Two Winchester men charged with cruelty to animals said today they did the best they could.

On Monday, Winchester police seized 10 horses from them and relocated the animals to an SPCA facility in Stratham.

The owners of the horses, Kevin Parkhurst Jr. and Delmar Hopkins, were both arraigned this morning at Keene District Court. The state brought forward 10 charges of cruelty to animals — seven against Hopkins and three against Parkhurst — one for each horses seized.

The charges are Class A misdemeanors, meaning the men face possible jail time and a fine of as much as $2,000 for each one.

Parkhurst said after the hearing that not enough investigation went into determining whether the horses were malnourished. Police took three of his four horses.

“Some horses carry their weight different from others,” Parkhurst said, adding that the veterinarian called to examine the horses Monday determined they had food.

Parkhurst also said that people have been coming by his property shining headlights onto his remaining horse at all hours of the night.

Hopkins said he felt bad about the situation. He surrendered all of his horses, four of which he said were in good shape and three of which he said were losing weight, to the SPCA.

He said he was looking to sell them and find them a better home because he could not afford them anymore, but had been unable to find a buyer.

“It’s tough,” he said. “It’s like giving up your kids.”

Both were released on $5,000 personal recognizance with bail stipulations not to talk to one another about the case or acquire other animals as the case proceeds. Parkhurst has a court date of Nov. 8 and Hopkins has a court date of Nov. 23.