NY to Enact Racehorse Protection Law

Maybe they should call it Ernie Paragallos Law." Of course, the racehorse slaughter" issue is not even mentioned here, in this new proposed bill. There will be no protections in this bill to prevent racehorses from going to slaughter. Maybe now would be a good time to contact these NY legislators and let them know what a good idea we think it would be to write this protection in. After all, if they are really so concerned about "racehorse welfare," why in the world wouldnt they?????
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New York lawmakers want to close cruelty loophole
>
> by Paul Post
>
> New York lawmakers plan to introduce legislation that would close an
> apparent loophole and make mistreatment of race horses a felony.
>
> On April 10, Thoroughbred owner Ernest Paragallo was charged with 22
> misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty, two days after authorities
> raided
> his Center Brook Farm in Climax, Greene County, and seized 177 horses,
> three of which had to be euthanized.
>
> Paragallo has pleaded not guilty and is free on bail.
>
> Unlike "Buster’s Law," which deals with the abuse of companion animals
> such as cats and dogs, equine cruelty does not carry felony status.
>
> Assemblyman Tony Jordan (R-Greenwich) and state Senator Roy McDonald
> (R-Saratoga) both represent portions of Saratoga County, home of
> Saratoga Race Course. The lawmakers are seeking to make cruelty toward
> race horses a felony.
>
> "As we are discovering now, a race horse breeder can be charged with
> the
> significant mistreatment of the animals he is employed to raise and
> care
> for, but there is no provision to charge him with a felony or ban him
> from complete involvement in horse racing," Jordan said. "This gap
> needs
> to be closed and this is exactly what Senator McDonald and I are going
> to work towards accomplishing by putting forward this legislation to
> bring about this necessary change.”
>
> The bill, expected to be introduced shortly, would specifically be
> geared toward race horses, not farm animals. It would fall under state
> racing and wagering law, not agriculture and markets.
>
> Jordan and McDonald said they plan to meet with racing leaders to make
> sure the law helps and protects horses and the industry. McDonald is a
> member of the Senate Racing, Wagering and Gaming Committee.
>
> "We need to ensure the safety of these beautiful and incredible
> animals,
> because they play a significant role in the agricultural community
> here
> in upstate New York," he said. "We also need to protect our nationally
> recognized breeding program by preventing these animals from being
> mistreated, and also having the means to remove the individual who
> instituted that mistreatment. It is also important to recognize that
> studies have shown that people who hurt animals will eventually cause
> harm to other people."
>
> A legal conference between prosecutors and Paragallo’s attorney is
> scheduled for June 22. The state Racing and Wagering Board and New
> York
> Racing Association have stripped him of all racing privileges pending
> the outcome of upcoming legal action.
>
> Paul Post is a New York-based THOROUGHBRED TIMES correspondent
>
>
>