Easton, Conn. – Appollonio Vittorio, 75, was arrested Thursday after turning himself into authorities following an arrest warrant being issued for his arrest. Vittario is facing six counts of animal abuse: five counts of animal abuse for five horses seized and the sixth count for thirty horses on his farm that did not have access to shelter. When state animal control officers visited the farm during severe rain storms, most of the horses did not have access to any shelter to escape the cold rain and were standing in mud according to court documents.
Animal Control previously seized 5 horses from Pee Wee Horse Farm. Three of the five horses seized had to be humanely euthanzied due to the extent of the abuse and neglect, including discharge from an eye, uncared for teethe, rain rot, dermatitis, emaciation and overall very poor condition.
Animal Control had been called to Vittorio’s farm numerous times since October. During each visit general neglect and lack of medical care was noted, and specific conditions were given to Vittorio to improve the welfare of his horses. Animal Control officers observed that Vittorio was not in compliance, and when asked, Vittorio responded “Nobody is going to tell me what to do.”
Pee Wee Horse Farm’s slogon is “The best in the west, here at home.” Pee Wee Horse Farm offers lessons, trail rides, pony rides, hay rides, summer camp, horse boarding and training, along with standing several stallions at stud. One can assume that visitors to Pee Wee Horse Farm were unaware of the condition of the horses that were allegedly kept hidden from the public eye.
Horse Plus Humane Society applauds the officials who followed through with the investigation and have chosen to charge Vittorio for animal abuse. Animal Controls across the nation must have officers trained to respond to reports of horse abuse and take the necessary action to ensure that justice is served against those that would purposefully and willfully bring harm to horses or other animals.
Photos courtesy of The Daily Easton.
