A man has been arrested in connection with the disappearance of a pair of Quarter Horses in Madera County, California.

Erica Stuart, public information officer for the Madera County Sheriff's Department, said the horses' owner reported that he placed the animals in the custody of Summer Tex of Madera, Calif., in August 2013; Tex is a brand inspector for the California Department of Food and Agriculture, she said. Stuart said Tex allegedly promised to place the 21-year old mare and the 26-year-old gelding in a program in Fresno County that pairs mature horses with young equids in order to keep young horses calm and to occupy older horses in their remaining years. The horses' owner reported that he telephoned Tex repeatedly about the horses' well-being, but got no answer, Stuart said. When Tex did answer, she allegedly told the owner that she had sold the animals, she said.

The Madera County Sheriff's Office subsequently issued a warrant for Tex's arrest on a charge of felony grand theft involving the horses, Stuart said. Tex was arrested on April 26 after turning herself in.

During the investigation, Stuart said, Agricultural Crimes Detective Adam McEwen allegedly followed a trail of paper receipts for the animals that led from Madera County, through Washington, and to Canada