More than a dozen horses used to pull vendor wagons in Baltimore, Maryland, are receiving emergency care after public health authorities removed them from their stables.

Since the 1800s, merchants, known locally as "arabbers," have sold produce from horse-drawn carts in the city of Baltimore. Since 2007, city officials have worked with the merchants and a preservation group to keep the long-standing tradition alive.

On Jan. 13, the Days End Farm Equine Rescue (DEFHR) in Woodbine, Maryland, assisted Baltimore City Health Department animal control officers in removing 14 horses from a stable used for the merchants’ horses, said DEFHR spokeswoman Caroline Robertson. The horses, which were of various breeds, were taken to rescue agency facilities for immediate veterinary and farrier care, Robertson said.

Robertson said the horses will require veterinary and farrier care over the next several weeks, but declined further comment pending “possible legal proceedings