49°
This photo taken on Jan. 26 of Blackie, one of the horses seized from Pee Wee Horse Farm in Easton, shows a major weight gain for the once emaciated horse.
Photo Credit: Ray Connors
This is a photo of Blackie, just a few months ago, when he was taken from Pee Wee Horse Farm in Easton.
Photo Credit: State Department of Agriculture
EASTON, Conn. – The five horses seized from Pee Wee Horse Farm in an animal cruelty investigation are thriving in their new home in a Niantic facility, said Ray Connors, the supervisor for the state Animal Control Division.
The owner of Pee Wee Horse Farm, Apollonio “Paul” Vittorio, was arrested Thursday by the Easton Police Department and charged with six counts of animal cruelty in a state arrest warrant.
The charges stem from an ongoing investigation by state animal control officers, who say they received several complaints about the condition of the horses at the Silver Hill Road farm.
The six counts facing Vittorio were broken down into five counts for each horse seized and one count for the lack of shelter for 30 horses at the farm, Connors said. The horses are now at the York Correctional Facility, where prisoners are taking care of them under state supervision.
The horses are getting medical treatment and a proper diet at the facility and gaining the weight lost while staying at Pee Wee Farm, Connors said.
One horse, Blackie, who had trouble walking due to severe abscesses on his hooves, is now moving around and getting better each day, Connors said.
The care of the animals is being paid for by the Animal Abuse Cost Recovery Account, which supported solely of donations. Donations can be made by check to the Animal Abuse Cost Recovery Account, Department of Agriculture, 165 Capital Ave., Hartford, CT 06106.
.It's clear the man has to many horses for his resources. You don't tie up horses 1 oe 30 outside in mud.. Apparently he does not has a few safe secure paddocks for the horse to brave the elements in. He's not feeding them, some have or had infections, open wounds and a few could barely walk. At least one has been euthanized. He can snd should have asked for help, long before the animals got to this state of health. They deserve to have a better wellbeing. these are work animals and he doesn't have 30-50- riders going there in a week. So it has been a slow agonizing race to the death for these animals. Nobody is tying him to a post outside in the weather, standing in mud, why then should anyone do it to animals left in there care. It's time to sell his place off and use the money to care for the animals. Has anyone seen the video of one of the horses trying to eat what's left of some weeds along side a quonset hut and nearly falling with each step it took,..that's disgusting. Everyone of these horses should have been taken last spring, rather to endure yet another winter, starving in Connecticut. Sadly I think our homeless people have it about the same