This really sounds like an accident to me. Anyone that's been riding for a few years has had a horse get away from them. You make a good point but the story doesn't seem to indicate the horse got away. Sounds to me more like a careless person leading the horse and letting the rope drag. (This is one of my pet peeves by the way because I see it so often. People hold the rope with one hand, let the rest drag. They do not foresee or don't know what will happen if the horse steps on that rope.)
Sounds to me more like a careless person leading the horse and letting the rope drag. This is what the crew was filming. A Wild Horse Race. Notice the long lead ropes.
Wild Horse Race – Teams of three men must catch, saddle and ride a wild horse wearing only a halter after it exits the starting chute. This is a race between approximately ten teams and horses differentiated by colored shirts and halters simultaneously released into the arena. Chaos ensues with men being drug about by horses, catching horses, saddling horses, riding horses and being bucked from horses.
