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MARANA - People are not the only ones being exploited along the border with Mexico. Horses are being found in horrible condition fending for themselves or left for dead in the desert according to a horse rescue group. News 4 Tucson paid a visit to a ranch in Marana where the lucky horses get a second chance.

"Horses will go where, as I say, they can go through rocks they can through creeks they can do a lot of things," says Lorilei Peters. She owns Desert Springs Equestrian Center in Marana.

So smugglers use horses to get drugs through remote areas and rough terrain. Once the drugs are in, the horses are often abandoned. Sonny, a gelding, was brought in for rescue about 14 months ago. He was so thin the experienced horse trainers thought he was two-years-old. He's actually ten-years-old and very lucky.

"The unlucky ones, when the drug guys are done with them, they tie them to the trees and they can't get lose," says Peters. "They can't eat. They can't forage or be found and they die."

Sunny is looking much better now and trusting people.

Blackie, a mare, was rescued about 9 months ago.

"Right here you can see that she's still sunken in. She's really pretty thin with her hips sticking out." Cathy Schreiber is a trainer.

Because of the cruel treatment, these horses have been traumatized. They've been forced to carry loads far too heavy for them.

"And if you put too much weight on that it causes pressure, like a big pressure point, and their hair grows back white."

Staff and volunteers groom and walk the horses building a little trust each day. The hope is to get them ridable again.

"So they can be adopted and have a new home," says Schreiber. "And that's really the goal is to have them all find a forever home."

Peters explains her motive, "We do it because it's very hard to look at these animals and say if we don't do something about it they're going to die."

If you want to volunteer and help these horses or donate to the cause visit Desert Springs Equestrian at the following link. http://www.desertspringsec.com/directions.html