Who Are the Meat Men?

Sounds like some sketchy-ass cult from a second-rate slasher flick, and, honestly, this recent segment on HBO about these shadowy figures in the horse racing industry kinda reinforces that impression. My favorite part in the video is the dude at the beginning of the second segment who’s all, “Yeah, I sold my horse to The Meat Men, but I didn’t ask where the horse was going, ‘cuz I didn’t want to know.” I imagine he’s the sort of guy who would hand his kids over to a babysitting service called The Black Market Organ Dealers, and then be all surprised when they came back without any kidneys. Check the two parts of the segment out here and here, then let me know what you think—it’s pretty well-known that the horse racing industry and the horse slaughter industry are more or less BFFs, but this footage really drives the point home in a powerful and (fair warning) pretty disturbing way. While we’re on the topic of horse racing, a bit of house cleaning: First, and most importantly, my colleague Jeff Kerr is giving a press conference in Louisville this morning to renew PETA’s call for a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding Eight Belles’ death, following the admission by Eight Belles’ trainer that the filly was given a powerful anti-inflammatory drug just hours before her catastrophic breakdown. More on that as it develops. Secondly, since we’re talking about breakdowns, here’s a list of all the thoroughbred deaths that have taken place since the Eight Belles incident on May 3. More than a dozen so far, and counting. And finally, here’s The New York Times on the widespread use of steroids in the horse racing business. So there you have it, Meat Men, high on-track death rates, and widespread steroid abuse. Classy stuff, horse racing industry. You guys are real winners. –JackPosted by Jack Shepherd, Marketing Coordinator