Horrifying images show five severely malnourished horses found locked in Georgia barn before one had to be euthanized: Dehydrated animals drank 25 GALLONS of water on first night in recovery - as owner is arrested

A 63-year-old Georgia horse owner has been arrested after six severely malnourished horses were discovered locked in a barn - with one already dead and another later needing to be euthanized.

Disturbing images released by the Haralson County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday depict the horses starved and dehydrated, with their ribs painfully visible.

One horse on the ground was unable to stand when deputies arrived and had to be euthanized after Animal Control experts were called.  

Ulas Dudley Bolan, the owner, was arrested last week and faces two counts of felony cruelty to animals and four counts of cruelty to animals. 

The four surviving horses, under the care of Jonny Cook, a local expert in training horses, drank 25 gallons of water on their first night in recovery.

Haralson County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a welfare call last month  regarding six malnourished horses. 

When deputies arrived, the owner of the animals, Bolan, was not present. He later returned to the property during the investigation. 

Authorities contacted Haralson County Animal Control and Cook, 'who came and got the four standing horses.' 

'The one on the ground was too far gone and had to be put down,' officers said in a statement. 

In horrifying photos released by the sheriff's office, five horses can be seen extremely starved, with one displaying visible bones beneath its skin.

Bolan voluntarily released his four living horses to Cook, who took the animals to his farm and provided immediate care for them. 

The surviving horses drank 25 gallons of water on the first night and have started gaining weight gradually in the past month. 

Cook detailed his encounter with the five emaciated horses on the night of October 27 on social media. 

The horse care expert said he had been in friendship with Bolan, the owner of the animals, for 30 years but had not seen the horses for around five years. 

'When I arrived at the scene. one horse was down and dead in the hall of the barn. He was in very very poor condition severely starved and with feet almost a foot long in growth...never been trimmed,' he wrote. 

The second horse 'could not get off the ground,' Cook said. 'She had sores on her jaw bones from what I assumed was from struggling to get off the ground.' 

The 11-year-old horse could only move her head and neck, and was seen continually beating her head on the ground, according to Cook. 

He added that 11 years old is typically regarded as the prime age for a horse, but the one 'was deemed helpless' and had to be euthanized. 

Other four horses on the scene survived, including one 23-year-old and three 11-year-old who 'were all thin but not in as bad of condition as the two horses on the ground.' 

Cook said: 'These four horses had no hay and no water. None.' 

Cook said that the owner granted permission to care for the horses, adding that one is blind in her right eye, another is suspected to have cancer in her right eye. 

The third horse has soundness issues in her hips, and the fourth is experiencing soreness in all four feet. 

Cook was told that the owner fully released all rights to the horses and he had been given the full authority to find them homes.

He said he found homes for all four horses without charging anyone for the horse or the delivery to them. 

In a statement, the sheriff's office said: 'Under the expert care of Mr. Cook, the horses have begun to gain weight and their coats are looking healthy. 

'We would like to thank Mr. Johnny Cook for stepping up to rescue these horses who were in such bad shape.' 

Bolan, from Bremen, Georgia, was charged with two counts of felony cruelty to animals and four counts of cruelty to animals.