The following ruling from Delaware came down last Friday and was published this week:
“Owner/trainer Ney Pessanha appeared at a hearing before the Board of Stewards on September 17 in the matter of improper or inhumane treatment of horses in his care. Prior to the hearing, the stewards had received complaints from horsemen, outriders, the Safety Steward, private veterinarians, and regulatory veterinarians as to the condition and care of horses under the responsibility of Ney Pessanha.
“After considering all evidence and testimony in this matter, the Stewards have found Ney Pessanha failed to provide adequate food, water, bedding, sanitation, exercise, and veterinarian care for his horses, and therefore is suspended for one year (Sep 24, 2024 to Sep 23, 2025) and fined $1,000.”
In a separate ruling, Pessanha’s assistant, Nilo Pessanha (presumably related), was “convicted” of the same crimes, though he was not fined and received but 99 days.
While the ruling went on to say that both Pessanhas “will be not eligible to apply for a Delaware license in any capacity until Jan 1, 2030” – which makes no sense; why not just suspend till 2030? – and would have to pass trainer tests when that time comes, the upshot is crystal clear: The fact that they will even have that opportunity to control racehorses again means that criminal animal cruelty is tolerated by the Delaware horseracing industry. From the Delaware animal-cruelty statutes:
“A person is guilty of cruelty to animals – mistreatment of any animal or neglect of any animal under the care and control of the neglector, whereby unnecessary or unjustifiable physical pain or suffering is caused – when the person intentionally or recklessly: (1) subjects any animal to cruel mistreatment; or (2) subjects any animal in the person’s custody to cruel neglect. ‘Proper feed’ includes providing each animal with daily food and water of sufficient quality and quantity to prevent unnecessary or unjustifiable physical pain or suffering by the animal. ‘Proper veterinary care’ includes providing each animal with veterinary care sufficient to prevent unnecessary or unjustifiable physical pain or suffering by the animal.”
We will be appealing to the Delaware AG (in Delaware, these matters are handled at the state level). We respectfully ask you to join that action once it is up. This is activism you can do with a keyboard and/or a phone. And it can work: just last year, we (HW) established an historic precedent with the Dale Hiteman case. So, stay tuned.
Considering the blatant and horrendous abuse in plain sight on a daily basis, this must have been particularly disgusting – I mean, stable workers watched and listened to a horse burn to death in her stall without any attempts to save her, and Tiz Willow starved to death in hers, and neither one of these incidents was enough to cause any kind of outrage.
We will post an action over the next couple days, Connie. Thank you.
So how is this person going to treat his horses any better in 2030? A leopard doesn’t change his spots!
No, these people should be charged with animal cruelty and banned from racing, period.
I believe it took many complaints for any action, inadequate as it is .
Delaware does not have any credibility when it comes to even basic horse welfare, they just like to ignore all abuse.
Further, the state protects very bad actors by refusing to release necropsy reports requested under FOIA, citing “privacy” as the excuse!
Time for Delaware to answer some questions!!
Who do I get ahold of in Delaware to let them know my feelings on this?
The daily causing of harm to the horses is what “defines horse racing” in any state or country.
It makes me wonder if the racing commissioners require that owners and trainers are literate and if they can just check boxes and sign their name with an”X” as an acceptable method of applying for and being issued a license in the State of Delaware to own and supposedly train horses for racing.
I feel like the Commissioners and the stewards in Delaware are incompetent themselves.
Their needs to be an authority to take the horses away from the current owner/s, Ney and Nilo Pessanha.
In a situation where horses are abused to this extent, the stewards should have rendered a lifetime suspension for the trainer and the owners of the abused race horses. Any decision other than lifetime suspension is malignant and purposeful destruction of justice. The stewards should be brought into court on the cause of Dereliction of Duty and Depreciation of Justice. The stewards involved in this decision are not versed in the standards of care and welfare of horses and must be replaced with every speed. Moreover, the groom(a) also should be permanently denied the the privilege of working with horses for the crime of not not reporting criminal abuse and neglect of the equines entrusted to his charge and care.
His actions are a stark violation of the standards
A year-long suspension and $1000 fine are inappropriate and
unacceptable responses to the gravity of the situation. This is beyond words. We will act and stay tuned.
DISPICABLE!!!!