Eleven horses were taken from Southern Star Farm earlier this week after Davie County Sheriff deputies found them malnourished and improperly cared for. Top StoriesAbandoned, malnourished dogs found in Randolph County; 4 other pups located deadTexting and driving simulation show students the dangers of trauma situationsSome North Carolina Goodwill stores offer free books to children FridayAnimal Services says some of the horses were owned by Amanda Lowe, 41, and Brandon Hedrick, 35, who were arrested and charged. Lowe was charged with 12 felony counts and one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty. Hedrick was charged with 11 counts and one misdemeanor count of animal cruelty.Animal Services says the other horses obtained were owned by those who boarded them there. All 11 horses are being cared for by others.Local horse owner, Mary McCashin jumped into action after Davie County Deputy Sheriff James Dewitt with animal services called and asked for her help seizing some of the horses from the farm. "When it comes to us having the means to do these things, we can't do this stuff on our own, so thank you to our local horse community who has helped us," Dewitt said. McCashin said the horse community has been calling animal services about Southern Star farm for a while now. She said she could tell right away the horses weren't being well cared for. Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here“You would go in the stall and they’d all be against the far wall and they were all like, please don't touch me and if you talked to them, be real kind to them. Their ears kind of perked up and we started putting them in the trailers and every single one of them loaded right up, it’s like they knew we were trying to help them," McCashin said. McCashin showed WXII what the horses look like. "You can visually see each vertebra, you can see all their ribs, their stomachs are sucked up, their teeth are in poor quality, one horse has an eye that’s going to need to be removed," McCashin said. Dewitt said they’ve been investigating complaints about the condition of horses at Southern Star Farm for a long time. Since the news of the arrests and seizure came out, several people have come forward saying their horses looked improperly cared for when they were boarded there.Stephanie Miner used to board her two horses at that farm. She said she took them elsewhere after seeing the condition they were in, with ribs and hip bones showing. “The care of the horses were going downhill, the feeding of the horses were going downhill, we would go in the water buckets were bone dry, and they have to have water 24/7," Miner said. Kaitlin Frye said she purchased her horse, Dream, from a kill pen through Amanda Lowe. She said, "Dream was in a better situation when we got her from the kill pen than when we left." Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app here. Frye said she took Dream to a different barn after seeing Dream sick and not getting better.“When I went the last time to see my horse, she had green drainage coming out of her nose, she was running a fever and she was literally a skeleton, so I made the decision with my mother to go look at other barns. We moved her within a week, and she had made a full recovery," Frye said. Frye, Miner, McCashin, and others say they're just relieved action is being taken now. “For us, there was a huge relief knowing that these animals went from being terrified and scared to their safe and they’re fed and they’re allowed to just be horses right now," McCashin said. Amanda Lowe's attorney sent a statement on her behalf in regard to the charges and allegations. It says in part:"In North Carolina, the allegation of Felony Animal Cruelty means that the State would have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a person acted “maliciously”. In simpler terms, that Ms. Lowe purposely injured or starved any animal with malicious intent. Nothing could be further from the truth. She understands the public concern around animal safety; as no one shares that concern more than she does. Ms. Lowe is innocent of these charges, and we would respectfully ask the community to withhold judgment until all the facts come out and the case is complete."Dewitt said animal services is still investigating and that involves talking with people who have any information. Anybody with information is asked to call him. Dewitt said they're also taking donations for the care of the horses. Information on how to reach Dewitt or make a donation can be found here. NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Watch NOWCAST TV | Local News | National | News We Love