The head of a now-closed Florida horse riding program for veterans and children with disabilities has been arrested, and faces animal abuse and neglect charges after eight horses were found to be in poor health and "bad" living conditions.

Sara Montijo-Lopez ran Tianvica Riding Academy outside Bartow, 40 miles outside Tampa, FOX Tampa reported. 

Dani Horton, the founder of Hope Equine Rescue in Winter Haven, told FOX Tampa things went downhill after Montijo-Lopez took over operations at the academy. Horton said she was horrified at what she saw after the horses were moved to Bartow.

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"There was no shade on the property, no water on the property, no grass," Horton told FOX Tampa. "There was no food that we could see from the road. It was really just a bad situation for the horses."

The Polk County Sheriff's Office seized eight horses last month. 

Authorities had been working with Montijo-Lopez for several years to try and correct the issues. 

Investigators said horses had dropped weight and had protruding hips and developed skin problems. A miniature horse had to be euthanized because of its deteriorating condition, FOX Tampa reported. 

The other seized horses have been housed at the sheriff's office's farm, where they have put on weight. 

"If she is in jail, or if she goes to prison, she’ll be taken care of and fed, unlike what she did for the horses," Sheriff Grady Judd told FOX Tampa.

The horses were taken to Hope Equine Rescue on Monday, where they will be further evaluated and properly cared for and possibly put up for adoption. 

Legendary NFL defensive lineman J.J. Watt revealed that he recently participated in a pub crawl for "research" purposes.

Last week, Watt and his wife, former Team USA midfielder Kealia Watt, purchased a minority stake in Burnley F.C. The club is set to move to the Premiere League next season.

Watt's 12-year professional football career came to an end in January when he announced his retirement. But, the 34-year-old is certainly interested in staying involved with sports.

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Watt said that he took part in the pub crawl in an effort to interact with the team's supporters and develop a deeper understanding of the club.

"I've learned that the history, tradition and supporters, it's all about respecting and honoring that," he told "BBC Breakfast" on Tuesday. "You never want to come in and try and do something that's not true to who the club is and what we're trying to do is show people what real Burnley is about.

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"I did a pub crawl yesterday on my way to the stadium so I started at the Royal Dyche, worked my way down to Vintage Clarets and all my way up to Turf Moor. Just getting to know the supporters, I want to earn their trust by showing them how much we care and how passionate we are."

While gathering research may have been Watt's primary focus, he admittedly took some time to enjoy the moment.

"It's research, I'm doing research and lots of pints of Guinness along the way. But it was a lot of fun and really good to get to know them on a personal level, and hopefully they get to know us as well."

Watt was on hand as Burnley closed out the season earlier this week with a win over Cardiff City.

He had the honor of carrying the league winner's trophy to the stage during the Sky Bet Championship.

"Promotion and relegation, the highs and lows, the consequences are incredible, so we have been looking for a club for a long time," he said. "We knew that once we found the right opportunity we were going to go all-in, so we took our time. Burnley checked every single box."