Well ... unfortunately.. in our state (as in many) there is not much they can or will do about it. As long as there is food & water on the property the horse can look like the living dead and they will rarely do anything unless the horse is actually down. There is no humane society so it's not like on TV where they have an entire department dedicated to just animal welfare & helping owners. After they take possession- the process is even longer through the court system. Even if a horse is abandoned at a barn it's a PITA.

Then there are the owners that could care less about the horse vs. the money or dumping the horses issues, old age, lack of training on someone else. She could have put a $500 price on her to keep the meat buyers away so who knows.