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Easton Horse-Treatment Case Heads to Court

EASTON, Conn. – The state Department of Agriculture will seek custody of the five horses seized from Easton’s Pee Wee Horse Farm because of suspected animal cruelty.

Paul Vittorio, owner of the Sport Hill Road horse farm, is expected to appear before a judge in Hartford on Jan. 3 as part of a “civil proceeding,” said Ray Connors, supervisor with the state Animal Control. During the hearing, Connors said, Vittorio could be ordered to post bond that would pay for some of the medical treatment needed to take care of the five horses.

Connors declined to comment on the case further because it is still currently under investigation.

Animal control officers described the horses taken from the farm as emaciated and severely underweight, according to court documents. Many of the horses at the farm, documents show, were living in unsanitary conditions and drinking from dirty water buckets. Connors said Friday the horses are thriving now under the care of state veterinarians.

“They are doing pretty well and they are getting the proper feed that they need,” he said.

The horses are in the care of the state and are being boarded in a barn at the York Correctional Facility Niantic, Conn., Connors said. Prisoners are taking care of the horses. “It’s a good program for the inmates. They learn to care for something other than themselves,” Connors said.

The animal's care is being paid for by the Animal Abuse Cost Recovery Account, which runs solely on donations. Donations can be made by check to the Animal Abuse Cost Recovery Account, Department of Agriculture, 165 Capital Ave., Hartford, CT 06106.

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