A court hearing has been postponed for a prominent Thoroughbred breeder charged with cruelty after scores of allegedly malnourished horses were found on his New York farm.

Ernie Paragallo was to appear in Coxsackie Town Court on Monday (April 20) afternoon, but a clerk said the hearing was postponed at the request of his lawyer. A new date hasn’t been set.

On April 8, police and animal protection organizations found 177 horses allegedly suffering from neglect and malnourishment on Paragallo’s farm. Two days later, he was charged with 22 counts of torturing or injuring animals.

The 51-year-old Long Island resident has said he’s innocent. He is out on bail