Robert Labrie of Vermont: Seizures, Charges, and Forfeitures

Robert Labrie, the owner of Friesians of Majesty in Townshend, Vermont, has had roughly 100 horses seized from his farm by state authorities across four separate actions since 2023, and he now faces multiple animal cruelty charges, unresolved forfeiture proceedings, and the sale of the 360-acre property.¹

The Farm and the Owner

Labrie, a former National Ski Patrol member who had previously owned an asphalt business in Massachusetts, sold that company and began breeding Friesian horses in 1999 on Maggie Ladd Road in Townshend.¹ At its peak, Friesians of Majesty housed more than 120 horses and hosted workshops and retreats where students worked with the animals.² Labrie has described himself as one of the world’s leading experts on the Friesian breed.

The farm first drew formal scrutiny in 2022, when Vermont Fish and Wildlife Detective Sergeant David Taddei received a 20-page document signed by 20 former employees raising concerns about conditions. An initial visit that year found conditions acceptable. Taddei’s later affidavit described a pattern of financial trouble at the operation, including failed feed-bill payments and bounced checks despite a $130,000 cash infusion in the spring of 2023, and former employees reported Labrie overpriced his animals and refused to sell them, leaving the farm overwhelmed.³

Four Seizures Since 2023

In July 2023, Vermont Fish and Wildlife seized 13 horses after executing a search warrant. Investigators found many of the animals living without shelter, with dirty drinking water, deep mud in paddocks, and symptoms of thinness and rain rot, a bacterial skin infection.⁴ A court later ordered all 13 forfeited, and in April 2024 Windham Superior Court Judge John Treadwell ordered Labrie to pay $38,597.69 in restitution to Dorset Equine Rescue for medical expenses, boarding, and other care.⁵ As of late 2024, the rescue reported Labrie had not paid.⁶ His appeal to the Vermont Supreme Court was dismissed for missed deadlines.²

Two more seizures followed in 2024. Troopers took two horses earlier in the summer, and on September 10, 2024, Vermont Fish and Wildlife game wardens and state police returned with a search warrant and removed at least 20 more. Some were so malnourished they were sent to an equine hospital in Saratoga.⁶ In August 2025, Judge Treadwell issued a 37-page ruling ordering forfeiture of 19 of the 20, citing malnutrition, lack of exercise, lack of medical care, serious hoof infections from wet conditions, eye infections from burdock-overrun pastures, parasites, and chronic dermatitis. One mare was returned because she had been in good health and was seized only to nurse her sick filly.⁷

The largest single action came on June 17, 2025, when the Fish and Wildlife Game Warden Service, the Department of Public Safety’s Animal Welfare Division, and the Vermont State Police removed 39 horses.⁸ According to a probable cause affidavit, horses were underweight, lacked shelter, and lived in paddocks of mud and feces, with animals competing to stand on a single large rock. Detective Sergeant Taddei called the conditions the worst he had ever seen.⁹ Veterinary examinations documented emaciation, skin infections, lice, mites, roundworm, rain rot, dental neglect, and hoof abscesses, and two horses required immediate hospitalization.¹⁰

Criminal Charges

Labrie was arrested twice on June 17, 2025. After his first arrest for animal cruelty, he was released from the Westminster State Police Barracks on the condition that he not return to the farm while the investigation continued. He went back while the search was still underway and was arrested again for violating conditions of release. He refused to sign citation documents, bail, and conditions of release orders after both arrests.⁸

He was arraigned on June 18, 2025, and pleaded not guilty to animal cruelty and to violating conditions of release.¹¹ The animal cruelty charge carries a maximum of one year in prison and a $2,000 fine; the violation of conditions charge carries up to six months and a $1,000 fine.⁸ Those charges are separate from the 16 counts of animal cruelty he faced after the September 2024 seizure, to which he had pleaded not guilty in July 2024.⁶

Where the Horses Went

The 39 horses from June 2025 were initially moved to Dorset Equine Rescue’s 178-acre property in Rupert, Vermont.⁸¹²¹³ Six others went to the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals.¹⁰ Some seized horses died while in the care of rescue facilities.¹⁴

Across all four seizures, Dorset Equine Rescue has taken in 74 horses from the farm since 2023.⁸ In September 2025, Martha Stewart adopted two Friesian geldings from the case: Ulysses, a three-year-old seized in 2023 who had been emaciated, feverish, dehydrated, and suffering from colic and a potentially fatal intestinal condition called pyloric stenosis; and Stewart, a ten-year-old seized earlier in 2025 who had been emaciated and required hospitalization for dental neglect.¹⁵

Labrie’s Defense

Labrie has represented himself in the forfeiture proceedings, saying he contacted more than 50 attorneys and none would take his case against the state; Windham County Public Defender Kathleen Rivers has provided technical assistance.¹⁶¹

He has argued the state is “railroading” him and that his horses were seized illegally, accusing investigators of using “the same lies over and over.” He has maintained the horses were in fine health, comparing identified medical issues like leg infections to “pimples on a teenager.”¹⁶ At a January 2026 forfeiture hearing before Judge Michael Kainen, Labrie described his work with horses as “a gift from God,” characterized the seizures as theft, claimed to possess more expertise on Friesians than any veterinarian, and accused state authorities of conspiring to put him out of business. The judge admonished him for calling witnesses “liars” while noting he had granted Labrie “wide latitude” to present his case.¹ A former employee, Christina Henrich, testified on his behalf that she had observed no signs of serious neglect three weeks before the September 2024 search, saying only that the animals needed grooming.

Where the Case Stands

As of early 2026, the criminal case against Labrie is active. The forfeiture hearing for the 39 horses taken in June 2025 was held over two days in January 2026, with the second session on January 30 before Judge Kainen, and no decision had been issued as of early February 2026.¹ A criminal trial on the cruelty charges is expected to follow the conclusion of forfeiture proceedings.¹⁷

The farm itself was sold on January 14, 2026, to Brock Lord for $515,000. According to Labrie, the proceeds are being used to settle debts, including the nearly $40,000 owed to Dorset Equine Rescue. Labrie has said he lost $30 million on the farm as a result of the state’s actions.¹

What the Case Changed in Vermont

The repeated seizures from Friesians of Majesty exposed weaknesses in Vermont’s animal welfare system, including a lack of state-run impound facilities, inconsistent enforcement across agencies, long court delays, and the inability of judges to prohibit animal ownership while charges are still pending.¹⁰ In 2024, only 9 of 507 reported animal abuse cases in Vermont resulted in arrests.¹⁸

In June 2024, Governor Phil Scott signed H.626, creating a Division of Animal Welfare within the Department of Public Safety; the law was prompted in part by the Townshend seizures and other high-profile cruelty cases. In 2026, the legislature passed H.578, which makes it harder for convicted animal abusers to regain custody of animals, establishes ownership bans of up to five years for a first offense and ten for a second, expedites forfeiture by requiring owners to request hearings within 14 days, and requires owners to pay reasonable care costs for seized animals.¹⁸

1
Brattleboro Reformer. A Gift From God: Labrie Argues His Case for Return of Horses
2
Bennington Banner. Treadwell Approves Forfeiture of 19 Friesians From 2024
3
Manchester Journal. Friesians of Majesty’s Labrie Pleads Not Guilty to 15 Counts of Animal Cruelty
4
Valley News. Owner of Friesian Horse Facility Ordered to Pay Care Costs for Seized Animals
5
Brattleboro Reformer. Friesian Breeder Ordered to Pay $38K to Dorset Equine Rescue
6
Vermont Public. Legal Troubles Continue for Townshend Horse Breeder
7
Brattleboro Reformer. Treadwell Approves Forfeiture of 19 Friesians From 2024
8
VTDigger. 39 Horses Seized From Townshend Farm in Latest Animal Cruelty Investigation
9
Brattleboro Reformer. Dozens of Horses Seized From Friesians of Majesty in Townshend
10
VTDigger. Fourth Seizure of Horses From Townshend Farm Highlights Animal Welfare System’s Ongoing Gaps
11
WCAX. Horses Seized From Vermont Farm in Animal Abuse Investigation
12
Equiery. Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue Takes in 31 Friesians Seized in Vermont
13
WBAL-TV. Maryland Farm Rescuing Horses From Bad Situation in Vermont
14
Bennington Banner. A Gift From God: Labrie Argues His Case for Return of Horses
15
VTDigger. Martha Stewart Provides Forever Home to Two Horses Seized in Vermont Animal Cruelty Case
16
Manchester Journal. Horse Breeder Labrie Claims He’s Being Railroaded by the State
17
Valley News. Martha Stewart Friesian Horses
18
Seven Days. Vermont’s First Director of Animal Welfare Presses for Change