People illegally grazing horses on Opotiki District Council land have until Thursday to move them or they may be put down.

There are 19 horses grazing in the council's newly fenced paddocks off Richard Street. Paddocks it would like to level and then formally lease.

Planning and regulatory group manager Gerard McCormack says he feels for the horse owners as they might have been duped.

After placing an advert in the Opotiki News yesterday, he was contacted by some horse owners who said they had been paying rent for the paddocks.

McCormack says this rent has not been paid to the council and has gone to an unknown third party.

It's an unfortunate situation for the horse owners, but they needed to have their horses moved by Thursday next week or the council would either put them down or sell them.

"We have set aside these paddocks to lease out in the next few weeks; all of these horses are here without our consent and therefore they have all been impounded," McCormack says.

"When we lease these paddocks, it might not be to horse owners, it could be to cows or whatever. It will be a competitive market."

If the horse owners collect their animals before Thursday, they will not be charged impound fees.

The council put four horses down earlier this year and it is not something McCormack would like to repeat.