RSPCA Victoria North West team leader Karen Collier said no further comment on the case is available at this time.

The Bendigo Advertiser had been approached by locals concerned by the condition of four animals.

One person said members of the public had been feeding the animals out of concern which the RSPCA has now discouraged.

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"It is important to note that members of the public should never feed horses without consent from their owner, particularly high sugar foods which can have an adverse effect on some horses leading to serious health implications," Ms Collier said.

"We believe that prevention is best and wherever possible our Inspectors support people to achieve good animal welfare, however, we rely on the community to let us know about animal cruelty and encourage anyone with concerns for the welfare of an animal to lodge a cruelty report.

"Our call centre can be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a week on (03) 9224-2222, alternatively reports can be lodged online via www.rspcavic.org."

RSPCA Victoria is also running an equine excellence course in Burwood later this month.

The hands-on course will be delivered by in-house experts and provides basic information on how to care for horses.

More details and bookings for the course can be found at rspcavictoria.weteachme.com/classes/1042105-equine-excellence

More information on horse health and welfare can be found here.

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