Well done OP - you are brave. God I would have been horrified and scared. Sad truth is that the police are scared of these type of people, which does not instill any confidence frankly! It's laughable they call themselves horse lovers. Poor horses.
Oh god how awful, well done OP lets hope your brave and quick thinking actions help find these poor ponies in new homes but sadly idiots like this always go on to repeat their stupid actions, they are too thick to know any better!