WIND ALERT

Prepare for a messy morning commute with wet snow. Wicked wind follows Thursday

27 horses, at least 1 family forced out of Old Westbury Equestrian Center following raid citing violations

The fire marshal's office called the building that housed 27 show horses a "fire trap" on Monday and gave the owners and trainers 24 hours to get their horses out of the facility, saying it is a fire hazard and not safe.

News 12 Staff

Jan 10, 2023, 1:35 PM

Updated 694 days ago

Share:

More than two dozen horses had to be removed from Old Westbury Equestrian Center Tuesday following a raid by Nassau's fire marshal.
The fire marshal's office called the building that housed 27 show horses a "fire trap" on Monday and gave the owners and trainers 24 hours to get their horses out of the facility, saying it is a fire hazard and not safe.
The fire marshal's office says it gave the manager and owner of the Equestrian Center at least 20 tickets since October for broken sprinklers and alarm systems.
"The sprinkler system is not operational, the fire alarm system is not operational, all the carbon monoxide detectors, all the lifesaving safety issues that we required to keep everybody safe are not operational," says Nassau County Fire Marshal's Office Assistant Chief James Hicksman.
The 27 horses that stayed at the location are show horses that compete around the country, including at the Hamptons Classic.
The horses' trainers who rent stables pay up to $2,000 a month and were scrambling to find the horses a new home.
"We are so stressed, we had to take off work," said Sabrina Summers of Merrick. "I'm worried about the welfare of my horse."
The owner of the equestrian center could face thousands of dollars in fines.
There are also four apartments inside the facility.
Horse groomer Dimas Calvas says he, his wife and three children are now homeless.
"I didn't know about this - they show up yesterday and they say they are going to close the place," Calvo said.
News 12 was told that they were kept in the dark and had no idea that the building was a fire trap.
The horse trainers and owners say they have found other facilities to house their horses.