Ernie Paragallo charged; SPCA takes over farm

[tector]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/09/sp...horses.html?hp

April 9, 2009
New York Takes Over Paragallo’s Horse Farm
By JOE DRAPE

The state police and the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/S.P.C.A. took over the farm of the prominent New York thoroughbred breeder and owner Ernie Paragallo on Wednesday, saying he had neglected horses under his care.

Multiple charges of animal cruelty are pending against Paragallo in Greene County; each count carries a punishment of up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

The police entered Paragallo’s Center Brook Farm in Climax, N.Y., at about 1:20 p.m. with two veterinarians, said neighbors and rescue workers. Veterinarians looked at about 40 horses, and all were in poor shape, said Ron Perez, president of the Humane Society/S.P.C.A. for Columbia and Greene Counties. Some horses were up to several hundred pounds underweight, he said.

“It’s really bad,” Perez said. “It’s the worst I’ve ever seen in a thoroughbred situation.”

The care and rehabilitation of the roughly 170 horses on the farm now falls to Perez’s group. “It’s going to cost us a fortune to get these horses back in shape,” he said.

Paragallo was not at the farm during the surprise raid and could not be reached for comment. Earlier this week, citing “a rough winter,” he said that some horses on his farm were underweight.

Perez said he did not know when the cruelty charges would be filed. “Our first priority is taking care of these horses,” he said.

Meanwhile Wednesday, Colleen Segarra, who removed two horses from the farm on Saturday and filed a police complaint about the dire condition of other horses on the farm, was on the way to a Cornell University veterinary center with one of the horses now in her care, a yearling colt.

“He is in very, very bad shape and may not make it past today,” said Segarra, a member of Equine Rescue Resource, which is caring for the yearling as well as his mother, who was also taken off the farm Saturday.

The New York State Racing and Wagering Board has also opened an investigation of Paragallo. On Tuesday the board issued a subpoena that will require Paragallo, a licensed authorized agent in New York who is associated with Paraneck Stable, to answer questions about the care of his horses.

Since 1996, Paragallo’s family-owned Paraneck Stable has been among the nation’s leading racing outfits, starting 4,686 runners who have earned $20.6 million in purses. He owns half of the stallion Unbridled’s Song, who commands a $125,000 stud fee in Kentucky.

In the past week, however, several individuals and rescue groups have shed light on the poor condition of horses under his care. Four malnourished and lice-infested horses were found last month in a New York kill pen, one step from a slaughterhouse.

The Jockey Club released a statement on Wednesday saying that it supported the investigations and that it would not recognize any of his Paragallo’s horses if he is found guilty of animal cruelty, which would effectively end his career as a thoroughbred owner and breeder.

[randallscott35]

Good. ****ing scumbag.

[tector]

PS:

I have always hated this mofo like a sickness, but this is even lower than I expected of him.

Hey it was a rough winter!! Aaaaayyy

[Antitrust32]

I hope at least he spends a couple minutes behind bars.

[SuffolkGirl]

"Furthermore, pursuant to Section V, Rule 19A (4) of the Principal Rules and Requirements of The American Stud Book, The Jockey Club reserves the right to deny any or all of the privileges of The American Stud Book to any person or entity when there is a final determination by a court, an official tribunal, or an official racing body that such person has killed, abandoned, mistreated, neglected, or abused, or otherwise committed an act of cruelty to a horse.

“The Jockey Club has invoked this rule in the past and will not hesitate to do so again when appropriate. The Jockey Club maintains a long-held conviction that owners are responsible and should be held accountable for the care, well-being, and humane treatment of their Thoroughbred horses.”

The above was from the Bloodhorse article. Listening to Joe Drape from the NY Times on ATTR he didn't sound confident that anything would really be done. My question is, what does the above excerpt mean? Since Paragallo is a part owner of Unbridled Song would this affect breeding to this horse while he is under the ownership of Paragallo?

[reese]

Originally Posted by SuffolkGirl

"Furthermore, pursuant to Section V, Rule 19A (4) of the Principal Rules and Requirements of The American Stud Book, The Jockey Club reserves the right to deny any or all of the privileges of The American Stud Book to any person or entity when there is a final determination by a court, an official tribunal, or an official racing body that such person has killed, abandoned, mistreated, neglected, or abused, or otherwise committed an act of cruelty to a horse.

“The Jockey Club has invoked this rule in the past and will not hesitate to do so again when appropriate. The Jockey Club maintains a long-held conviction that owners are responsible and should be held accountable for the care, well-being, and humane treatment of their Thoroughbred horses.”

The above was from the Bloodhorse article. Listening to Joe Drape from the NY Times on ATTR he didn't sound confident that anything would really be done. My question is, what does the above excerpt mean? Since Paragallo is a part owner of Unbridled Song would this affect breeding to this horse while he is under the ownership of Paragallo?

I heard him too. As he said, the action that can taken easily and immediately is for NYRA to deny stalls to Paragallo.

[parsixfarms]

Originally Posted by reese

I heard him too. As he said, the action that can taken easily and immediately is for NYRA to deny stalls to Paragallo.

Or deny him access to the entry box, especially with the cloud that hangs over the relationship between him and Paraneck Stable.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Coach Pants

Hey it was a rough winter!! Aaaaayyy

somehow i'm betting he never missed a meal.

where's his defender these days?

[letswastemoney]

Rough winter?? Where does all his Unbridled's Song money go?

[Merlinsky]

I think some folks are convinced nothing will ever be done on a serious level in these situations in terms of banning, Jockey Club actions, etc. but between Ernie and Mullins we have 2 guys caught red handed breaking the rules. In Paragallo's case it's particularly horrific. I happen to think the NTRA and NYRA to name a couple are particularly anxious to put some heads on pikes as examples--those guys just volunteered.

[paisjpq]

http://www.drf.com/news/article/102845.html

excellent related piece by Matt hegarty that I know he worked REALLY hard on.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by paisjpq

http://www.drf.com/news/article/102845.html

excellent related piece by Matt hegarty that I know he worked REALLY hard on.

really was a good read. there's no easy answer to the issue of what to do with all these horses-35k or so a year in foals. most horses live to 25 years old or higher. it would be nice if breeders and owners only took on what they could conceivably handle for life, but we all know that won't happen.

what i do know is no horse deserves to be neglected, mistreated, starved, or allowed to become infested with parasites. there is no excuse for what they found on that farm, especially when you consider that paragallo isn't exactly destitute.

i hope he is never allowed to own an animal of any kind ever again.

[prudery]

Originally Posted by Danzig

really was a good read. there's no easy answer to the issue of what to do with all these horses-35k or so a year in foals. most horses live to 25 years old or higher. it would be nice if breeders and owners only took on what they could conceivably handle for life, but we all know that won't happen.

what i do know is no horse deserves to be neglected, mistreated, starved, or allowed to become infested with parasites. there is no excuse for what they found on that farm, especially when you consider that paragallo isn't exactly destitute.

i hope he is never allowed to own an animal of any kind ever again.

Superb fair minded article, but to ask what to do with the alleged unwanted horses and come up with one answer is crap ...

Both pro-slaughter and anti-slaughter factions know that all horses can not be found homes .

But there is more than one answer, and it should be one of several NOT allowing the owner to profit on the food value of said animal ...

[Danzig]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...aragallos-farm

[SuffolkGirl]

Originally Posted by prudery

Superb fair minded article, but to ask what to do with the alleged unwanted horses and come up with one answer is crap ...

Both pro-slaughter and anti-slaughter factions know that all horses can not be found homes .

But there is more than one answer, and it should be one of several NOT allowing the owner to profit on the food value of said animal ...

I wholeheartedly agree. Is the conscience of the people selling these horses to slaughter so cheap that a couple of hundred dollars paid by a kill buyer makes a difference? If they can't they find a new home for it why can't they call the vet and have the animal humanely euthanized?

While Thoroughbred race horses are by no means "pets" to many, they are still living, breathing beings who make some people a lot of money and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect throughout their life and in their death. I firmly believe that by "owning" an animal you have made a commitment to care for that animal through its life. The idea of getting rid of an animal because it is no longer useful is disgraceful.

[fpsoxfan]

Originally Posted by Danzig

really was a good read. there's no easy answer to the issue of what to do with all these horses-35k or so a year in foals. most horses live to 25 years old or higher. it would be nice if breeders and owners only took on what they could conceivably handle for life, but we all know that won't happen.
what i do know is no horse deserves to be neglected, mistreated, starved, or allowed to become infested with parasites. there is no excuse for what they found on that farm, especially when you consider that paragallo isn't exactly destitute.

i hope he is never allowed to own an animal of any kind ever again.

Which is something that won't be touched. Even though it's without a doubt
the root cause and equally as corrupt in my opinion.

[GBBob]

Originally Posted by fpsoxfan

Which is something that won't be touched. Even though it's without a doubt
the root cause and equally as corrupt in my opinion.

I can't speak for breeders, but there are a lot of owners out there who are responsible for their horses, both when they race and after. Of course, crap like this overshadows any good that others try and do. But please don't lump all owners into the same basket as this guy.

[CSC]

One would hope some good will come from this, it atleast brings awareness to the problem in the industry in the inhumane treatment of horses and horse slaughter in general. We can only hope the outrage of owners like Paragallo can be sustained, I do remember the story of Exceller and while how shocking that story was and some good did come from it, apathy soon set in. We can't forget about horses at tracks like Charlestown, Penn National...and what happens to these horses when there racing careers are over.

[fpsoxfan]

Originally Posted by GBBob

I can't speak for breeders, but there are a lot of owners out there who are responsible for their horses, both when they race and after. Of course, crap like this overshadows any good that others try and do. But please don't lump all owners into the same basket as this guy.

I'm not saying they are all guilty of this and the responsible owners will do what they can to find good homes for these horses.