So the other night, an episode of HBO’s sitcom ‘Silicon Valley’ included real footage of two horses having sex.

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In the scene, characters Richard Hendricks (Thomas Middleditch) and Jack Barker (Stephen Tobolowsky) attempt to have a serious conversation about the future of a startup business. However, they have trouble concentrating, as there are two horses in front of them going at it. It’s obviously quite shocking – there are even fluids involved – and creator Mike Judge describes it as, “horse porn.”

Not surprisingly animal rights organisation PETA did not see the funny side at all. In fact, they reckon it promotes horse rape. Is horse rape even a thing amongst themselves? Even though the American Humane Association were present at the California breeding farm where it was filmed, and the episode included a “No Animals Were Harmed” certificate, PETA said that the practice of thoroughbred mating is, “arranged rape.”

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Lisa Lange, PETA spokesperson, said:

It may seem fun, but the mares are tethered during the process with no means of escape and the stallions are put on a lead rope and dragged to the mares to be mounted. Neither the stallions or the mares have any choice, it’s assembly line breeding for profit.

There’s an overpopulation crisis in racing as most horses will not win races, and are therefore discarded and sent on hideous journeys by truck in all weather to Mexico or Canada to be turned into meat.

Woh. Well when you put it like that, it does sound pretty brutal. Not sure that it promotes rape as such but from that perspective, it sounds pretty violent and forced. However, Mike Stubis from the American Humane Association said that the whole thing was filmed:

Naturally, documentary style, on an actual horse breeding farm with no interference with the animals in any way by production. Breeding professionals were on hand to make sure everything went smoothly.

Hmmm. I get what they’re saying about the overpopulation crisis in racing, but it seems like PETA might have exaggerated the whole rape thing. After all, we do know that they love to make OTT assumptions like saying how eating chicken will make your child have a small dick or Pokemon should be stopped because it promotes virtual animal cruelty. Too much guys.