Two body builders have been charged with animal abuse after starving, undernourished horses were found on their ranch in southern Miami-Dade.

The husband-and-wife bodybuilding team consists of Milagros Cowan, 50, who was arraigned Friday on four counts of animal abuse and Alex Paez, 48, who was previously arrested on similar charges.

Paez and Cowan pictured with one of their horses./© Elite Body Imaging

The same horse at the Paez ranch in may/SFSPCA

According to the Miami Herald, Paez's lawyer, Alexander Michaels called the new charges "no big deal" on Friday.

The accused's lawyer continued by saying "I wish the police would spend more time on human victims, and child victims, than on horses who skipped a meal."

Back in May three horses were seized from Paez's ranch by Miami-Dade Agricultural Patrol and were turned over to South Florida Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SFSPCA).

Officials found the horses in severely emaciated condition and with overgrown hooves that apparently had not been trimmed in at least a year, limiting the horses' ability to walk without tripping, according to the SFSPCA.