Five malnorished horses were seized from an Easton farm.
State officials took the horses from the Pee Wee Farm on Silver Hill Road on December 15.
They are now at a rehabilitation center in Niantic.
Officials were tipped off in October after someone spotted a very thin horse roaming the grounds.
"All of these horses had different stages of emaciation," said Bruce Sherman of the state department of agriculture. "To look at these horses, even with the untrained eye, you could tell that they were very skinny."
Court documents obtained by NBC Connecticut show that the horses were severly under weight.
At least one of the animals had its ribs, spinal and hip bones protruding.
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They were also found to be living in poor living conditions, according to documents.
Paul Vittorio, the owner of the farm, said he has been in business for 2 years and has more than 90 horses on his land.
"I vet the horses myself. I've been around this business since I was eight years old," Vittorio said Friday. "The only time I call the vet is when there's an injury or the horse is really sick."
He denied mistreating the horses.
"One was forty years old. People wanted us to put her down and I refused to put her down," he said.
Vittorio has not been cooperative in the investigation, according to Sherman.
He said since the investigation began in October, Vittorio was given ample time to get veterinary help.
"We were left with no choice but to take the horses," Sherman said.
Vittorio will likely be charged with animal cruelty, he added.
