3 horses wandered into woman's yard-severe neglect

Bear in mind, I'm still waiting on details about this, so I'm only telling you what I know. I responded to this Craigslist ad on Saturday morning: http://grandrapids.craigslist.org/pet/727763983.html

I got a call back from a woman who's originally from the area, and she was calling for her friend. FYI: I e-mailed, and not called, on the ad. I'm stupidly phone shy sometimes. Anyway, this woman's message to me said that these horses were obviously starving and neglected, and the mare looked like she was about to keel over. Her friend (the one who has the horses in her yard) went out and got the horses wormer, and has them enclosed somehow. She said her friend had tried calling the SPCA, the country, the city, and no one was helping her. She said she was going to suggest to her friend to call the local TV station so it would get some coverage. I'm guessing this woman has no clue where these horses came from, and at this point I don't know how much this gal knows about horses at all.

I really want to help out here. I can't offer to house/take care of them, but if this woman has the space enough to keep them protected, then I can go out there and help her out. I'm going to try calling this woman again, and here are ways I think I can help:

-calling local vets and seeing if any of them will assess the horses pro-bono
-asking for hay donations from local farmers/shops
-calling Michigan horse rescues and seeing if they'll take them on

Any other ideas? I'll know more in a little while, but suggestions welcome. Animal cruelty just makes my blood boil.

I would try and contact local horse rescues...

I got a message from the gal last night, and it sounds like some local agency finally came and took the horses off of her property, but she said she doesn't think they'll prosecute whoever did it.

I'll know more later today.

Last November we found a starved horse down the street, standing over a card board HORSE FOR SALE sign, written in crayon.

We stopped and got the number and went over the next day. We saw three horses in horrible, muddy, bony condition with hooves that looked like clown shoes. The woman was recently divorced and couldn't feed the horses and was selling the skinniest.

She had no coggins tests and no way to move the horses... no food... so we offered her food and hay. She refused.

For a couple of weeks, we'd sneak down and drop a bale over the fence at night after dinner. The horses would eat it and no one was the wiser. Finally she contacted us and told us we could have the skinniest one if we came and got him. We did.

He was very close to having his ankle bones hit the ground because his hooves were so long. After about 6 weeks they started to strengthen up again. He had a botched geld and a serious eating disorder. But we found him an AWESOME home and he inspired us to start our own horse rescue service.

Here's the kicker. Last week on his way to the feed store, my husband came across the remaining two horses (and their new friend), bony as hell and eating grass out of the roadway... where they had escaped to, rummaging for food in the trash...

We know she has a 50 by 50 enclosure in back. Since he put them back in the fence for her, we have only seen their feet... standing in the muddy barren enclosure on the back of the property.

I just don't get people some times.