Last month, the National Sheriff’s Association launched a new feature in a smartphone app that makes it easier to report suspected incidents of horse abuse. But while the system streamlines that part of the process, actually removing a horse from an inappropriate environment is complicated and costly for both the agency that removes the animal and for the group or person that rehabilitates and rehomes him.

Lieutenant Brian Nichols, of the Waller County, Texas, Sheriff’s Department, said the process of taking a case from probe to prosecution is lengthy and expensive.

“The investigation into a case can take weeks and if we charge someone in connection with the case, we work with the district attorney to be sure the he or she has a case they can prosecute,” Nichols said. “No matter what, each case involves lots of time and personnel.”

When removals do take place, law enforcement agencies without their own large animal shelters rely on local nonprofit rescues to look after and rehabilitate horses. For instance, Nichols said the Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) helps his department assess, remove, and rehabilitate horses. But the SPCA’s own costs are not cheap, he said