Two mustangs corralled near the home of a man arrested Monday for arson have been returned to the Bureau of Land Management.

Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said the horses were discovered Monday during investigation of a fire at the home of Johnny Ray Galey at 9960 U.S. 61 South. Galey, 54, was later charged with a felony for burning his own home or having it burned.

“During the course of the investigation it became apparent that the horses were living in bad conditions without anyone to care for them, so we contacted the humane society,” Pace said.

Georgia Lynn, president of the Vicksburg-Warren Humane Society, which has a contract to provide enforcement services to Warren County, said she went to the scene.

“The horses were housed in unsanitary conditions,” Lynn said. “They were being held in a wood-fenced corral with a dirt ground and no grass. They were covered in mud and feces and were very thin.”

Lynn said she then found out that Galey had adopted the horses around December through the federal agency, which had obtained the mustangs during one of its regular roundups. However, the adoption program requires prospective owners to keep horses for one year before a transfer is finalized.

“So technically,” Lynn said, “they are not his horses. They were just under his care; they are still the property of the federal government.”

Lynn said she asked Galey to surrender the horses out of his control, which he did without objection. Then on Tuesday, she loaded and took the horses to the society shelter until the BLM could pick them up. Lynn fed the horses grass and hay and gave them plenty of water.

“They are a lot calmer now,” she said. “I think they had grown agitated from the terrible living conditions, but I believe they will be OK.” Lynn said she is not going to file charges against Galey.

Wednesday afternoon, James Hood, who works with the BLM Wild Horse Program, picked the mustangs up and took them to a holding facility at Piney Woods School south of Jackson. There, he said, they will stay for at least 60 days for tests and observation. He said the horses should return to good health and eventually be adopted.

The BLM Wild Horse Program has worked since 1971 to maintain a healthy wild horse population. This “benefits the animals, the land and the American taxpayer.”

Authorities believe Galey was in Florida during the fire, but investigated after learning his personal property was moved from the home and into storage before the blaze. Another arrest is anticipated. Galey’s bond was set at $50,000.