Columbus, OH – “The New York State Police have launched an official investigation into Edward J. Madlin, 35, after 10 Standardbreds were rescued from what was described as ‘unimaginable neglect’ on a farm in Rensselaer County, New York, at the end of December,” according to a story in the Paulick Report.
The article by Editor-in-Chief Chelsea Hackbarth reported that “The United States Trotting Association donated a total of $10,000 ($1,000 per horse) through Support Our Standardbreds (SOS), a USTA program that provides financial assistance to public agencies and 501(c)(3) charitable groups caring for a registered Standardbred that has been abandoned.
“While the owner and trainer licenses of Ed Madlin expired in 2021, the USTA also indicated it would not issue a new harness racing license should Madlin apply.”
Hackbarth detailed how the need to rescue the horses was discovered.
“The plight of the horses first came to light when Madlin’s grandmother, Ellen Hartley, called the Little Brook Farm Sanctuary in Old Chatham, N.Y., to ask for help.
“The 82-year-old said she had been trying to care for the horses herself, according to Little Brook’s Lynn Cross, but she had recently been hospitalized for a stroke and was unable to keep up with their care. Cross didn’t know how bad the situation would turn out to be until she arrived on Dec. 28.”
According to the story, before the rescue, there had been long-term neglect for the horses involved.
“Four stallions were living in stalls inside the barn, standing atop mounds of old hay and manure measuring as much as five feet high. Rescuers estimated the stallions hadn’t left their stalls or received standard medical care, such as farrier and dental care, for multiple years.
“Five other Standardbred mares were living outside in a pasture alongside a paint mare and a cow, while a sixth Standardbred mare was separated in a lone paddock with no shelter. The horses also had overgrown hooves and limited access to medical care; more than one had a poor body condition score. Access to water was limited as well, according to volunteers who gave first-hand accounts of the scene.”
Several horse rescues have volunteered to assist in the care of the horses.
“Cross reached out to a group of other nearby rescues. Dorset Equine Rescue in East Dorset, Vt., and the New Hampshire Society for the Protection of Animals both stepped up to be part of the initial rescue team, while Tomten Farm and Sanctuary in Haverhill, N.H., and the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals each agreed to take in horses from the property,” according to Hackbarth.
To read the complete story on the Paulick Report, click here.