Animal control officers say they gave the owner of the property until Monday afternoon to show proof that she can take care of the animals on her own.
Officers say the horses will have to be removed because the owner cannot afford to take care of their condition is questionable.
Neighbors say the animals have been without much to eat for months, except for recent donations of hay by the community, which is only a temporary fix.
"To expect the community to continue feeding 23 horses it will be hundreds of dollars a week, and as you can see it can't last forever," said concerned neighbor Tara Imbrie. "Once the community stops donating hay these horses are going to decline rapidly."
Sallie Phillips, a local veterinarian, voiced some concern over the food donations, saying: "These horses are eating off the ground and have been, and when they are starving they eat every little bit of alfalfa and eating sand. I'm afraid these horses will start have colic. Which could be deadly, especially if they are not receiving any vet care?"
KMPH News Reporter Erik Rosales spoke with the owner of the 23 horses.
She declined an on-camera interview because she says she is in the process of interviewing for jobs.
But says she is down on her luck right now and she has been out of job since late last year.
"I agree, six of the horses are in bad shape, really bad shape," she said. "My unemployment check was affected and I had to pay a nearly $700 PG&E bill and could not afford food. Thanks to donations from the community, I'm attempting to feed them more."
Meanwhile, the owner of the horses left a note on the gate, thanking the community for its help.
(KMPH - Aug 6, 2013)
