Image transcription for the visually impaired:
[ A pale horse rears upwards. It has a cream-colored mane and is outfitted in highly ornamented riding gear in black, orange, and green. The horse's head is flung back dramatically, it's mouth grimacing against the bit in it's mouth, it's dirty yellow teeth bared. The bottom half of the horse is obscured by a tight-pressed crowd of casually-dressed people, their hands reaching towards the panicking animal, creating a sunburst-like effect, or perhaps like the foam of a crashing wave. It's long mane flies wildly in the breeze as it emerges from the sea of people around it. The sun beats down harshly in the foreground and most people in the crowd are wearing short sleeves that reveal suntanned arms, sunglasses and hats can be spotted in the crowd, in the very front people seem oblivious to the panicking animal, creating a sense of unease about how the next few moments will unfold. In the background, the tightly-packed crowd is cast in deep shade, pressed against a dirty and mildewed stucco wall, creating a pleasing contrast to the brilliant white form of the horse but also creates a sense of claustrophobia because it is not immediately apparent where people would escape to if the situation is not handled correctly. Barely visible to one side is a formally-pressed man in a black suit with a traditional riding helmet, he does not seem panicked. You can also barely see that the ride on the horse's back has not fallen off, their foot is still in the stirrup, suggesting this is all a part of some elaborate show and no one is in actual danger after all. ]

It wasn't the way images uploaded, it was more that kbin's image previews absolutely skullfucked the aspect ratio of anything that wasn't roughly in a 3:4 aspect ratio, making a bunch of deeply touching photos look like goofy funhouse mirrors.
We were like, "Shit.... Is.... Is this on purpose? Are the people behind kbin some kind of weirdos who believe in 3:4 aspect ratio supremacy??" so we thought, "Eh..... Maybe we'd better make a Lemmy too, in case kbin doesn't figure their shit out".
Because, honestly? Our faith in humanity was at an all-time low and we were running out of time before people began leaving reddit for new platforms. Throw everything against the wall and see what sticks, right?