Ernie Paragallo charged; SPCA takes over farm

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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.