The owner of two neglected horses surrendered the animals to the Colorado Humane Society after the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office responded to a welfare check on the horses last week, deputies said in a news release.

Deputies found an “emaciated” horse and a miniature hinny (the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey) with “severely overgrown hooves” in Howard, law enforcement said.

Deputies and the Colorado Humane Society, a program of the Dumb Friends League, executed a search warrant Tuesday. The animals were then evaluated by a licensed veterinarian and the owner surrendered the horses to the Humane Society, deputies said in the release.

“This kind of neglect happens over a long period of time,” Dr. Courtney Diehl, Dumb Friends League Field Service veterinarian, said in the release. “It takes years for a horse’s hooves to get to this state. If you have a concern or you see a problem, call.”

The horses will be fed and receive medical evaluations and care at the Dumb Friends League Harmony Equine Center, the release said.