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.

The Kill Pen

“Show me your horse and I will tell you who you are.”

Old English

Among the lesson horses at Lisa Leogrande’s Triple L Stables in Fulton, New York, are several Thoroughbreds.  Like many of the horses she has trained, sold or adopted out to new homes, or kept for her own riding stable, these Thoroughbreds were discards. They were not needed or wanted anymore by their owners, sold at auction, and were on the last leg of their trip to a slaughterhouse in Canada when Lisa bought them a new life.

Lisa was the first one to find some of the mares from Ernie Paragallo’s Center Brook breeding farm. It was on one of her regular visits to a so-called “kill pen”, the facility were a dealer keeps horses before they are shipped to slaughter.  Lisa visits the pen whenever she can take on a few horses on her farm Triple L Stable, to rehabilitate and retrain them, giving them a new chance on life.

On March 13, 2009, Lisa found a large group of Thoroughbred mares at the dealer: approximately 20 broodmares with yellow collars around their necks.

“It was a disturbing sight.  Not just because they were in a meat pen waiting to go for slaughter in Canada, but because of the condition they were in”, remembers Lisa. “The dealer was horrified of the shape they were in.  He had the worst in his barn with blankets.  He and I talked on how someone could do this to the horses and that it was sick.”

Casa Eire after her arrival at Lisa's farm in March 2009

“One of the mares would put her head on my shoulder – Casa Eire was my first pick to get on my trailer and she was the only one we could catch. Casa is a wonderful horse with a personality that screams, “I love people and life!”  She also rides like a dream, smooth, classy and safe. I am sure she had not been ridden for many years and she rode right off after getting weight on her and we got rid of her lice problem.

Lucky Val in March 2009

All the horses in that group at the kill pen had huge bald spots from the lice.  No glitter in their eyes and scared to death, running around in the pen.  It was so very hard to catch them.  They only had bands around their necks and numbered tags on their hindquarters.  I wrote down the numbers on the horses I wanted to get loaded on my trailer.  We had to herd them into a smaller pen and them pin them in a corner to catch them and put halters on.  I picked out three of the Paraneck/ Paragallo mares, and three others from the kill pen that day, a total of six horses. We loaded them on my trailer to come home.”

Lisa was curious to find out where the mares had originally come from and started researching them.

Yeah Baby Yeah in March 2009

“I found that they had come from a large breeding farm in Climax, NY, owned by Paraneck Stables owner Ernie Paragallo.  I called The Exceller Fund trying to get enough money to rescue the remaining mares I had to leave behind at the kill pen. Those mares ranged from 4 to twenty years of age. The Exceller Fund gave me some phone numbers to call for help.

After talking with Diane, Lisa and Christy from Another Chance 4 Horses rescue in Pennsylvania, they were able to get four more mares out of the kill pen. Unfortunately the other 17 or so had already been shipped.”

The four mares AC4H took on had been in such bad shape that they could not have survived the transport to Canada. They could therefore not be shipped off right away and were left behind for another time. The delay saved their lives.

Lisa recalls the sorry sight of the horses at the dealer: “All the mares in the kill pen were extremely skinny, lice-infected, had skin lesions, their hooves needed much care. I remember a mahogany bay mare with an almost pie bald face. I found out later that her name was Red Hot Chili Pepper, an Ireland-bred mare who was born on my birthday, March 18.  She was only 6 years old. She will be in my thoughts. Unfortunately she was shipped.”

Casa Eire September 09

“I rescued six horses that day and $ 2,000.0 later they went home with me.  About 60 horses a week go to kill from this one dealer each week.  They do two loads per week with 33 horses per trailer. The horses are killed as soon as they get off the trailer at the slaughterhouse.  Upon arrival the trailer is backed up to the slaughter plant and the horses get unloaded to be processed.  Once the horses are loaded on the trailer at the dealer’s, the trailer is sealed and the seal cannot be broken until the trailer arrives at the plant.

Often, horses go from the auction directly to the plant, they never see a pasture again, hear a kind word or feel a gentle hand. Most of the horses don’t have papers, the dealers don’t really care; they are merely liaison between the sellers and the buyers at the slaughterhouse. When Lisa purchases the horses from the dealer she takes her chance. There are no vet exams, x-rays or test rides. All Lisa can go by is her experience: She looks at the eye of the horse and tries her best never knowing what comes home with her.

Lucky Val June 2009

But she says “OTTBs (off track Thoroughbreds)

Yeah Baby Yeah, June 2009

you can never go wrong on.  You know they ride.  You just have to look at their legs for any injuries.  I work and talk with the dealers and I have learned a lot from going to auctions.”

Lisa Leogrande has rescued many more since that day in March.

Lucky Val feeling good at Lisa's in April 09

Judge George J. Pulver Jr. convicted Ernest Paragallo on all 33 misdemeanour animal cruelty counts in a non-jury trial.

Sentencing is set for May 18, 2010.

“They were not undernourished, they were ugly,” he said.

Ernie Paragallo in the courthouse parking lot after closing arguments.

Ernie Paragallo at the courthouse parking lot

The trial is over.  Judge George Pulver Jr. must now decide whether the mares, the yearlings, the weanlings, and the stallions at Ernie Paragallo’s Center Brook Farm were indeed starved and left with severe parasite infestations without proper care.  If these horses were, simply said, abused.

If Judge Pulver comes to the conclusion that this was indeed the case at Center Brook Farm then the owner of that farm is responsible for what happened on his farm.  The owner is responsible whether he visits his farm regularly or is absent most of the time.

Party Forever Colt Leaves Center Brook Farm

We were not called as witnesses in the trial.  We went to Center Brook in October to pick up three yearlings. They were still very thin.  And they were wild.  They were barely halter broken, the colt’s halter so tight that it left bald patches on his face.  Our trainer Paula Turner could not touch their legs and feet until a couple of weeks ago.  The colt is still afraid of anything that touches or approaches his head and neck, indicative of mistreatment.

The one person who had been at the farm all along suddenly had to leave the country – short before the trial.  Center Brook Farm manager Eddie Salazar could have told the judge what happened on the farm.  He could have explained perhaps why after a former raid in 2007 things did improve at Center Brook temporarily.  He also could have told how many horses were at the farm in fall of 2008 and how many actually made it until the raid in April 2009.  When one stallion was picked up by his new owner in January 2009, he already saw older horses looking bad, and young ones in dire shape.

Mr. Paragallo:  The horses were not ugly.

They were sick, some so sick that they could not been helped anymore.  They were starved to death.  Good people took the others in, fed them, paid for their medical bills, and helped them look good, as good as any healthy thoroughbred can look.  The horses only looked ugly while in your care, Mr. Paragallo.

“They are using this case to get donations and charitable contributions for the Columbia-Greene Humane Society,”

Paragallo’s attorney Michael Howard at the trial.

Paragallo and his attorney Michael Howard

You ought to be grateful that people donated money to Columbia-Greene SPCA and to other horse rescue organizations to help YOUR sick and malnourished horses, that YOU, Mr. Paragallo, should have paid for.  How dare you to accuse any of theses organizations for asking to help pay the bills.  None of them would have had to solicit  money if not for the dozens of YOUR sick horses that needed to be taken care of.

And even if your argument about underfeeding mares so they would breed better held up to proper research – how about the yearlings, how about the geldings at Center Brook – why were they starved?

You still own horses, Mr. Paragallo.  You said you did nothing wrong.  Horses were found to be in bad condition at your farm before.  Perhaps you should read different books on horse care.  Or as the people who paid to help your horses, how it is done properly.  Because none of these horses are ugly anymore.

Please see video “Closing Argument Delivered In Paragallo Animal Abuse Trial”, WTEN

click here:

Paragallo after Closing Arguments

Ernie Paragallo At Court

DAY 2 OF THE TRIAL:

Here is the most recent report from The Daily Mail

Kill pen owner testifies to taking Paragallo’s horses

Trial of accused animal abuser resumes

By Colin DeVries
Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
Published: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 1:00 PM EST

CATSKILL — A Bainbridge horse farmer testified Tuesday that horses delivered from Center Brook Farm in Climax were in a seriously malnourished condition.

“They were nothing but bones,”

said Donald Nickerson of the 22 emaciated Center Brook Farm thoroughbreds brought to his small farm intended for slaughter.

Nickerson testified Tuesday in the temporary Greene County Courthouse during the case against accused animal abuser Ernest Paragallo.

“They were in very, very bad shape,” said the aging farmer. “We lost ‘bout four of them to malnutrition.”

Nickerson purchased the horses from a transporter, Richard Bairidi, who had brought them from Paragallo’s Center Brook Farm in Climax.

Nickerson commonly buys horses and has them transported to a slaughterhouse in Quebec, Canada for cash. Slaughterhouses have been shut down around the U.S. in recent years, after a U.S. Court of Appeals in Illinois upheld as constitutional a ban on horse slaughter for human consumption. Horse meat is seen as a delicacy in Japan and parts of Europe.

Paragallo has been charged with 35 misdemeanor animal cruelty counts of failure to provide proper sustenance. His Center Brook Farm was raided by authorities on April 8, 2009, where 177 malnourished thoroughbreds were found, infested with lice and in dire need of veterinary care. The case is being heard, without a jury, before Greene County Court Judge George J. Pulver Jr.

Greene County District Attorney Terry Wilhelm continued his case against Paragallo in the third day of trial proceedings Tuesday, presenting evidence that the horses were the victims of being improperly cared for.

“The horses were starved to death,” said Nickerson of what he observed the day Bairidi and another driver brought the thoroughbreds to his farm on Feb. 23, 2009.

He said one horse was already dead when the trailers arrived and one was laying motionless on the trailer’s floor.

Nickerson estimated the horses weighed only 800 to 900 pounds, though “they had a 1,300 or 1,400-pound framework.” A veterinarian, Dr. Jerry Bilinski, had previously testified a healthy thoroughbred weight is 1,000 to 1,200 pounds.

He nearly told the driver to take them back, but instead gave him a check that was just enough to pay his shipping costs.

After a few weeks of rehabilitation at the “kill pen,” Nickerson called upon friends to purchase and rehabilitate the ailing horses. Two of those friends testified Tuesday.

Lisa Leogrand, a horse trainer with over 20 years of experience, testified she had never seen horses in worse condition.

“They had thousands of lice all over them,” she said. “They were really bad.”

Leogrand purchased three mares from Nickerson and nursed them back to health on her farm in Fulton, where she boards and trains horses.

She said the horses coats were shedding severely due to lice-induced infections, leaving unusual bald spots. Many of the horses also had open sores due to constant itching from the lice. She said it was nearly impossible to shave their winter coats because of all the open sores.

“You couldn’t really touch them,” she said. “They’d cringe.”

She also said they had been infested with digestive worms and had signs of anemia, a condition likely caused by malnutrition.

Christy Sheidy had also purchased horses from the Nickerson farm and observed the same maladies. Sheidy operates Another Chance 4 Horses in Bernville, Pa., a nonprofit horse rescue, rehabilitation and placement center.

Both women commented on how skeletal and emaciated the horses had become.

When asked by Wilhelm what could have caused their skeletal condition, Sheidy responded, simply: “Not being fed.”

Sheidy rehabilitated four of the thoroughbreds formerly owned by Paragallo and identified photographs for the court showing each of the horses at a healthy weight after only three months of proper care and feeding.

During cross examination by defense attorney Michael Howard, Sheidy said that Paragallo had contacted her by phone and offered to pay her $4,000 for caring and rehabbing the horses. He also told her he didn’t know they were brought to a kill pen.

Howard, of Hudson, said that his client intends to testify in the coming days and show that he did not treat the horses improperly.

Paragallo told state police in a videotaped statement that he was feeding the horses strictly with hay to keep them lean, as suggested by breeder Joseph Taylor in his book “Joe Taylor’s Complete Guide to Breeding & Raising Racehorses.”

He also told police he had not personally visited Center Brook Farm for nine or 10 months before the April 2009 raid.

“Did I mismanage? Shoot me. I mismanaged.” he told the police. “I f—ed up. I’m not denying it. If they want to lock me up, maybe they should. Whether it’s my fault or not, it happened and it’s my responsibility.”

Wednesday’s proceeding will begin at 9 a.m. in the temporary Greene County Courthouse on Woodland Avenue in Catskill.

To reach reporter Colin DeVries please call 518-943-2100 ext. 3325, or e-mail cdevries@thedailymail.net.

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