A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

grassfire12 — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 00:24:53 GMT

For those of you that are posting on this site, how many of you have laid your eyes on these horses? How many of you have seen the conditions of the farm? How many of you have ever met Mr.Ernie Paragallo? I know the man, and I know how he feels about his horses. He spends thousands of dollars a year to take care of them, from feed to vet bills to the farrier. Mr. Paragallo has spent many thousands of dollars to promote the industry. He has give thousands of dollars to relief funds and charities in the name of this industry. I have laid my hands on these horses, I have looked at these horses. Some of the horses might have been a little lite in weight( maybe 50-75 lbs)but they are not starved to death like everybody is saying. Several of the horses that are at the center of this case are in foal. There is no way they could have come into heat let alone be carrying a foal if they were in the shape you people are talking about. So until you have been there and seen things you need not throw stones because those very stones you are throwing may come flying back at you someday.

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

horse lover — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 04:25:21 GMT

this is to lcm? Re; the vets they would not go to the farm unless there was cash waiting for them. it was on a cash basis. the mares that were in foal were bred to stallions on the property. no need to check them hell why bother they don't even get fed you think they're going to get a pneumabort k vaccine - PLEASE! Ernie Paragallo is out of excuses PERIOD

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

MVP in NYS — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:49:43 GMT

There are few horse vets in the Albany area..no doubt the ones who helped seize the horses from Mr. Paragallo had treated some of them at one time. HOWEVER it is not the SPCA but the NYS tax payers who are paying to treat Mr. Paragallo's horses. Mr. Paragallo needs to pay us tax payers back,pay some bills,pay some fines lose his horses AND go to jail.

But that will probably not happen.

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

Karen in Indiana — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 14:26:36 GMT

If you look at my previous post last week, I said that it seemed Paragallo still wasn't taking responsibility for his actions and that he though he could talk his way out of it because he's been allowed to do that in the past. So what should we make of the fact that he was supposed to have a hearing and his lawyer asked for it to be postponed and there has been no date set for another one? That's an absolute dance on the graves of the horses who have died.

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

tbpartnerperson43 — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 02:21:29 GMT

I keep coming back and make every effort to read the recent posts. Only one person has really made the point that the Paragallo farm has been substandard for years. It takes time for animals to get in the condition in which they were found. There must be many people complicit in this neglect. Can one really believe that the NYRA had no knowledge of what was going on out there? The vets knew... the feed men knew... the help sure knew. And no one cared. Why is that? If the man isn't ruled off for life, the industry deserves what is happening to it.

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

diastu — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 01:28:38 GMT

Karin C-C contact me off blog at <dms@mail.maricopa.gov> we were classmates and went on that Cal Poly field trip together!

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

ToniDawn — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:44:03 GMT

All monies that Paragallo or his family would get from breeding fees should be turned over to the horse rescues forever. Paragallo should never be allowed to profit from one of these magnificent creatures ever again.

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

amysruffian — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 20:15:10 GMT

Paragallo and everyone connected to him should be locked up for this. There needs to be more monitoring of all farms too.

What an S.O.B.

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

Carolyn in ND — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:49:46 GMT

Mullins - this is another example of why there should be uniform laws nationally.

Paragallo - he should go to jail! & never be allowed to own any breed of horse!

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

jmewill — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 13:18:05 GMT

Oats water and hay! It worked well for Charlie (Whittingham)!

Mullins: will probobly never learn any lessons, has been in troouble several times, more to come I would think! Airpower is Harmless/useless BUT "nothing but Lasix" means nothing but Lasix! Mullins should know that!

Paragallos: Just another big money guy exploiting the "horses" that put money in his bank accounts and it's a damn shame he isn't left somewhere to starve. This is one of the industry's problems that will not go away, and worse yet it is publicized and talked about , but WHAT will really get done about it? Ernie will get some lawyer to get him off, pay some fines, and hopefully lose permanently all those horses. It really doesn't matter whether he EVER was at that farm, someone was there everyday and I assume could not secure feed and care for the horses cuz Ernie wasn't paying his feed bills. The blame here falls squarely on him and he should pay through the nose and do jail time for this. Make him an example for all those other rich guys that haven't been discovered yet, because we all know this isn't a single isolated incident.

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

workhorse — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 02:12:37 GMT

The last 2weeks are going to be very painful for the racing industry. I'm sure the TV coverage of the Kentucky Derby is going to be full of these stories. I believe that E Paragallo should have his license revoked for life. The damage he will cause will take years to repair. As for Mullins, trainers know the rules. It's a joke to only suspend him for 7 days. That punishment does not show a commitment to stop cheaters. We will on our greatest day be an embarrassment. What a shame, the horses of this years Derby have done all they could to help save our sport. Our people are destroying it.

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

Tony — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:59:44 GMT

I can almost assure you that no Vet had stepped foot into that farm in months, due to lack of payment.

Paragallo would not pay for enough feed & hay, much less for Vet services and expenses.

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

Liz — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 22:09:20 GMT

The situation at Paragallo's farm has been going on for years. I personally saw the condition of the place 10+ years ago when I took client mares there to be bred. Today there are three "rescued" horses at a farm near me that came from a field full of abandoned horses at his farm three years ago. Until now nobody seemed to care. Thank God that this place is finally getting the attention it has long deserved.

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

massbredtexan — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 17:55:21 GMT

I am a thoroughbred owner(all Suffolk Downs retirees), compete in eventing, and have been a life- long racing fan. My horses are my children and what Paragallo did disgusts me. I share the views of most of you in this forum and hope that we all can play a part in stopping the likes of him.

I must address what R. Harden wrote about Suffolk Downs. I personally know many of the people that run Suffolk and Harden, you could not be more wrong about them and what happened with those suspended trainers. My guess is that you may be a local Bostonian with some sort of personal vendetta, or at best you just jumped to conclusions without knowing all of the facts. I suggest that anyone who reads this forum ask the connections at Old Friends how they feel about Suffolk and their efforts to prevent situations like those at the Paragallo's farm. If you do, you will not get the negative feedback that Harden spewed. Reading such false information really makes me mad. We are all in this together, and the folks that now run Suffolk are the good guys/gals. Please ya'll, pay no mind to Harden's opinion of Suffolk. He/she is dead wrong!

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

Scott — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 23:18:08 GMT

To Tony, not the problem with strangles, its was the in and out of the farm, and no vets were called in. There was no treatments being done. No isolation for the horses who didn't contract the disease. I understand strangles. It was the neglect I didn't like. Horses with out water, hay and feed. This is what bothers me. And the SPCA looks on with out power. MidAtlantic area.

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

Rhonda from Saskatchewan — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 16:13:05 GMT

All of this has happened over and over again. Not just in the horse industry but in every endeavour that involves animals. It also happens with the human beings in this world.

When taken to the lowest common denominator,what it comes down to is a lack of respect on the part of many (majority?) for the right to a dignified, decent life and death for EVERY living being.

Simple as that!

Lip service just doesn't cut it.

Be proactive not reactive.

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

normajean81258 — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 04:23:01 GMT

Linda, I gave a donation to the Columbia-Greene Humane Society. Why? Because the horses can't wait for the courts, they need to be taken care of now, they've waited long enough. Paragallo will get his, but the horses need help now.

The CGHS took 67 Horses and they are now up for adoption, the others are still at the farm, but being cared for by the Vets and caregivers of the Society.

The Today Show ran a video and interview, heart wrenching, but accurate. They do show the horses, so get a tissue: msnbc.msn.com

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

Daniel — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 23:04:58 GMT

I have dealt with strangles.. Like Tony says, many farms deal with diseases, and sickness passed around.. The thing is its not abuse to have animals sick it happens, if every parent was reported for child abuse because thre kids had colds, then no parent would have a child.. I mean come on.. What happened here is a blatent disreguard for the well being of animals.. It wasnt mismanagment, as an owner/breeder, i check my horses weekly, why hadnt he.. cause he didnt care, he was racking it in with USong, and didnt care about these animals..

Strangles/West Nile, etc it does occur and when your shipping in and out horses then you risk getting sickness.. but its not abuse or neglect.. To have horses with lice and un attended injuries and rain scour etc, THAT IS..

Racing needs to be very firm, and stop doing this half assed, oh your in trouble your fined, banned whatever,and then there like oh well okay you seem sorry you can race again. NO

These wonderful animals throw there lives on the line for us, they try and try time and time again for us.. and all we do is turn a blind eye to the neglect and abuse, and then when it is brought to light we all act stunned and saddened.. Well damn it get with the program.. Abuse is there, and no wonder PETA points at us daily.. We give them pleanty of foder to do so..

I love this sport, i will never leave it.. Thank god that things like this are shown cause it shows how racing handles issues, and right now.. The people in New York need to be applauded, even if they are acting slowly, at least they are doing somthing..

We need to get a clue, racing cant handle more black eyes.. We have got to show the world, that we mean business, that we are first and foremost about the horse, and that rules are enforced with no way for somone to get out of it.. You do wrong to these animals then your gone.. No more three strikes.. ONE TIME AND YOUR OUT.. Oh and this BS where trainers claim they dont know what a med can do is rediculous, at 15 i knew what things did..

I guess you can always criticize. And there is nothing wrong with feeling strongly about abuse, but we have to find ways to fix the image of racing.. or we will see more tracks closing, and more horses being abused..

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

Linda — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:17:36 GMT

a poster said he was going to say some prayers and anti up a donation to help care for P's horses. Why the hell isn't P paying for his own horses, regardless of who is taking care of them. Get a judgment against him and get the money.

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

Tony — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 21:41:27 GMT

To Scott; Strangles outbreaks are currently happening in many central Kentucky Thoroughbred Farms, both large and small farms, Mom and Pops Farms as well as the very top farms in Kentucky are battling Strangles. Having Strangles does not mean you are abusing or neglecting your horses, so pay attention to what your write and stop generalizing !

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

Trudy — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:55:01 GMT

The SPCA is taking care of all 177 horses, even though Paragallo only turned over about 70..what is up with that? Why is he not paying board, every month (or week) on every horse the SPCA is taking care of?

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

Scott — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 02:45:07 GMT

To all who dont know how this happened, and why no one did anything. You don't understand the legal process. I was at a farm that did just what Ernie did, reported it to the SPCA. No proof, no foul. Testimony does not do it. The horses must show neglect, and this takes a while. And then it's too late. Talk to the local SPCA, you will understand. It is very frustrating. By the way the farm I am talking about is still operating, and the SPCA is still watching. Recently, a mass Strangles outbreak. And still it goes on. We need political help on this one. The horses need rights before excess situations occur.

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

Sharon — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 01:07:44 GMT

Well everyone on this farm should be brought up on charges for they did not feed or care for the horses nor did they report that there was no feed coming in. It is the actual people at the farm who did this by not reporting to the Humane Society that they were not getting money to pay for feed. That the horses were starving. The foreman at the farm could have called the racing industry and reported this. Heck call the TV news stations. Why aren't Paragallo's daughters being charged too since he says they own the farm and he just runs it? They are the owners and just as guilty. Paragallo should lose all rights and not be allowed to own a racing thoroughbred even for breeding purposes. No stallions with his name on them or mare should be allowed to make money for him. He can still make money off any stallions or breedings

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

JettJodi — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 01:01:30 GMT

The people involved in the abuse of these horses are doing more than any anti-racing group could ever do; destroying the publics perception of this sport, which will inevitably be its demise. Anyone who knows anything about racing knows what needs to be done to fix it & to protect these innocent animals, yet the people in charge just want to sit around "discussing" solutions. Time is short, take some ACTION!

re: A Cruel Week - by Dan Liebman

Dawn — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 23:56:47 GMT

The comments have gotten so long, that I didn't have time to read all of them. A lot of people have a lot of really good ideas. In "A Cruel Week," Leibman connects these two cases to point out that they are not connected. I follow the sport of Thoroughbred racing because I love to see the horses. If I am ever able to own a horse again, I have a responsibility to the horse to care for it for with simple compassion. It is very, very simple. Keep the horse's welfare in mind. Life and death should be met with dignity, and compassion.