Largest seizure in history of Finger Lakes SPCA
Organization removes 82 horses from Troupsburg farm
By ROB PRICE THE COURIER-ADVOCATE

PHOTOS PROVIDED Pictured above, horses showing signs of severe malnourishment were two of 82 seized last weekend by the Finger Lakes SPCA. The horses were boarded at a Troupsburg stable located at 4512 county Route 82.

BATH — The Finger Lakes Humane Society, assisted by volunteers, veterinarians and law enforcement agencies, seized 82 horses over the past weekend from a Troupsburg farm in what the SPCA's animal cruelty investigator described as the largest equine seizure in the history of the organization.

Four of the horses, suffering from substandard care, had to be euthanized, Inv. Scott Mazzo said Wednesday at a press conference in the Steuben County Civil Defense Building. Seventy eight horses have been placed under the care of horse stables in Steuben and other counties across New York.

Additionally, five cats were taken from the farm and are now residing at the SPCA on state Route 54.

The owner of the farm, located at 4512 county Route 82, has been identified as Maryann Blazejewski, although media reports and interviews with horse professionals familiar with the operation say the business, called Middle Crest Farm, is managed by Gerry Trupia, Blazejewski's daughter. The farm previously was named Norcrest Farm.

An unidentified individual at 4512 Route 82 declined to comment and hung up the phone.

The Steuben County district attorney's office identified Blazejewski as the owner of the property, but declined to comment on Trupia, citing an ongoing investigation by Mazzo.

Class A misdemeanor charges are pending, Mazzo told reporters. The charges are expected once he wraps up his investigation, which includes taking testimony from veterinarians caring for the animals.

Displaying photographs of horses with clearly visible rib cages, Mazzo said the animals had been "receiving substandard care" at the facility, where he estimated about 30 percent were boarders. His investigation began, Mazzo added, after the owner of one of the boarded horses complained of inadequate care.

"Hopefully these horses will be brought back to perfect health," Mazzo said.

The size of the seizure presents immense financial difficulties for the SPCA, which is responsible for the cost of rehabilitating the animals. In a prepared release, Mazzo estimated the cost of rescuing and caring for the horses will hit $20,000 in the first month alone. "Horses are a huge expense," he said. "Their food alone is astronomical. This is really going to be a financial burden, and (it) can really hurt us."

To defray expenses the SPCA is asking for contributions ranging from cash to horse staples such as hay, mineral licks, working medicine and feed tubs. More information on how to assist the organization is available at www.fingerlakesspca.org or by calling 607-776-3039.

The organization and about 35 volunteers began working Friday to remove the horses and cats from the stable, after Mazzo served the owners with a search warrant. SPCA personnel and volunteers continued working through Saturday to wrap up the operation.

New York state police and the Steuben County district attorney's office assisted in the investigation.

Mazzo praised the efforts of the volunteers, who arrived at the premises with their own vehicles and horse trailers to remove the horses to their own farms. The horses will remain at those locations, which Mazzo declined to identify, while the investigation proceeds and the animals receive rehabilitative care. The owners of the horses who were boarded at the Troupsburg stable have been notified and may take possession of their animals once the investigation is complete. Many of the owners, Mazzo said, reside out of state; "They didn't know what was going on," he said.

Finger Lakes SPCA www.fingerlakesspca.org 607-776-3039