SAD NEWS

We tried to find the dams of the three yearlings we adopted from Ernie Paragallo’s Center Brook Farm in New York.

It was just confirmed by the NY State Police that Party Forever, the dam of our colt Bravo, went to slaughter.

Party Forever Colt is leaving Center Brook Farm

Aintjustwhistlin’, the dam of the Adonis filly Star, died at the farm prior to the police raid.

Star, the daughter of Aintjustwhistlin'

We are awaiting final verification that the dam of the Griffinite filly Stripe, Shelly’s Wind, is indeed amongst the group of mares found at Center Brook at the time of the police raid on April 9, 2009.

Aintjustwhistlin’ was 14, Party Forever died at 10.

These mares were part of the worst case of horse abuse in the history of the United States when 177 horses were found in horrifying condition at Mr. Paragallo’s farm. We’ll probably never know how many horses had been at the farm in the winter before the raid and how many were not strong enough to survive until the police arrived in April. Mr. Paragallo will be sentenced on May 18 for 33 counts of animal cruelty he was convicted of.

NBC’s Jill Rappaport reported this past March that she was “elated to report that the vast majority not only survived, but they were ALL adopted into wonderful, loving homes.”
Well, 82 adopted horses out of 177 are not quite the “the vast majority”, and we have yet to find out about the remainder of the horses that were at the farm at the time of the raid.

Let us be clear: This is NOT a story with a happy ending. As of now, Paragallo still owns horses and will also profit from NY breeder awards whenever one of the horses bred at Center Brook wins a race. The 3 babies we adopted required intensive and costly care to restore them to health. So if one of our adopted babies wins a race, Paragallo will earn the NY Breeders incentive awards. He will still be earning money from horses he left to die.

We urge you to write to John Sabini, the chair of NYS Breeding and Development Fund.

The phone # is 518-580-0100-www.nybredfund, and request that Mr. Paragallo not profit any longer from any horses who suffered his abuse.

You can also write Hon. George J. Pulver Jr., 320 Main St., Catskill, NY 12414, who will sentence Ernest Paragallo on May 18 to consider revoking the breeders’ benefits as part of the sentencing.