City impounds 6 horses from Chicago carriage co.

A horse carriage company is denying accusations that it mistreated six horses removed by city of Chicago authorities.

Mark Rosenthal of Chicago Animal Care and Control says the agency inspected the horses Friday after receiving a complaint. He says the decision to impound the horses was based in part on the animals' weights and the condition of the enclosure they were housed in.

The J. C. Cutters company kept the horses in a tarp-covered plywood barn near the Chicago River on the city's near West Side.

A representative for the company says the enclosure was temporary and legal, and the horses were well-cared for.

Officials say the animals are being kept at a site outside the city.