The state Department of Agriculture on Tuesday seized 32 horses and numerous other animals from an East Hampton breeder as part of an animal cruelty investigation.  

The horses, along with two dogs, several rabbits and more than 80 chickens, were removed from the Fairy Tail Equine facility after an investigation determined the animals were malnourished, not receiving proper veterinary care and kept in unhealthy conditions, the department said in a news release.

The horses were taken under a search-and-seizure warrant signed by a Superior Court judge and brought to the department’s Second Chance large animal rehabilitation facility in Niantic, where they will be cared for as the investigation continues.

The Daniel Street farm is owned by Thomas and Melanie Olajos, who breed Friesian, Andalusian, and Gypsy Vanner horses, the department said.

The investigation began in September when East Hampton’s animal control officer received a complaint from a woman who had leased four horses to the breeder, and said the animals were emaciated when she picked them up a few days earlier.

Those horses were subsequently hospitalized after being diagnosed with malnutrition and parasites.

An East Hampton officer went to the facility on Sept. 9 but was denied access to the animals.

On Sept. 10, animal control officers from the agriculture department went to the farm and found Thomas Olajos on the property, with no hay or grain available for the horses to eat.

The initial assessment found that nearly half of the horses on the property were underweight and exhibiting signs of malnutrition including muscle wasting, protruding hip bones and visible ribs and spines, the department said.

Olajos was instructed to have hay and clean water available for the horses at all times, and to obtain veterinary care for numerous horses that had untrimmed or cracked hooves.

A subsequent evaluation of the horses by a veterinarian hired by Olajos found that several had anemia related to malnutrition.

The department said it made numerous attempts to work with the owners and gave detailed feeding and treatment instructions that were not followed.

On Tuesday, each of the 32 horses was evaluated by Dr. Bruce Sherman, a veterinarian with the agriculture department, who determined that all were to be removed from the property to ensure they were properly treated in a healthy environment.

“Our goal was to work with the owner to rehabilitate the horses on site,” said Sherman, director of the agency’s Bureau of Regulation and Inspection. “Unfortunately, our best efforts to bring the owner into compliance did not result in all of the horses being cared for to the degree that we required.”

The dogs, chickens and rabbits were taken to municipal animal shelters in nearby towns. The agriculture department said it will continue the investigation to determine if criminal charges are warranted.