JC / Railbird

Ernie Paragallo

Shameful

What the SPCA found at the upstate farm owned by Ernie Paragallo:

“On the Henneke scale where 9 is obese and 1 is emaciated, there were plenty of ones and twos.”

… All 177 horses showed signs of malnutrition, according to Joe Mahoney, spokesman for the state Racing and Wagering Board.

“The people who saw these horses were appalled by what they observed,” Mahoney said.

Multiple charges of animal cruelty are now pending against Paragallo.

Bill Finley is absolutely right: “After his day in court and should he be found guilty of the heinous charges of animal cruelty, Ernie Paragallo … must be banned from the sport forever.”

Related: Matt Hegarty’s must-read DRF article on horse slaughter.

4/9/09 Update: Paragallo’s credentials revoked in New York. But Paraneck Stable horses stabled at Aqueduct remain in the barns there: “If the horses are going to leave here and go back to that farm, we don’t think that would be a terribly happy outcome,” said NYRA VP Hal Handel.

4/14/09 Update: From NYDN, Graphic photos of neglected horses found on Paragallo’s farm. The owner-breeder was charged with 22 counts of animal cruelty on Friday, April 10. Jeff Scott raises a question many are asking, “how could conditions at Center Brook Farm deteriorate so drastically?”

Posted in Horses on April 8, 2009 / Tagged Cruelty, Ernie Paragallo, Neglect, Welfare