Jose Romo, 47, was arrested at his home in Sanger Wednesday after turning over custody of the horses. Romo was out of jail by Wednesday night.
Investigators say eight of the horses are extremely malnourished. Some, they say, score a 'one' or 'two' in terms of health -- on a scale of one to ten.
The investigation began when neighbors complained to the SPCA.
"We'll have an assessment done of all of them, find out exactly where they're at, what they're going to need to be rehabilitated. And then hopefully re-homed into homes that will care for them properly," said Beth Caffrey with the Central California SPCA.
Three of the 11 horses are still on the owner's property. The SPCA says the horses appear to be healthier than the others. They may be picked on Thursday.
