Legislation requiring those convicted of equine cruelty to pay restitution for the animals’ care has advanced to Kentucky’s Senate. The measure was proposed after authorities confiscated more than 40 abandoned horses last year.

In June 2016, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture and the Mercer County Sherriff’s Department investigated a herd of 43 apparently abandoned horses. Authorities ultimately arrested and charged Charles Borell with 43 counts of misdemeanor second-degree animal cruelty. They issued a separate warrant for the arrest of his daughter Maria Borell, a Breeders’ Cup winning trainer.

Charles Borell ultimately pleaded guilty to nine counts of second-degree misdemeanor animal cruelty under an Alford plea deal. In doing so, he admitted no wrongdoing, but accepted that prosecutors had sufficient evidence to convict him. The remaining cruelty counts were dismissed. He was sentenced to serve two years’ probation and is prohibited from having any ownership role for any animals in Kentucky.

While the case was pending, authorities won ownership of the horses to rehome them and obtain restitution for the more than $20,000 spent on their care