Vermont: Sarah Henrich, 60, and her husband William Seilonen, 63, charged with animal cruelty

VERMONT -- A Northfield couple is now facing animal cruelty charges after more than a dozen horses were removed from their property. The horses will remain in foster care until the case is resolved, which could be months. It is a costly process for the humane societies and their volunteers who are caring for the animals.

A total of 14 horses were taken from the Northfield home of William Seilonen, 63, and his wife, Sarah Henrich, 60. Now, animal cruelty charges have been filed against the couple.

Dozens of dogs remain on the property and even Seilonen admitted to WCAX last month, he didn't know just how many he had. It is unknown whether any of the dogs will be seized.

In an interview with WACX, Bill Seilonen says each of his horses gets a bale of high-quality hay a day, and he responded to allegations that some of his animals are malnourished.

"They are pure Arabians and Arabians do not carry the body fat the way a thoroughbred or a standard breed or the way a lot of other horses are. They are naturally a skinnier horse," Seilonen insisted.

William Seilonen doesn't think this horse is starving

"Well, since it is an active investigation, I really can't say. The Vermont Humane Federation provided assistance to the Northfield Police Department in this case and they are in charge of the criminal investigation and our role is to care for the animals which are essentially live evidence until the case goes to court and is adjudicated," said Joanne Bourbeau from the New England Regional Director Humane Society of the United States.

Each year, the Vermont Humane Federation gets about 500 reports of animal abuse through their website reportanimalcruelty.com. Bourbeau says very few actually turn out to be abused. She says most of the cases are rectified through voluntary compliance and by educating owners about animal care.

But when animals are seized, they must be held, sometimes for months.

William Seilonen spoke with WCAX and denied the charges

"For as long as it takes and that's really the issue, sometimes these cases can be months even over a year sometimes. There was a case in Woodstock last year where Lucy MacKenzie had to hold 23 horses for close to just about a year and then charges ended up being dropped in exchange for the animals being signed over to them," said Bourbeau.

Almost all of those horses have been adopted out to new homes, but shelter directors will tell you there never seem to be enough homes.

"Our system is bursting at the seams as it is, our shelters are filled with dogs and cats. None of the shelters here in Vermont have space for livestock either, so if you are dealing with a case that involves horses or other large animals it can be particularly challenging to find a place to be able to keep them," said Bourbeau.

The Northfield horses are being cared for by various rescues and foster homes throughout the state. Their owners are due in court Friday.

(WCAX - Jan 6, 2016)

Earlier:

• Investigations of animal cruelty continue in Northfield; more than 40 animals on the property