MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — An East Hampton woman, charged with nearly two dozen counts of animal cruelty related to horses she trained, entered a not guilty plea in Middletown Superior Court Thursday.
Horse trainer Alexis Wall faces 20 counts of animal cruelty for her alleged abuse of horses that she trained at the now defunct White Birch Farm in Portland.
Her attorney said she is factually innocent.
"That's because everything that she did is completely by standard and perfect," said attorney Robert Pickering.
But according to the arrest warrant affidavit, horse owners alleged their horses were being mistreated including excessive whipping and in a couple of instances slamming a horse's head into a wall when it didn't respond to Wall's training.
"But the practices have been happening for 500 years and it's accepted," Pickering added.
"Well so was so as child abuse at one point in time right," said Patricia Reilly, a horse owner, who was among those alleging abuse by Wall.
She pulled her horse Ocho from White Birch Farm after just a couple of months of training by Wall.
"The last time I came back Ocho had many many wounds on him, sores under his armpits, he had a chunk of out of his head, his ankles were swollen," Reilly said.
Reilly told state investigators that during a training class Alexis Wall said horses listen to pain and the pain must be great enough to make a lasting impression.
"I think everybody that had horses that night was startled by that comment," Reilly added.
Among those in the courtroom were approximately one dozen members of the Desmond's Army animal advocacy group, who helped created Desmond's Law, which allows some animals to be represented in court on a pro bono basis by an attorney or law student but horses are not covered by that law.
"Not at this point in time and that is why it's so important that that language be changed to any animal at the judge's discretion," stressed Zilla Cannamela, President of Desmond's Army.
Wall is due back in court on Oct. 13 for a pre-trial hearing.
Tony Terzi is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at tterzi@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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