Attorneys in Ohio are asking a U.S. District Court judge to declare an Arabian horse rescue organization the legal owner of horses removed from an Oak Harbor farm last month.

Animal welfare authorities from the Humane Society of Ottawa County discovered 37 animals allegedly residing in filth without food or water on Jan. 29. One horse was found dead on the property and five were euthanized at the scene. The remaining 31 horses were moved to the Sandusky County Fairgrounds stables, where another was later euthanized.

Farm operator Robin Vess was charged with 42 counts of second-degree misdemeanor animal cruelty.

Vess later transferred ownership of the horses to the Arabian Rescue Midwest, a subsidiary of Arabian Rescue Mission, on grounds that they require breed-specific rehabilitative care, said her attorney Mark Davis