Horses Seized From Connecticut Breeders

More than 30 horses are receiving rehabilitative care after being seized by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture.
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More than 30 horses are receiving rehabilitative care after they were seized from a breeding operation by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CDA).

Steve Jensen, CDA spokesman, said that in September 2015, an East Hampton, Connecticut. animal control officer responded to a complaint from an owner who had leased four horses to Thomas and Melanie Olajos, who bred Frisian, Andalusian, and Gypsy Vanner horses at Fairy Trail Equine Facility. According to the complainant, the horses were all emaciated when she retrieved them, Jensen said. An attending veterinarian later diagnosed those horses with malnutrition and parasite infestation, he said.

Later that month, CDA animal control officers visited the farm and found no hay or grain available to the horses. Their initial assessment found that nearly half of the horses on the property were underweight displaying signs of malnutrition including muscle wasting, protruding hip bones, and visible ribs and spines. At that time Thomas Olajos was instructed to provide the animals with hay and clean water and obtain veterinary and farrier treatment for the horses.

Jensen said a veterinarian hired by Olajos examined the horses and found that several had malnutrition-related anemia. The veterinarian recommended that the horses be given 200 bales of hay per week and laid out a feeding and treatment plan for the animals, Jensen said

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Written by:

Pat Raia is a veteran journalist who enjoys covering equine welfare, industry, and news. In her spare time, she enjoys riding her Tennessee Walking Horse, Sonny.

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