A member of the Minnesota Horse Council (MHC) board of directors is facing multiple animal cruelty charges for allegedly maltreating 16 horses on her property.

Keith Streff, investigator for the Minnesota Animal Humane Society, said that on Dec. 19, Carol Dobbelaire and her husband Rick Dobbelaire were charged with multiple animal cruelty counts including both felony and misdemeanor counts connected to the alleged maltreatment of horses on their Buffalo, Minn. property.

Streff said that the charges stem from anonymous complaints alleging that the horses on the property appeared to be thin.

"We’ve had received multiple anonymous complaints for years, and had tried to work with Carol Dobbelaire to reduce the size of the herd," Streff said. "Most recently we gave her and Rick the opportunity to work with the veterinarian of their choice or we would be forced to remove the horses