn't know that western riders "teach" their horses that it is ok to carry their heads in a low position.  Western horses develop muscles in their necks which allow them to carry their heads this way.  They NATURALLY want to carry their heads low...it makes it easier for them to work.  If you hadn't noticed, most, and I don't mean ALL, English horses' heads are "held" in the high, upright position.  Many horses never learn to hold their heads high on their own because it is not comfortable.  They want to hold it low, naturally.
-In response to your second question, the martingale is not used as a form of "abuse" if you will.  In fact it helps the rider as well as the horse.  If a rider has unsteady hands, the martingale gives a slight, constant pressure on the reins, so that a rider's unsteadiness won't bother the horse's mouth.
-I would however like to know what kind of vets would tell you that this western pleasure stuff is a form of abuse.  If you hadn't noticed, and you definitly haven't, western riders ride with very long reins.  They barely have to touch the bit in order to make the horses move.  If horses didn't want to do something, including holding their heads low, then they wouldn't.  Considering how long the reins are and how much control the riders still have with their horses, it would seem as thought the horses would "prefer" to hold their heads this way.  Maybe you should have asked more "vets" or professional western trainers about these inquiries before you blab biased media on the internet.  And just a final point, if you loved dogs, cats, birds, or any kind of animal, then why would you do anything to cause them harm?  They are obviously an important part our lives, I mean, why would horse people abuse horses?